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Personal data John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond 

• He was born on March 6, 1340 in Ghent, County of Flanders (St. Bavo's Abbey).
• (note1) .Source 1

  Source: Woolson Abrams, Richard Nelson, Luis Voisine, et al.

• He died on February 3, 1399 in Leicester, Leicestershire, Eng. (Leicester Castle), he was 58 years old.
• He is buried on March 15, 1399 in London, Eng. (St. Paul's Cathedral).
• A child of Edward Plantagenet and Philippa de Hainaut
• This information was last updated on January 26, 2025.

Household of John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond

(1) He is married to Blanche Plantagenet.

They got married on May 19, 1359 at Reading, Berkshire, Eng. (Queens Chapel, Reading Abbey), he was 19 years old.

(2) He is married to Constanza de Castilla.

They got married August 1371 at Roquefort, Guienne, France, he was 31 years old.

(3) He is married to Katherine de Roet.

They got married on January 13, 1396 at Lincs, he was 55 years old.

Child(ren):

1. John Beaufort  1373-1410 

Notes about John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond

John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond

Sources: Author: WoolsonAbramsWoolsonAbrams; richardnelsonrichardnelson; LuisVoisineLuisVoisine; et al.; Title: "John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond," (Publication site: Salt Lk. City UT, Publisher: Family Search, Publication date: xxi Jan MMXXV)

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GWZX-F4D

"... John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond Last Changed: January 10, 2025 Lois Voisine Sex Male Last Changed: February 6, 2022 [NN-anonymous]

Birth 6 March 1340 St Bavo's Abbey, Ghent, County of Flanders

Reason:

The County of Flanders (county because it was ruled by Counts) was established in 862. The western districts fell under French rule in the late 12th century, and the remaining parts of Flanders came under the rule of the counts of neighboring Hainaut in 1191. Control of the region passed to the dukes of Burgundy in 1384. (See 'Count' at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count)

Last Changed: August 29, 2024 N. D. Whisenant

Death 3 February 1399 Leicester Castle, Leicester, Leicestershire, England Reason: At Leicester Castle Last Changed: October 12, 2024 [NN-anonymous, pseudonym-Paramythia]

Burial 15 March 1399 St Paul's Cathedral, London, England Last Changed: August 29, 2024 N. D. Whisenant

Alternate Name Also Known As John of Gaunt

Knighthood 1360 Knight of the Garter
Title of Nobility April 1362 Earl of Derby
Title of Nobility 13 November 1362 1st Duke of Lancaster (2nd creation)
Title of Nobility 1372 King of Castile
Title of Nobility from 1372 to 1388 King of Castile (claimant)
Title of Nobility from 1390 to 1399 Duke of Aquitaine (as John II)

Residence Ghent

Spouses & Children
Preferred

John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond Male 1340-1399 GWZX-F4D [<-ancestor]
Blanche of Lancaster Female 1345-1368 LZ2B-6YG
Marriage 19 May 1359 Queens Chapel, Reading Abbey, Reading, Berkshire, England

Children (7)

[1] Philippa of Lancaster Female 1360-1415 LWGR-FY5
[2] John of Lancaster Male 1362-1365 GKBL-58N
[3] Elizabeth of Lancaster Duchess of Exeter Female 1363-1426 KHJW-5PV
[4] Edward of Lancaster Male 1365-1365 G3JX-PGR
[5] John of Lancaster Male 1366-1367 GKBL-GW3
[6] Henry IV King of England Male 1367-1413 94RC-RQV
[7] Isabella of Lancaster Female 1368-1368 9HKC-XGV

John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond Male 1340-1399 GWZX-F4D [<-ancestor]
Constanza de Castilla, Padilla Female 1354-1394 LH7Q-C3F
Marriage August 1371 Roquefort, Guienne, France

Children (2)

[1] Reina Catherina of Lancaster Female 1373-1418 LH6L-N4T
[2] John of Lancaster Male 1374-1375 KCX6-SM5

John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond Male 1340-1399 GWZX-F4D [<-ancestor]
Katherine de Roet Duchess of Lancaster Female 1350-1403 9C7T-V6M
Marriage 13 January 1396 Lincolnshire, England [<-ancestress]

Children (5)

