The Complicated Love Life of John of Gaunt

by Sharon Bennett Connolly

John of Gaunt

The third surviving son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault John of Gaunt was born in 1340 at the Abbey of St Bavon, in Ghent in modern-day Belgium. At the height of his career he was the most powerful man in the kingdom after the king. He was virtually regent for his father, Edward III, in his old age, thus getting the blame for military failures and government corruption. His reputation was further damaged when he blocked the reforms of the Good Parliament of 1376, which had tried to curb the corruption of Edward III’s and limit the influence of the king’s grasping mistress, Alice Perrers.

John of Gaunt’s wealth meant he could form the largest baronial retinue of knights and esquires in the country. He alone provided a quarter of the army raised for Richard II’s Scottish campaign in 1385. A stalwart supporter of his nephew, Richard II, he was the target for the rebels during the Peasants’ Revolt; his London residence, the Savoy Palace, was burned to the ground in 1381.

The wedding of john of Gaunt
and Blanche of Lancaster

He was a soldier and statesman whose career spanned 6 decades and several countries, including England, Belgium, France, Scotland and Castile. However, by far the most fascinating part of his life is his love life. John married three times; his wives being two great heiresses and a long-time mistress.

John of Gaunt’s first marriage, at the age of 19, was aimed to give him prestige, property and income and was arranged as part of his father’s plans to provide for the futures of several of his children. John and 14-year-old Blanche of Lancaster, youngest daughter of Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster, were married on 19th May 1359 in the Queen’s Chapel at Reading.

It is quite likely that John had already fathered one child, a daughter, Blanche, by Marie de St Hilaire before his marriage. Blanche was born sometime before 1360 and would go on to marry Sir Thomas Morieux before her death in 1388 or 1389.

Blanche of Lancaster was described as “jone et jolie” – young and pretty – by the chronicler Froisssart, and also “bothe fair and bright” and Nature’s “cheef patron of beautee” by Geoffrey Chaucer. She brought John of Gaunt the earldom of Lancaster following her father’s death from plague in 1361, and those of Leicester and Lincoln when her older sister, Matilda, died of the same disease in 1362, making him the largest landowner in the country, after the king.

The marriage proved very successful, with 7 children being born in just 8 years, 3 of whom survived infancy; daughters Philippa and Elizabeth and a son, Henry of Bolingbroke.

In 1369, when John of Gaunt was away in France, Blanche moved her young family to Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, to escape a fresh outbreak of the Black Death. With her parents and sister killed by the awful disease, it’s no surprise that she had a dread of it. Unfortunately, she could not escape it and bubonic plague claimed Blanche’s life in 1369, aged just 24.

She was buried in St Paul’s Cathedral in London. John of Gaunt arranged for a splendid alabaster tomb and annual commemorations for the rest of his life. John also commissioned Geoffrey Chaucer to write The Book of the Duchess, also known as The Deth of Blaunche; a poem that is said to depict Gaunt’s mourning for his wife, in the tale of a Knight grieving for his lost love. In it Chaucer describes Blanche as “whyt, smothe, streght and flat. Naming the heroine “White”, he goes on to say she is “rody, fresh and lyvely hewed”.

Before 1365 Blanche had taken into her household a lady called Katherine Swynford, wife of one of her husband’s Lincolnshire knights. John was godfather to the Swynfords’ daughter, Blanche. Katherine later became governess to Blanche’s two daughters, Philippa and Elizabeth and young Blanche Swynford was lodged in the same chambers as the Duchess’s daughters, and accorded the same luxuries as the princesses.

Katherine was the daughter of a Hainault knight, Sir Paon de Roet of Guyenne, who came to England in the retinue of Queen Philippa. She had grown up at court with her sister, Philippa, who would later marry Geoffrey Chaucer. Whilst serving in Blanche’s household, she had married one of John of Gaunt’s retainers, a Lincolnshire knight, Sir Hugh Swynford of Coleby and Kettlethorpe, at St Clement Danes Church on the Strand, London.

Following Blanche’s death Katherine stayed on in the Duke’s household, taking charge of the Duke’s daughters. However, it was only shortly after her husband’s death in 1371 that rumours began of a liaison between Katherine and the Duke; although it is possible the affair started before Sir Hugh’s death, this is far from certain.

John and Katherine would have four children – 3 sons and a daughter – in the years between 1371 and 1379. They were born in John’s castle in Champagne, in France, and were given the name of the castle as their surname; Beaufort.

