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.

The Portuguese Connection

Philippa of Lancaster

Philippa of Lancaster
Almost a year ago I wrote a general post on the children of John of Gaunt (1340-1399). The eldest child of John of Gaunt and his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster was Philippa of Lancaster (1359-1415).

Philippa was born  at Leicester Castle on 31 March 1359. She was one of seven children of John and Blanche, however only her sister Elizabeth and her brother, Henry, survived childhood. As a grandaughter of Edward III Philippa had a royal upbringing. She appears to have had a good education. Her governess was Katherine de Roet (later Swynford) who eventually became her father's third wife. Katherine's brother-in-law, Geoffrey Chaucer, and the theologian, John Wycliffe, are quoted by some sources as being involved in the education of the children of John and Blanche. Philippa later ensured that her children also received a good education.

Marriages in royal households were often arranged marriages planned to cement political alliances. France and Spain had formed an alliance against England so it was considered wise for England to form an alliance with Portugal. The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance remains today.

As part of this Alliance, in 1387, Philippa married Joao I of Portugal (also known as John I) (1357- 1433).  Joao becoming king was the beginning of the House of Aviz in the Portuguese royal family.
Philippa and Joao had nine children - six lived to become adults.
Blanche (1388-1389)
Alfonso (1390 - 1400)
Duarte (Edward) (1391-1438) - Became King of Portugal in 1433
Pedro (Peter) (1392 - 1449) - Duke of Coimbra and Regent during the minority of his nephew Alfonso V
Henrique (1394 - 1460) - Duke of Viseu (Known by the English as Henry the Navigator)
Isabella (1397 - 1472) - married Phillip III of Burgundy
Blanche (1398 - 1398)
Joao (John) (1400-1442) - Constable of Portugal, Lord of Reguengos
Ferdinand (1402-1443) - the 'Saint Prince'
The children of this family were referred to as the 'Illustrious Generation'.

Philippa ensured that her children were well educated while Jaoa also ensured that the boys were skilled in riding and hunting. Events in later life show their interest in law, science and religion.  Duarte wrote a number of books and during his short reign as king edited collections of law and required written opinion from his councillors before making decisions. Henrique became known for his interest in discovering new lands and, although he did not go on any of the early Portuguese voyages of discovery and certainly was not a navigator, he funded many of the voyages discovering unknown sections of the west coast of Africa. Henrique was also responsible for the beginning of the Portuguese involvement in the African slave trade.

Using her connections with England, Philippa was able to influence both the Portuguese and English courts and was able to improve diplomatic and commercial bonds between the two kingdoms.

Blanche, Philippa's mother had died in 1369 after contracting bubonic plague. On 19 July 1415 Phillipa also died from the plaque. Initially she was buried at the Convent of Odivelas. Eighteen years later when King Joao died, her body was reburied next to her husband at Founder's Chapel at Batalha.

Portuguese explorers
It was during the reign of Joao I that Portugal began to seriously investigate Africa leading eventually to seeking an alternative route around the coast of Africa to India and the spice trade. Up until this time it was necessary to travel through many, often hostile, countries to gain access to the spice route. Portugal had a good navy and was prepared to build additional ships to aid the exploration of the African coast.

1415, the year Philippa died, was the year that the Portuguese began their campaign to make in-roads into Africa. Joao and three of his sons, Duarte, Pedro and Henrique, led Portuguese troops in  a fleet of 200 ships to capture the seaport of Ceuta, the gateway to Morocco. The expedition was planned so that the Portuguese had some land in Africa but it was also a 'battle of fire' for the three princes to prove their capabilities as military leaders. King Joao knighted his three sons shortly after their participation in the battle. It was at Ceuta that the princes saw for themselves the riches that abounded in the city from the spice trade. This was to be the beginning of Portuguese expansion to the New World. Other countries controlled the Mediterranean Sea so for Portugal the decision was made to establish a sea route around the coast of Africa to India.  
                                                                                    
As well as trading in spices, the search for gold was part of the plan. This was also the time of battles against Muslims who inhabited the north of Africa. Consequently religion, desire for trade, riches and new trade routes and defeat of Muslim lands were some of the goals behind the exploration plans. Colonisation of areas discovered was part of the plan and this led to the development of the slave trade.

