738712. Duke John of Gaunt & 738713. Katherine de Roet
3/1340, John, born in St Bavon’s Abbey, Ghent, Flanders, 4th
s/o 1477424. King Edward III &
1477425. Queen Philippa of Hainault.
1341, Blanch Plantagenet born in England, d/o Duke Henry,
s/o Earl Henry of Lancaster & Maud de Chaworth.
11/20/1342, “Lord John” named Earl of Richmond after the
death of John, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond. [This brought 2-year-old
John 2000 marks annually.]
7/11/1344, John, the king’s son, granted the market at Babraham,
Cambridgeshire [previously held by the Duke of Brittany.] (S) Gazetteer of
Markets and Fairs to 1516.
2/1346, John’s nurse given a pension, and he was assigned a
male governor.
~1350, Katherine, born in Hainault [Belgium], d/o 1477426. Sir Paon de Roët. [Froissart
identified her as “the daughter of a Hainault knight, called sir Paon de Ruet;
he had formerly been one of the knights to the good and noble queen Philippa of
England”.]
3/1/1350, John went to live with his older brother, the
Black Prince. [Where he would live 5 years.]
8/29/1350, John present at the sea battle with the Spanish
near Winchelsea. Their ship was rammed, and sinking, when they were rescued by
Henry, Duke of Lancaster [father of future wife Blanche.]
12/1351, Katherine arrived in England with her father, then
in the service of Countess Margaret of Hainault.
1352, Katherine placed in the royal court under the care of
Queen Philippa. Agnes Bonsergeant was assigned to care for Katherine. [Her
companions at court would include 2 princesses, Mary and Margaret, prince
Thomas of Woodstock, and Blanche of Lancaster – 1st wife of John of
Gaunt.]
7/1355, John knighted with 26 others by the king and the
Duke of Lancaster.
11/1355, John with the King on an invasion of France.
Landing in Calais the previous month, the army proceeded to raid Pas de Calais,
Artois, and Picardy. King Edward returned the army to England by the 15th
of November.
12/1355, John with his father in Scotland in what would be
called “Burnt Candlemas”, taking Berwick, Roxburgh, the Scottish crown from
Balliol with his private estates, then on the way to Edinburgh, buring every
town, village and hamlet in their way.
1357, The Scots proposed John as a successor to childless
King David II. [Was not accepted.]
6/7/1358, King Edward III petitioned the pope for
dispensation for John to marry his cousin Blanche, the greatest unmarried
heiress in England. [Granted 1/8/1359.]
6/1358, In a triple ceremony performed in the queen’s
chapel, daughter Margaret (age 12) promised to John Hastings (age 11); Prince
Lionel’s daughter Philippa (age 3) promised to Edmund Mortimer (age 6), and son
John of Gaunt (age 18) promised to Blanche Plantagenet (age 12).
[––John & Blanche––]
5/19/1359 in Berkshire at Reading abbey, John married
Blanche. The poet Chaucer was present.
10/8/1359, John, earl of Richmond, the king’s son, in the
great invasion of France; with 2 bannerets, 35 knights, paid 2s a day, 162
esquires, paid 1 s a day, and 40 mounted archers, paid 6d a day. (S) Hist. of
the Family of Wrottesley, V1, 1903, P130. [Blanche was pregnant. John was
gifted £500
by his father to cover his expenses.]
10/1359, King Edward, sailing from Sandwich to Calais with
1,100 ships, again invaded France, eventually taking Saint-Florentin and
Tonnerre. Edward reached Paris, setting the suburbs on fire, before turning
back to Brittany [Edward decided a siege of Paris was not feasible.]
10/18/1359, John present at the signing of the Peace of
Bretigny.
5/18/1360, John returned home to meet his new daughter. John
was awarded the honor and castle of Hertford by his father, formerly the home
of his grandmother Queen Isabella. [who died 2 years earlier.]
11/20/1360, John 1st summoned to parliament as
Earl of Richmond.
3/25/1361, John granted temporary custody of all of Duke
Henry’s lands [Henry had died 2 days earlier.]
4/1361, John created Knight of the Garter on the death of
Thomas Holland, earl of Kent.
7/21/1361, John, Earl of Lancaster, Lincoln and Derby [by
right of his wife, Blanche and her sister Matilda the heirs. About this time
John became the patron of Geoffrey Chaucer, the poet, who had served his older
brother Lionel and his father, and was known to be as associate of Blanche.]