[1] John Beaufort, Fairborn, 1st Earl of Somerset Male 1373-1410 9HTZ-YQ8 [<-ancestor]
[2] Lady Katherine Beaufort Female 1373-1418 G121-Z5X
[3] Joan de Beaufort Countess of Westmorland Female 1375-1440 MMWD-3QP
[4] Henry Beaufort Cardinal Bishop of Winchester Male 1375-1447 LZ2T-ZGS
[5] Thomas Beaufort 2nd Duke of Exeter, Earl of Dorset Male 1377-1426 93RF-BNT

Parents & Siblings

Edward III King of England Male 1312-1377 93RN-C7J [<-ancestor]
Philippa de Hainaut, Queen consort of England Female 1310-1369 9Z8W-FY1 [<-ancestress]
Marriage 24 January 1328 York Minster, York, Yorkshire, England

Children (12)

[1] Edward of Woodstock Male 1330-1376 9ZZT-T8C
[2] Isabel of Woodstock Countess of Bedford Female 1332-1379 94KB-WH8
[3] Joan of Woodstock Female 1335-1348 94Y3-N5D
[4] William of Hatfield Male 1337-1337 G3GC-C9B
[5] Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence Male 1338-1368 GWCK-WC2
[6] John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond Male 1340-1399 GWZX-F4D [<-ancestor]
[7] Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York Male 1341-1402 LBLV-3JN
[8] Blanche of the Tower Female 1342-1342 GWZL-65Y
[9] Mary of Waltham Duchess of Brittany Duchess of Brittany Female 1344-1362 GWZL-T2P
[10] Margaret of Windsor Countess of Pembroke Female 1346-1361 GWZL-XBX
[11] William of Windsor Male 1348-1348 9HFL-1H3
[12] Thomas of Woodstock Duke of Gloucester Male 1355-1397 GWZL-XD8

Brief Life History

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340-3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. Due to Gaunt's royal origin, advantageous marriages, and some generous land grants, he was one of the richest men of his era, and was an influential figure during the reigns of both his father and his nephew, Richard II. As Duke of Lancaster, he is the founder of the royal House of Lancaster, whose members would ascend the throne after his death. His birthplace, Ghent in Flanders, then known in English as Gaunt, was the origin of his name. When he became unpopular later in life, a scurrilous rumour circulated, along with lampoons, claiming that he was actually the son of a Ghent butcher. This rumour, which infuriated him, may have been inspired by the fact that Edward III had not been present at his birth.

John's early career was spent in France and Spain fighting in the Hundred Years' War. He made an abortive attempt to enforce a claim to the Crown of Castile that came through his second wife, Constance of Castile, and for a time styled himself as King of Castile. When Edward the Black Prince, Gaunt's elder brother and heir-apparent to the ageing Edward III, became incapacitated due to poor health, Gaunt assumed control of many government functions, and rose to become one of the most powerful political figures in England. He was faced with military difficulties abroad and political divisions at home, and disagreements as to how to deal with these crises led to tensions among Gaunt, the English Parliament, and the ruling class, making him an extremely unpopular figure for a time.

John exercised great influence over the English throne during the minority of King Richard II (Edward the Black Prince's son) and the ensuing periods of political strife. He mediated between the king and a group of rebellious nobles, which included Gaunt's own son and heir-apparent, Henry Bolingbroke. Following Gaunt's death in 1399, his estates and titles were declared forfeit to the Crown, and his son Henry, now disinherited, was branded a traitor and exiled. Henry returned from exile shortly after to reclaim his inheritance, and deposed Richard. He reigned as King Henry IV of England (1399– 1413), the first of the descendants of John of Gaunt to hold the English throne.

All English monarchs beginning with Henry IV are descended from John of Gaunt. His direct male line, the House of Lancaster, would rule England from 1399 until the time of the Wars of the Roses. Gaunt is also generally considered to have fathered five children outside marriage: one early in life by a lady-in-waiting to his mother; the others, surnamed Beaufort, by Katherine Swynford, his long-term mistress and third wife. They were later legitimised by royal and papal decrees, but this did not affect Henry IV's bar to their having a place in the line of succession. Through his daughter Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland, he was an ancestor of the Yorkist kings Edward IV, Edward V and Richard III. Through his great-granddaughter Lady Margaret Beaufort he was also an ancestor of Henry VII, who married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth of York, and all subsequent monarchs are descendants of their marriage. Two of John's daughters married into continental royal houses (those of Portugal and Castile). Through them, many royal families of Europe can trace lineage to him.

see sources at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Gaunt

Last Changed: November 21, 2022 Duncan Cameron"
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Timeline John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Richmond

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