Surrender of Santiago de Compostela
to John of Gaunt. Constance is
the lady on horseback (Froissart)

Meanwhile, John had not yet done with his dynastic ambitions and, despite his relationship with Katherine, married Constance of Castile in September 1371. Constance was the daughter of Peter I “the Cruel” and his ‘hand-fast’ wife, Maria de Padilla. Born in 1354 at Castro Kerez, Castile, she succeeded her father as ‘de jure’ Queen of Castile on 13th March 1369, but John was never able to wrest control of the kingdom from the rival claimant Henry of Tastamara, reigning as Henry III, and would eventually come to an agreement in 1388 where Henry married John and Constance’s daughter, Katherine.

Katherine was born in 1372/3 at Hertford Castle and was the couple’s only surviving child.

John and Constance’s relationship appears to be purely dynastic. There is some suggestion John formally renounced his relationship with Katherine and reconciled with Constance in June 1381, possibly as a way to recover some popularity during the Peasant’s Revolt, following the destruction of his palace on the Thame.

Katherine left court and settled at her late husband’s manor at Kettlethorpe, before moving to a rented townhouse in Lincoln. John of Gaunt visited her regularly throughout the 1380s, and Katherine was frequently at court. With 4 children by John of Gaunt but still only, officially, governess to his daughters, Katherine was made a Lady of the Garter in 1388.

Constance, however, died on 24th March, 1394, at Leicester Castle and was buried at Newark Abbey in Leicester.

John then went to Guienne to look after his interests as Duke of Aquitaine and remained in France from September 1394 until December 1395. When he returned to England, John wasted no time in reuniting with Katherine and they were married in Lincoln Cathedral in January 1396.

John then made an appeal to the Pope and his children by Katherine were legitimated on 1st September 1396, and then by Charter of Richard II on 9th February 1397. The Charter also excluded the Beaufort children from the succession.

John was a man of renown, of culture and refinement. An amateur poet and friend of Chaucer, who had married Katherine’s sister, Philippa, he was also a patron of Wycliffe and encouraged the translation of the Bible into English.

His complicated love life would cause problems for future generations, with his son by Blanche of Lancaster, Henry, forcing the abdication of Richard II and usurping the throne on 30th September 1399. His Beaufort descendants would be prominent players on both sides of the Wars of the Roses. While his son John, Earl of Somerset was the grandfather of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, his daughter, Joan, was grandmother of the Yorkist kings Edward IV and Richard III.

Tombs of Katherine Swynford and her daughter,
Joan Beaufort, Lincoln Cathedral

Katherine would outlive John and died at Lincoln on 10th May 1403. She was buried, close to the High Altar, in the cathedral in which she had married her prince just 7 years earlier. Her daughter Joan, Countess of Westmoreland, was laid to rest beside her, following her death in 1440. Their tombs, however, are empty and they are buried beneath the floor of the cathedral.

Drawing of the tomb of John of Gaunt
and Blanche of Lancaster,
etching by Wenceslas Hollar, 1658

John himself died in February 1399, probably at Leicester Castle. He was buried in Old St Paul’s Cathedral, beside his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster. This has often been seen as his final act of love for his first wife, despite the problems John went through in order to finally be able to marry his mistress, Katherine Swynford.

Personally, I think the two ladies, Blanche and Katherine, were his true love at different parts of John’s life. And I hope he had some feelings for poor Constance, who frequently appears as only a means to his dynastic ambitions.

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Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia, except the tomb of Katherine Swynford, copyright Sharon Bennett Connolly, 2015.
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Sources:
Williamson, David Brewer’s British Royalty (Cassell, London 1996)
Juliet Gardiner & Neil Wenborn History Today Companion to British History Edited (Collins & Brown Ltd, London 1995)
Mike Ashley The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens (Robinson Publishing, London, 1998) Alison Weir Britain’s Royal Families, the Complete Genealogy (Random House, London, 1996)
Paul Johnson The Life and Times of Edward III (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London, 1973)
Ian Mortimer The Perfect King, the Life of Edward III (Jonathan Cape, London, 2006)
WM Ormrod The Reign of Edward III (Tempus Publishing, Stroud, 2000)
Edited by Elizabeth Hallam Chronicles of the Age of Chivalry (Tiger Books, Twickenham, 1995).
Web: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/medrenqueens/a/Katherine-Swynford katherineswynfordsociety.org.uk.

