John of Gaunt (1340-1399)

John of Gaunt was not a king of England but his family had many direct connections with royalty.

John Gaunt was born in Ghent, Belgium, on 6 March 1340. His parents were King Edward III and Philippa of Hanault. John was the fourth son and not expected to be king but he wielded much power in the kingdom.

In 1376 King Edward III had mostly retired from public life so was not available to attend a meeting of both houses of parliament. This meeting, later called the Good Parliament, met to bring in reforms to what was considered corrupt government. This was largely due to the expenses resulting in increased taxation due to the war with France There were also protests about corrupt officials who worked with the king.

John of Gaunt, the king's son, had become a key player in court politics and represented the king at the parliamentary sessions.

John of Gaunt was loyal to his father, amenable, and had become a skilled diplomat and politician. He was the natural choice to defend the interests of the Crown, and oversaw a complicated and divided parliament. He, became increasingly unpopular as he attempted to deal with the complaints and requests of parliament without diminishing the authority of the king. Initially the Commons was victorious in its claims, but six months later John of Gaunt reversed the outcome. These dealings with the parliament made John of Gaunt unpopular with the public as well as the politicians.

Richard II, the ten year old son of the Black Prince, became king after the death of Edward III. Although John of Gaunt (known as the Red Prince) was not officially regent he continued to oversee much of the government and protected the young prince. 

Over the years the political reputation of John of Gaunt varied depending on what else was happening in England. High taxation, however, led to political unrest in the community. In London, John of Gaunt resided at the Savoy Palace and in 1381 the palace was burned down by participants in the Peasant's Revolt. Fortunately John and his family were not in London at the time.

Artist impression of what the palace may have looked like - London Museum

In May 1359 at Reading Abbey, 19-year-old John married Blanche of Lancaster (1342 - 1368). Reports from the time state that this was a love match. Blanche was the daughter of the first Duke of Lancaster. When the duke died the entire Lancastrian estate was inherited by Blanche and John making them very rich.

John and Blanche had seven children but only three survived childhood - Philippa, Elizabeth and Henry (who became Henry IV).

John's second marriage was to Constance of Castile(1354 - 1394) in 1371. This was a political marriage providing John the chance to claim the Crown of Castile in Spain. In 1386 he travelled to Spain to claim the kingship of Castile but the expedition was not successful. However, their daughter, Catherine, later married King Henry III of Castile.

On 13 January 1396, John of Gaunt married his mistress, Katherine Swynford (1349 - 1403) - maiden name de Roet. They had four children born before they married - John, Henry, Thomas and Joan. The children were eventually declared legitimate by papal and royal decree and were given the surname, Beaufort. Katherine had been governess to the children of John and Blanche.

For many years Katherine and her children had lived with John and his other children when he was in England. However the Peasants' Revolt caused John to rethink about his position. Considering that God was punishing him for having a mistress, John publicly broke off his relationship with Katherine and she and the children returned to her home at Kettlethorpe. However John issued a 'quit claim' ensuring that all the gifts given by him to Katherine would remain her property. John also continued to support his children.

John of Gaunt was also a military leader - sometimes successful and sometimes not - and spent many years overseas, especially in France and Spain. In 1389 John of Gaunt became Duke of Aquitaine.

John of Gaunt was a patron and close friend of the poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, best known for writing 'The Canterbury Tales'. Chaucer married Philippa, the sister of Katherine Swynford.

John of Gaunt died on 3 February 1399 at Leicester Castle. He was 58. John of Gaunt was buried beside his first wife, Blanche, at St Paul's Cathedral. The tomb was destroyed in the Fire of London in 1666.

John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford were my 19th great grandparents.