The first expedition sponsored by Henrique was to the Atlantic Islands of Porto Santo (1418-1419). The where abouts of these and a number of other island groups in the Atlantic had been known for many years but now the Portuguese rediscovered the islands and established colonies. The Azores became Portuguese territories in 1439 and the Cape Verde Islands 1455-1460. Meanwhile the coast of west Africa was gradually being explored and mapped. Expeditions were also being made into north Africa, not always with success. The attempt to capture Tangiers in 1437 was a failure and Henrique's brother, Fernando, was taken hostage. Fernando died at Fez in 1443.

When Henrique died in 1460 the Portuguese had developed the desire for further exploration. By 1460 1,500 miles of African coast had been explored, a number of settlements established with African coastal rivers explored. The explorers had travelled and mapped as far south as Sierra Leone. Trade with people living along the coast of Africa resulted in large supplies of gold. They also had access to some of the African spices and, of course, the slave trade had begun. The Portuguese had also obtained the rights to further explore and colonise the African coast in their search for a route to the 'Indies'.

The exploration continued, much of it during the reign (1481-1495) of King Joao II, the great grandson of King Joao I. Exploration of the Afican coast continued with stone pillars being left on the land to show that the Portuguese had been there. There were a number of explorers but it was Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 who located the southern tip of Africa and sailed home to report the discovery to report his discovery.

In July1497 Vasco da Gama, with a fleet of four ships, sailed from Lisbon to locate the route around Africa to India. They did not travel all the way along the African coast as they took a detour into the South Atlantic Ocean to avoid unfavourable winds before sailing east to the southern tip of Africa. They then travelled north to Mozambique and then to Mobassa before crossing the Indian Ocean to Calicut on 20 May 1498. When the ships returned to Lisbon in 1499 only 55 of the original crew of 170 men had survived the voyage.

In March 1500 Pedro Alvares Cabral set out with 13 ships to follow da Gama's route to India. When taking the detour to avoid the unfavourable winds he sailed further west than da Gama had and discovered the coast of Brazil which became another Portuguese colony. Regular trips to India followed including a second and then a third expedition by Vasco da Gama.

So by 1500 the Portuguese had established trade routes to India, established new colonies in Africa and India and now also had a colony in South America.

Websites and blog posts about Phillipa of Lancaster:
Famous people - Philippa of Lancaster
English monarchs - Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal
Freelance history writer - Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal
Medievalists.net - Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal

Website about King Joao 1 of Portugal:
Encyclopaedia Britannica - John 1 King of Portugal

Websites about Prince Henrique (Henry) often referred to as the Navigator:
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Henry the Navigator Prince of Portugal
Bio - Henry the Navigator Prince
Encyclopedia.com - Henry the Navigator

Websites about King Joao II of Portugal
Encyclopaedia Britannica - John II King of Portugal
Mad Monarchist - King Joao II of Portugal

Website about King Manuel I of Portugal
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Manuel 1 King of Portugal

Websites about Portuguese explorers
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Bartolomeu Dias
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Vasco da Gama 
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Pedro Alvares Cabral

John of Gaunt's children

John of Gaunt (1340-1399) had fourteen children.

In 1359 John's mistress, Marie de Saint Hilaire of Hainaut gave birth to a daughter.

• Blanche (1359-c1388) married Sir Thomas Morieux (1355-1387).  Sir Thomas Morieux, constable of the Tower of London died during the Castilian campaign. Blanche and Thomas had no children.

On 19 May 1359 John married his third cousin, Blanche (1345-1369), daughter of the 1st Duke of Lancaster. John and Blanche had seven children.

• Philippa (1360-1415) married King John I of Portugal (1357-1433)
• John (1362-1365)
• Elizabeth (1364-1426) married in 1380 John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (1372-1389) [marriage annulled in 1383]; in 1386 John Holland 1st Duke of Exeter (1350-1400); Sir John Cornwall 1st Baron of Fanhope (c1364-1423)
• Edward (born and died 1365)
• John (1366-1367)
• Henry of Bolingbroke (1367-1413) married (c1381) Mary de Bohun (1369-1394); in 1403 Joanna of Navarre (1368-1437). Henry became Henry IV of England in 1399
• Isabel (born and died 1368)

In 1371 John married Constance of Castile daughter of King Peter of Castile. John and Constance had two children

• Catherine (1372-1418) married in 1388 King Henry III of Castile (1379-1406)
• John (1374-1375)

In 1396 John married Katherine Swynford (Katherine de Roet) (1350-1403). Katherine had been John's mistress for many years and they had four children.