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Sharon Bennett Connolly has been fascinated by history for over 30 years. She has studied history academically and just for fun – even working as a tour guide at historical sites. She is now having great fun passing on that love of the past to her 10-year-old son. Having received a blog, History...The Interesting Bits as a present for Christmas 2014 she now enjoys sharing that love of history with her readers.

John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke 1372-1389: the fragility of life in the Middle Ages

by Anne O'Brien

John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, born in October 1372, crossed my path when I was investigating Elizabeth of Lancaster, youngest daughter of John, Duke of Lancaster, known to history as John of Gaunt.

What a brief and tragic life it was for this young man, in spite of such promising beginnings. John inherited the title Earl of Pembroke at the tender age of 3 years on the death of his father, another John Hastings and a reputable soldier, who died in France in 1375 on his way back from imprisonment after the Battle of La Rochelle in 1372.

The Lancaster association with the Hastings family was a close one. The 2nd Earl had fought under Gaunt's leadership at the siege of Montpon in 1371 and on the birth of his baby son Gaunt had recognised John's birth with a valuable gift of an enamelled silver cup and matching ewer.

This relationship was to become even closer. The care of the young fatherless earl was given to his mother, Anne, and his grandmother the Countess of Norfolk, but the future marriage of the child was given into the hand of Gaunt. What an opportunity here to marry the infant John into the House of Lancaster and so cement an alliance with the important Pembroke inheritance. We don't know when Gaunt began to plan this move but he must have seen it as a chance not to be missed.

The result was that a marriage was promoted by Gaunt between Elizabeth of Lancaster, Gaunt's younger daughter - the elder one, Philippa, was destined for a more pre-eminent Castilian marriage - and the young Earl. This marriage was celebrated at Kenilworth in 1380. It would seem to be a most satisfactory match all round, both families doubtless seeing the value of it.

This is the Great Hall, built by Gaunt for feasting and dancing, as it is at Kenilworth today, showing the extent of the great room.  Certainly John and Elizabeth would have known it in its heyday.

But the marriage was beset with problems. John Hastings was a mere 8 years old and Elizabeth was 17 and, history suggests, a lively girl driven by intense passions. Gaunt gave his daughter a ring with a ruby inset and the couple £100 p.a. for the maintenance of their household, although the ill-matched couple lived apart during John's childhood while he was educated as a knight in the ducal household.

Although it was by no means unusual for such a disparity of age between bride and groom, it is on record that the marriage was not to Elizabeth's liking. For so lively a girl, this was perhaps understandable. John's opinion is not on record. The marriage was, of course, not consummated during these early years.

And then the marriage was annulled in 1386 when John was 13 years old. And why? Because Elizabeth was successfully wooed by John Holland, half brother to King Richard II. When it was discovered that she was carrying Holland's child, Gaunt was forced to take immediate action to save face all round. The marriage between Elizabeth and John was rapidly annulled and Elizabeth married her lover. We know so little about the young John - certainly not his thoughts on this scandal and his lost bride - but, since his mother too was dead by now, he was returned to the custody of his grandmother, the Countess of Norfolk.

All was not lost for the young man. The Pembroke inheritance was far too important for John Hastings to be allowed to remain unwed. It seemed that marital happiness would still be possible for him, for he acquired another important bride in Philippa Mortimer, daughter of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March and Ulster, and Philippa Plantagenet, only child of Lionel, the second son of Edward III. What a prestigious marriage that would have been in its day - and how important the possible offspring of this marriage because of the Plantagenet descent through Philippa. Such children would certainly have been drawn into the future conflict in the Wars of the Roses. But this is one of those 'what if ...' situations.

Tragically, horribly, at the age of 17, John Hastings died in a jousting accident at Richard's Court at Woodstock at Christmas 1389. Running a course against his opponent, John was hit in the groin by the lance of Sir John Des. Recovery after such a terrible injury was impossible, and John died shortly afterwards.

There was no issue from the marriage. The Pembroke lands were divided between John's co-heirs. What an unfortunate life for this young man, of whom we know so little, and that only courtesy of his marriage with Elizabeth of Lancaster. We know nothing of his thoughts, his likes and dislikes, his reactions to the demands of inheritance and a suitable marriage.  Did he find a brief happiness with Philippa Mortimer?   I like to think so.

What a transient shadow of a life, like so many other lost voices from history.

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I am delighted to be able to announce that my novel The Forbidden Queen, the story of Katherine de Valois, will be published in the USA on 14th February, 2014.