[––Katherine &
Hugh Swinford––]
1362-64, Katherine married Sir Hugh Swynford, knt. of
Lincolnshire, Lord of Coleby and Kettlethorp. Hugh was knight in the retinue of
John of Gaunt.
4/10/1362, John succeeded to the title of Earl of Leicester.
[Blanche’s older sister Margaret had died the previous day.] John now owned a
third of England, with an annual income estimated at £12,803. John also
inherited the Savoy, the grandest palace in London, on the Strand, the
furnishings alone valued at £10,000.
11/13/1362, John created Duke of Lancaster on his father’s
50th birthday.
10/8/1363, John became the 1st person to open
Parliament in the English language.
1/24/1365, Katherine “Swynford” maidservant of the household
of Blanche.
By 1366, Katherine appointed governess for John of Gaunt’s 2
eldest daughters.
9/1366, John
arrived in Bayonne, Gascony with 1000 archers and men at arms. [Sir Hugh
Swynford joined up with the army in November.]
By 2/24/1367, Katherine had moved to Lincoln where son
Thomas was baptized; Blanche had moved to Bolingbroke castle, also pregnant.
4/3/1367, John and his forces, having joined up with the
Black Prince and his forces, and crossed the Pyrenees mountains in winter, won
the battle of Najara, Spain. John was the commander of the vanguard forces. The
English were supporting Pedro the Cruel of Castile, who was returned to the
throne. An estimated 16,000 soldiers died in the battle. [Pedro defaulted on
his promised payment for help and his daughters Constance and Isabel were held
as hostages at Bordeaux.]
9/12/1368, Blanche died of the plague at Tutbury castle,
Staffordshire; buried at St. Paul’s Cathedral. John was present at her death
and immediately wrote the Bishop of Carlisle to order masses for her soul.
[Chaucer and elegy to Blanche after her death.]
10/17/1368, John’s older brother, Lionel of Antwerp, died.
11/28/1368, The fair at Holt, near Wimborne Minster, Dorset,
granted to John, Duke of Lancaster, the king’s son. (S) Gazetteer of Markets
and Fairs to 1516.
3/1369, Due to an outbreak of the plague in London, the
royal court was moved to Windsor.
7/26/1369, After Charles V of France rejected the Treaty of
Bretigny, John landed at Calais; the 1st time he was given
independent command of an English army. [Geoffrey Chaucer was in John’s
retinue.]
8/1369, at Tournehem, John learned of his mother’s death.
1369, John won the battle of Balingham Hill, but met with
little other success due to the weather, dwindling supplies, and the plague.
8/14/1369, John’s mother died of the plague at Windsor
castle.
10/1369, John gave up his expedition into France.
12/1369, John celebrated Christmas at Langley, Hertfordshire
with his father.
1370, John stood as godfather to Katherine and Hugh’s
daughter Blanche.
6/1370, John sailed with forces for France to join his
brother in Cognac.
9/18/1370, John with the Black Prince at the taking of
Limoges, France. The city had surrendered itself to the French a month earlier.
The Black Prince order the killing of all, sparing none [as they had committed
treason. It is estimated 3,000 were killed in a 2-day period.]
10/8/1370, The Black Prince, already extremely ill, created
John as Lord of Bergerac and Roche-sur-Yon, and then returned to Bordeaux,
leaving John as his lieutenant.
By 1371, John was a patron of John Wycliffe, Oxford doctor, theologian,
and philosopher, notorious for his belief that Christians should live by the
rules as set down in the Gospels, and not by regulations laid down by the
church.
8/10/1371, John took up residence at Ombriere Palace in
Bordeaux [his brother the Black Prince having returned to England gravely ill.]
[––John &
Constance––]
9/21/1371 at Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, John married Queen
Constanza of Castile and Leon, elder d/o Pedro the Cruel & Maria de
Padilla, assuming the title of King of Castile and Leon. [A strictly political
marriage, Constance had become Queen on the death of her father, and was living
in exile.]
9/25/1371, John and his Duchess sailed from La Rochelle for
England.
11/13/1371, Hugh Swynford died “beyond the seas” in
Aquitaine.
1/1372 at Westminster, The Council gave formal approval to
John being titled “King of Castile and Léon”.
1/1372, Prince Edward hosted a tournament at Cheapside in
celebration of his brother John’s wedding.