• John Beaufort (1373-1409) 1st Earl of Somerset in 1397 married Margaret Holland (1385-1439)
• Henry Beaufort (1375-1447) He became Bishop of Winchester
• Thomas Beaufort (1377-1427) Duke of Exeter married Margaret Neville 
• Joan Beaufort (1379-1440) married in 1391 Robert Ferrers, 5th Baron Boteler and Wem (1373-1396); in 1396 Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland (1364-1425)

Further posts will look at the careers of some of these children and their families who were influential in England and other parts of Europe for many years.

Medieval England - Wars of the Roses

Recently I have been doing an online course on England in the time of Richard III. The six week course was prepared by University of Leicester and is put online on the FutureLearn website. Part of the course covered the period of the Wars of the Roses, a series of battles between the followers of the House of Lancaster and the House of York. One of the features of the course is the forum where participants share information and points of view including recommending books and websites. Some of the titles mentioned are listed below.

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer has the sub-title - A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century. Although covering the century before the Wars of the Roses this book provides an informative introduction to the period including looking at life in towns and the countryside, clothes, food and drink, health and hygiene, travelling, the people, literature and the legal system. The author describes what you would see and experience if you were visiting England six hundred years ago.

The Middle Ages: the Illustrated History of the Medieval World by Anita Baker. As suggested by the title this is a well illustrated book depicting life in the Middle Ages in Europe. The text provides an informative introduction to the experience of life during this period with chapters on dynasties and empires, daily life, religion, culture, war and conquest and the dawn of a new age. I purchased a copy of this book to use for background reading about the Middle Ages.

Blood and Roses by Helen Castor. This is the story of the Paston family during the time of the Wars of the Roses. The book is based on a collection of letters written by members of this Norfolk family over three generations.

The Women of the Cousins' War by Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin and Michael Jones. What makes the Wars of the Roses particularly confusing is the relationships between the main protagonists who are descendants of Edward III with many of them descended from John of Gaunt. This is a biography of Jacquetta of Luxembourg who married Richard Woodville, Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort. Jacquetta was originally married to John of Gaunt's grandson, John, Duke of Bedford (son of Henry IV). Margaret Beaufort was great grand-daughter of John of Gaunt. Elizabeth Woodville's second husband was Edward VI. Margaret Beaufort married Edmund Tudor and their son was Henry VII. In the introduction Philippa Gregory writes about writing historical fiction and creating a story from available facts.

Lancaster and York: the Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir. The book sets out to investigate the main characters on both sides of the conflict - a series of battles throughout England between 1455 and 1487. The author is also interested in the role of the women - the wives and mothers of the main protagonists - who were often also powerful players in the story.

A number of  historical novels have been set in this period including:
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman is a novel about the life of Richard III. At more than 900 pages the author imagines what Richard's life may have been like as she portrays a picture of life in medieval England in this historical romance.

The King's Sister by Anne O'Brien is the story of Elizabeth of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster and the sister of King Henry V1. At the age of seventeen Elizabeth entered a political marriage with eight year old John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke. The marriage was annulled when Elizabeth became pregnant after commencing a relationship with John Holland, a half brother to Richard II. This romantic novel deals with the political intrigue in the family politics involving those connected to the factions in this civil war.

 Obviously I now have a selection of reading to keep me occupied. I have also ordered from the library copies of a number of other titles listed in the forum. All I need is time to read them.

52 Ancestors 2015 - Week 7 - Love - Katherine de Roet and John of Gaunt

Valentine's Day is a good excuse to look at love stories. Romeo and Juliet is known as a great love story but to many people the story of the relationship between John of Gaunt, the fourth son of Edward III, and Katherine de Roet rates almost as highly.

On 13 January 1396 Katherine and John were married at Lincoln Cathedral when Katherine was 46 and John was 56. This marriage took place twenty-five years after Katherine became John's mistress. Initially the relationship had been discrete but by 1378 the couple were openly living together. The records of John of Gaunt show that between 1372 and 1381 he had made many generous gifts to Katherine. The couple had four children - John (1373-1410), Henry (1375-1447), Thomas (1377-1427) and Joan (1379-1440). When the relationship between John and Katherine became common knowledge it created quite a scandal.