The Red Lion and The King's Head - changing times

by Deborah Swift

Two of the most popular pub names in England have to be The Red Lion and The King's Head. The names of both these pubs have links to the 17th Century which is why I find them so interesting. The King's Head in Galway has a particularly well-documented history, click on the picture to go to their site and discover more.

My latest book is set in the reign of James I and some say that the emblem of the Red Lion comes from his personal crest which features the lion in its design.

Insignia of James VI Scotland

In order to curry favour with the new king, who had just become King of England as well as Scotland, many inns changed their name voluntarily. But just in case you were tempted to stick to the old name, there was even a proclamation which said the new king's emblem had to be displayed prominently to remind the English that they were now governed by a Scot. I can imagine that this prompted many a taverner to hurriedly change the name of his inn.

However, there is evidence that the name was popular even before the 17th Century as the red lion featured in John of Gaunt's coat of arms in the Middle Ages. 

John of Gaunt's Arms showing the Red Lion and Castle of Castile

This red lion became a badge of support for Bolingbroke in the battle  for allegiance between Richard II, whose crest included  the white hart as his heraldic symbol, and Henry Bolingbroke, whose emblem (via John of Gaunt) was the red lion. When Bolingbroke finally became Henry IV the red lion grew yet again in popularity as the name for an inn, as opposed to The White Hart which at one time was so popular that it came to mean an inn in the same way that we use Hoover to mean a vacuum cleaner.

Richard II's emblem of the White Hart in the Wilton Dyptich

As for The King's Head, this name was also re-popularised in the 17th century after the restoration of the king, Charles II, when the country returned to the rule of a King as a sign that the previous unrest and Parliamentary rule was over. However, it too was a well-used name even earlier as it was a name that encouraged the gentry to frequent the tavern, unlike something like 'The Black Bull' which was common in farming fraternities. It seems likely there has always been the idea of honouring royalty or the wealthy and encouraging their patronage. On carriage routes particularly  the village inns were often named after the King, Queen, or even a Duke, in the hope presumably, that they would stop by.

There are more than six hundred Red Lion pubs in England, and almost as many King's Heads. Those of you who are writers looking to name your tavern, you could do worse than choose one of these! Cheers!

Other popular Pub names - see the most popular pub names in England
Want to know more about their names and meanings? The Old Dog and Duck by Albert Jack is a book that will tell you.

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Deborah Swift is the author of A Divided Inheritance, The Lady's Slipper and The Gilded Lily. 

More about A Divided Inheritance

Edward 2nd Duke of York - part two

As the 1390s progressed, Edward of York gradually acquired more offices and more gifts of land, and despite his relative youth was clearly one of Richard II's most favoured advisers, being chosen to represent the King on a number of key diplomatic missions abroad, including those to negotiate Richard's marriage to the (very) young French princess Isabella of Valois. He accompanied the King on the successful military expedition to Ireland in 1394, and enjoyed an independent command during operations against Richard's Irish enemies.

Edward was one of those selected to 'appeal' the Duke of Gloucester and the earls of Warwick and Arundel in the Parliament of 1397 - in other words publicly to accuse them of treason. This process led to the deaths of Gloucester (uncle to the King and to Edward) and Arundel, and the imprisonment of Warwick. All their lands and offices were forfeited and Edward received a handsome share of the proceeds. Not least of his rewards was to be made Lord High Constable of England in succession to Gloucester. He was also created Duke of Aumale.

Gloucester seems to have been murdered (or privately executed if you prefer) at Calais, and it was later alleged that Edward sent one of his squires across the Channel to see to it that the deed was done.

A few months later, Edward's cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, the son and heir of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, accused Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk of treasonable words. Both these men had sided against Richard in 1387-1388 and with him in 1397, and it seems likely that despite fresh honours (dukedoms) laid upon them they were both worried that Richard might at some point take revenge against them for their earlier actions. Edward was one of those who stood surety for his cousin, Bolingbroke.

Since the quarrel could not be resolved by normal legal processes, because of a lack of witnesses, it was eventually referred for trial by mortal combat. Edward, in his role as Lord High Constable, presided over the trial, but as is well known, the King decided to stop it before it came to blows, and instead banished both men.