[John & Katherine]
John started a romantic relationship with Katherine [Roet]
Swynford, wife of deceased Sir Hugh Swynford. [There is substantial evidence
that this affair did not start earlier. Katherine’s sister Philippa married
Geoffrey Chaucer in 1367.]
6/1372, John surrendered the earldom of Richmond to John de
Montfort, Duke of Brittany, in exchange for other lands.
6/26/1372, Katherine was assigned her dower, which gave her
Kettlethorp during the minority of her son.
8/31/1372, John, King Edward, and the Black Prince sailed
from Sandwich for Gascony. [Storms prevented the ships form reaching their
destinations.]
9/12/1372, Katherine granted the remaining 2/3rds of Coleby,
and the marriage of her son until he reached 21.
3/1373, Widow Katherine was a demoiselle to the Duchess of
Lancaster.
6/12/1373, John, appointed Captain-Gerneral in France, led
an expedition into France. John lost many soldiers in the mountains of
Auvergne; and most of Guienne and Gascony were lost to the French, but he held
the lands from Bordeaux to Bayonne, and Calais.
12/1373, John and Constanza were at Christmas court with his
father at Woodstock.
4/6/1374, John sailed for England. [Soon after returning
John granted Chaucer a pitcher of wine every day for life and arranged for him
to have a rent-free house in London.]
1/1/1375, John granted Katherine Swynford the wardship of
the heir of Sir Robert Deyncourt, and the marriage of that heir for her
daughter Blanche.
3/9/1375, John from Dover sailed for France to negotiate a
peace treaty at Bruges for his father.
3/1375-6/1375, John at Bruges where a 1-year peace agreement
was signed.
7/15/1375, John back in England.
1375-76, William Ferour, Mayor of Leicester, sent a gift of
wine to “the Lady Katherine Swynford, mistress of the Duke of Lancaster.”
10/1375, John and Constance, who was pregnant, sailed for
Bruges, France for another peace meeting.
1/1376, King Edward summoned the “Good Parliament”. During
the parliament, his mistress Alice’s secret marriage to William Windsor was
revealed. King Edward swore an oath by the Virgin Mary that he did not know she
was married [This made the king and adulterer].
King Edward effectively turned over control of the government to his
son, John of Gaunt.
4/28/1376–7/6/1376, John took the brunt of the criticism at
the Good Parliament. The House of Commons claiming that poverty in England was
being caused by the frauds and shameful practices of the aristocracy.
Immediately after the parliament, John by authority of his father, dismissed
the additional members of the council, recalled to office the impeached lords,
and nullified all 140 petitions of the House of Commons.
6/8/1376, John’s older brother, the Black Prince, died. [Likely
of illness contracted in Spain.]
10/7/1376, John, King of Castile and Leon and Duke of
Lancaster appointed an executor of the will of Edward III. (S) Testamenta
Vetusta, V1, 1826, P11.
2/28/1377, King Edward granted John palatinate powers in
Lancaster [complete authority without interference by officers of the crown.]
4/23/1377, John at Westminster for the annual feast of the
Knights of the Garter.
6/21/1377, King Edward III died, leaving John’s nephew,
10-year-old Richard II, s/o the Black Prince as heir; and John as the most
powerful man in England. [There are records from the previous April and May
indicating the Chaucer had often been abroad in the king’s service “on secret
business.”]
7/16/1377, John attended the coronation of King Richard II
at Westminster Abbey.
8/1378, John commanded an
unsuccessful naval siege on St. Malo, Brittany.
7/28/1380, John paid King Richard 5,000 marks for the
marriage of Mary de Bohun [who would be married to his son Henry.]
5/1381, John took command of the Scottish border and left
for Knaresborough.
6/1381, while John was on the Scottish border, John’s home,
the palace of Savoy, was burnt during the Peasant’s Revolt. [Katherine and her
family members went into hiding.]
1381 in Edinburgh, John publically confessed to the sin of
lechery with Katherine and many others in his wife’s household.
1381, Katherine leased a house on the Chancery, in Minster
Yard [the cathedral close], in Lincoln, where she would liver for 12 years.
1382, Recalled by King Richard from the border, John
attended parliament.
7/1383, John sent for Constance and met up with her at
Northallerton.
4/1384, Richard II called John to parliament at Salisbury.
The parliament refused to ratify the draft Anglo-French treaty.
7/1384, John with his brother the earl of Buckingham spent
much of the summer on the continent trying to work out a peace formula
acceptable to both sides. All they could achieve was an extension of the truce
until 5/1/1385. (S) Parliamentary Rolls, Richard II, 2005.