Katherine's name has many spellings - Katharine, Kathryn, Catherine - to name a few. She was born in 1350, some suggest on 25 November 1350 which was the feast day of her patron saint - St Catherine of Alexandria - although no records exist confirming this. In fact very few records exist about the life of Katherine which makes researching her story a challenge. Despite this, Katherine became an influential woman in fourteenth century England and her children made an impact on subsequent historical events.

Katherine was the daughter of Paon de Roet (also known as Gilles de Roet), a herald and then a knight from Hainout who moved to England when Philippa of Hainout married the English king, Edward III. Katherine's sister, Philippa was a member of the Queen's household and was married to the poet, Geoffrey Chaucer. Katherine probably lived in England from 1351.

Around 1366, Katherine married Hugh Swynford, a knight from the manor of Kettlethorpe in Lincolnshire. A daughter, Blanche, was born in 1367, a son, Thomas, was born in 1368 and they also possibly had a daughter, Margaret, born in 1369.

Also about this time, Katherine became the governess of Phillipa and Elizabeth, the daughters of John of Gaunt and his wife, Blanche. John and Blanche were also the parents of the future Henry IV (born in 1367). Four other children had died in infancy. John and Blanche of Lancaster married  in May 1359. Blanche's father was the 1st Duke of Lancaster and one of the wealthiest men in England. After the death of her father Blanche inherited his fortune ensuring that her husband and her family were extemely wealthy. However this was not just a marriage of convenience between two families but was reported to be a loving match between this couple.  Blanche of Lancaster died on 12 September 1369, possibly from the Black Death.

Katherine's husband, Sir Hugh Swynford died fighting the French in 1372.

In 1371 John of Gaunt married Constance of Castile. This was a political marriage and in 1386 John travelled to Spain to claim the kingship of Castile. The expedition was not successful. John and Constance had two children - Catherine (1372-1418) and John (1374-1375).

John was a soldier and was often away from England for protracted periods. When Edward III died in June 1377, his ten year old grandson, Richard II, became King. John of Gaunt was a principal advisor to the new king until Richard was old enough to reign in his own right. Many in the court resented John's growing influence in the running of the country. Some of the decisions made during this time, particularly in regard to taxation, were unpopular with the people. This all came to a head with the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. John was not in London at the time but his home, the Palace of Savoy, was destroyed and members of his household murdered in the riots against the new poll tax. Fortunately Katherine and her family were not in the palace at the time of the riots.

Up until this time Katherine and her children were living 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 their 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.

Then on 24 March 1394, John's second wife, Constance died and John was now free to renew his relationship with Katherine. To the horror of many in court, particularly the ladies, John applied to the Pope and the King for dispensation to marry Katherine and to have their children legitimised. The children were granted the name of Beaufort and were recognised as legitimate children of John of Gaunt although they were barred from inheriting the throne.

John and Katherine had less than five years of legally living together before John died at Leicester Castle on 3 February 1399. He was buried beside his first wife, Blanche, at St Paul's Cathedral. Katherine died on 10 May 1403 and was buried next to her daughter, Joan, at Lincoln Cathedral.

Katherine's coat of arms

The facts about Katherine's life are limited. There is some information in the records of John of Gaunt as well as mentions in church records however, despite this, the story of their love has continued through the centuries and today is perpetuated in fiction and also in historical writing. The best known novel about Katherine is by Anya Seton. Entitled, Katherine, the novel was published in 1954 and is still in print. At more than 500 pages this historical romance provides a graphic, fictional depiction of what might have been the relationship between Katherine and John. The best known biography, Katheryn Swynford: the story about John of Gaunt and his scandalous mistress, was written by Alison Weir and published in 2007. The book was also published under the title, Mistress of the Monarchy: the life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancasteres

It was assumed that Katherine was a beautiful woman but no known pictures of her exist, although there have been suggestions that she may appear in the background in some paintings. A number of suggested interpretations are shown in the images below.

The romance of Katherine and John has been the subject of a number of blog posts:
Unusual Historicals - Love affairs - Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt
Girl with her Head in a Book - Katherine, Anya Seton vs Katherine Swynford, Alison Weir

Other websites:
The Katherine Swynford Society
Books by Alison Weir - Katherine Sywnford
Goodreads - Katherine by Anya Seton
All About Romance - Katherine
Anne O'Brien - The elusive face of Katherine de Swynford

English Monarchs - John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
NNDB - John of Gaunt

John of Gaunt and Katherine de Roet were my 19 x great grandparents