John of Gaunt

1340-1399. First Duke of Lancaster and Duke of Aquitaine. Shakespearean hero.

Introduction

John of Gaunt was born 6 March 1340 in Ghent in Flanders and he died in Leicestershire in England on 3 February 1399. He was the third surviving son of Edward III, King of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault. During the nonage of his nephew Richard II and the period of political instability John had great influence over the English throne and the whole country. Despite his great power, he always staid loyal to the king.

John was married to three women, Blanche of Lancaster in 1359, Constance of Castile in 1371 and Katherine Swynford in 1396. He was a commoner with whom he had an affair before he married her. When they got married the couple had already four illegitimate children who were born under the name of Beaufort. These children were later legitimised by King Richard II and the Pope but excluded from the succession to the throne.

Altogether John of Gaunt had ten children. Among them were Katharine of Lancaster, Henry Beaufort (Henry IV) and Cecily Neville who later gave birth to Richard III.

Family Relations

John of Gaunt is Edward III's son and Richard II's uncle. One of his own sons later becomes Henry IV. His grand-daughter Margaret Beaufort married Edmund Tudor. John's brother is Prince Edward, the so-called Black Prince.

His Life

In 1359 John married his third cousin Blanche of Lancaster. Both were related to Henry III. In 1361 Blanche's father died and it was John who gained half of his land and the title Earl of Lancaster.

John joined his oldest brother Edward the Black Prince in 1366 in Aquitaine. He supported King Pedro the Cruel of Castile and subsequently fought in the van at Najera in 1367. The success brought Pedro his throne back. In 1369, John was in command of an army which fought France but failed to conquer their enemy. One year later, he went back to France and joined Edward. When Edward fell ill and went home, John of Gaunt became his Lieutenant. He went on waging war at his own cost.

John’s wife Blanche died in 1369 at Bolingbroke Castle from Bubonic Plague while John was away at sea. In 1371, John married the daughter of King Peter of Castile (Pedro the Cruel), Constance of Castile, which gave him a claim to the throne in Castile. He tried to ascend to the throne for sixteen years. He thought of reaching his aim with the invasion of France in 1373 but the French were strong enough to resist the attack on Calais, the Champagne, Burgundy and Auvergne, but only a small amount of soldiers finally reached Bordeaux in a shattered state.

John went to Spain in 1386 claiming the throne in Castile again. A crisis arose as Richard’s misrule brought the country nearly to a civil war in 1387. John returned in 1389 and reached a compromise between Richard II and the Lord Appellants which led to a period of stability from then on.

Instead of John, his daughter Katherine of Lancaster, who married Henry III of Castile became Queen of Castile in 1390.

After Constance of Castile died in 1394, John of Gaunt married Katherine Swynford two years later in 1396. He died from natural causes three years later in 1399 at Leicester Castle. He was buried in St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Relationship to Geoffrey Chaucer

John of Gaunt and Geoffrey Chaucer were brothers-in-law as John’s third wife Katherine was the sister of Chaucer’s wife Philippa de Roet. Chaucer’s Book of the Duchess which is also known as The Deth of Blaunche refers to Blanche of Lancaster, John’s first wife. The poem deals with the Black Knight and the White Lady which is an allegory to John of Gaunt (the Black Knight) and Blanche of Lancaster, Blanche standing for white.

Further Links

< http://www.britannia.com/bios/royals/jgdklanc.html> (consulted: 28th May 2010)

< http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/john-of-gaunt.htm> (consulted: 28th May 2010)

Further Literature

Empson, Charles William. John of Gaunt: His Life and Character (1874). Oxford: IndyPublish, 2008.

Seyton, Anya. Katherine. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2004.

Shakespeare, William. Richard II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Weir, Alison. Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess. New York: Vintage Books, 2008.

White, James. The Adventures of John of Gaunt. Duke of Lancaster. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholar Publishing, 2009.