Before this event Edward had made what was (for a man in his position) a most unusual marriage. Given that he was at the peak of his political power, and had lately been suggested as a husband for another very young French princess, the most likely explanation for his choice is that he fell in love. His bride, Philippa Mohun, was at least ten years his senior and already been widowed twice. She had only a life-interest in modest dower lands and no history of successful child-bearing. As it happens, she was destined not to give Edward children either. The matter of children apart, some may see a congruence with the decision of Edward's great-nephew, Edward IV, to marry Elizabeth Woodville.
When John of Gaunt died in 1399, Richard decided to extend the term of Henry Bolingbroke's exile to life, and took the Lancastrian inheritance into his hands. Although many nobles, including Edward and his father, received custody of elements of the Lancastrian estates, there is no evidence that Richard intended the confiscation to be permanent. He continued to send his exiled cousin handsome sums of cash for his maintenance, apparently unaware that Henry (currently based in France) was planning to invade England.

On the other hand, Ian Mortimer, in The Fears of Henry IV, sets out the theory that Richard II intended to exclude the Mortimers and the Lancastrians from the succession, and appoint Edward of York as his heir. There is some evidence to support this, quite apart from the strange fact that Richard referred to Edward in his grants as 'the King's brother' and not, as was correct, 'the King's kinsman.)

Anyway, such was the King's confidence in his security that he now undertook a second expedition to Ireland. Edward of York, having been given certain tasks on the Scottish March, was late to join this expedition, and it has been suggested (particularly in the French chronicles) that he was already plotting against the King. This seems unlikely.

Edward's father, Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, was left in charge as Keeper of England, and when Henry landed in Yorkshire, Langley's attempts at resistance were feeble. It is true that many of the nobility, and perhaps even York himself, sympathised with Henry and were reluctant to fight him. York's forces eventually capitulated at Berkeley Castle, in Gloucestershire, with scarcely a blow struck. (The Bishop of Norwich, Henry Despenser, was among those who did fight, but they had no chance against the formidable force Henry had gathered.)

Meanwhile, Richard had landed in Wales. He made no urgent effort to advance, and seems to have waited for news. When it reached him, it was to the effect that York had gone over to his rebellious cousin. The King seems to have been struck by panic and misled by rumours of plotting. He abandoned his army and made his way to North Wales at the head of a small, picked band of followers. Edward was one of those left behind, doubtless because of his father's surrender.

Edward promptly made his way eastward and submitted to Henry in his turn. As a result, when King Richard was eventually run to earth at Flint Castle, he was in the victorious Henry's company. Nevertheless, he immediately lost several of his most important offices, including that of Lord Constable, and it must have been clear to him that he did not enjoy Henry's trust. Nevertheless, during the next few months he and Henry were to save each other's lives.

(Part Three to follow)

Edward 2nd Duke of York - part one

by Brian Wainwright

Edward was born sometime in 1373, the eldest child of Edmund of Langley, Earl of Cambridge, fourth surviving son of King Edward III, and his wife Isabella of Castile. Edmund was by some way the least rich of his brothers, of whom he was the only one not to marry an heiress. Isabella was the younger sister of Constance of Castile, who had married Edmund's brother, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster as his second wife. Constance claimed to be the rightful heiress to the throne of Castile, a claim which her husband was to pursue, unsuccessfully, over the next few years. Edmund and Isabella were merely pawns in this game, and were in fact required to renounce any rights in Castile. It was a very poor deal for the Earl of Cambridge, but he seems to have been an amiable cove without the excessive and distasteful ambition of most of his family.


Edward is sometimes known to historians as 'Edward of Norwich' although there is no evidence he was born there or had any connection with it. As his father was created Duke of York in 1385, it is more appropriate to refer to him as Edward of York. He was knighted at the coronation of his first cousin, King Richard II, when only four years old.

It was not long before young Edward became involved in English diplomatic manoeuvres. In 1381, he was taken by his parents to Portugal, Edmund having been placed at the head of an English expeditionary force which was intended, with the aid of Portuguese allies, to attack Castile. Edward was 'married' to the Princess  Beatriz of Portugal, and if his father had not made such a mess of the expedition Edward might eventually have become King of Portugal, because Beatriz was her father's heiress. Instead, with Edmund's army in a state of near-mutiny, her father had second thoughts and married her to the son of his enemy, the King of Castile. He also paid to send Edmund of Langley, his wife, son, and attendant unruly army back home.

Back in England the York family were to receive increasing favour from Richard II, not least because they were loyal to a fault and gave him far less trouble than his other relatives. Edward was created a Knight of the Garter in 1387 (just when Richard was starting to have serious political difficulties) and was the made Earl of Rutland in 1390 (once Richard was back in full control of his affairs.)  By late 1391 he was also Lord Admiral of England, one of the great offices of state, despite the fact that he was not yet of full age. Much more was to come...