1384-5, John commanding forces in the Scottish border.
2/24/1385 at Sheen, John, with an armed escort, approached
King Richard about an organized attempt to have him killed at at tournament
[the 2nd attempt by Richard’s favorites.]
8/1385, John, duke of Lancaster, led an expedition into
Scotland attacking Edinburgh. [A French force of about 1500 was known to have
landed in Scotland.] With the Scots avoiding a confrontation against a large
army, they pillaged the area and found Edinburgh deserted.
6/16/1386 at the palace of John of Gaunt, King of Castile
and Leon, John arbritrated a commission into the right to carry the arms
‘Azure, a bend Or’ between Richard le Scrope and Sir Robert Grosvenor. [Chaucer
would be an MP for Kent the following October when the trial was conducted in
parliament.]
7/9/1386, John left England with a force to win the Spanish
crown, landing at Corunna. John then conquered Galica and Compostela.
1387, John invaded Castile with little success.
4/1387, King Richard II created Katherine Swynford a Lady of
the Garter. [The highest English honor a woman could receive .]
7/1387, John gave up his claim to Castile at the treaty of
Bayonne. His claim would go to his daughter Catalina, who would marry the
King’s heir. John and Constance would receive a payment of £100,000 and an
annual pension of £6666.
8/1387, John and Constance returned to England.
5/26/1388, John again appointed King’s Lieutenant in
Aquitaine, where he would spend 18 months.
12/1388, Katherine, now working in the household of Henry of
Derby, spent Christmas with the family.
4/1389, Richard II issued Katherine her Garter robes for the
annual gathering.
11/19/1389, John, recalled by the King, returned to England,
arriving at Plymouth, and very wealthy. [But also apparently in poor health –
called by a French councilor “an old black boar.”]
12/1189, Richard II rode out to Devon to meet his uncle John
and to give him the kiss of peace. [Young King Richard needed his powerful
uncle’s support.]
1/21/1390, John and his brother Thomas appointed to the
Privy Council.
2/16/1390, Richard II entailed the palatinate powers of the
Duchy of Lancaster on John and his heirs.
3/2/1390, John, created Duke of Acquitaine [for life], now
called “Monseigneur de Guienne”.
1391, John, not rebuilding the Savoy, leased Ely Place in
London from John Fordham, Bishop of Ely.
1391-92, All 4 Beaufort children and Katherine appear on
John’s household rolls in London. [However, Katherine still maintained her
residence at the Chancery in Lincoln.]
10/1392, Brothers John of Gaunt – Duke of Acquitaine ,
Thomas of Woodstock – Duke of Gloucester, and Edmund of Langley – Duke of York,
met at John’s house in London.
12/1393, John and Constantza were joined at Hertford by
multiple children and “Dame Katherine Swynford” for Christmas festivities.
3/24/1394, Princes Constanza died at Leicester. [Buried in
July in the collegiate church of St. Mary in Newark.]
3/27/1394, John, in Leuleighen, France, concluded a 4-year
truce with the French.
6/1394, Katherine at Lincoln to testifiy in her son Thomas
Swynford’s “proof of age” inquisition.
10/1394, John sailed from Plymouth for Guienne to look after
his interests in the duchy.
12/4/1395, Katherine presented a new rector to the parish of
Kettlethorpe.
12/1395, John recalled to England, sailing from Calais.
[––John &
Katherine––]
1/1396 at Lincoln Cathedral, having received dispensation by
Pope Boniface, John married 3rd Katherine. [In the absence of a
Queen, Katherine, a mistress of humble birth, became the most important Lady in
England – and the most hated by the other ranking ladies.] John and Katherine
then traveled north visiting Pontrefract, Rothwell castle, and Coventry.
1396, John opposed parliament’s proposal to burn John
Wycliffe’s English version of the Bible – “other nations have God’s law in
their own mother tongue, and we will have ours in English.”
2/6/1397, Richard II, by letters patent, legitimized John
and Katherine’s children – a unique act in English history. [The children were
barred from royal succession.]
1397, John, Duke of Guyenne and Lancaster requests licence
by the King's letters patent to grant … [Edward III], King of England; …; Henry
[Bolingbroke], Earl of Derby; …; Katherine [de Roet], wife of the petitioner.
(S) UKNA. [John settled estates in Lancanshire on Katherine for her life,
reverting to the heirs of the Dukes body.]
9/1/1397, The Pope legitimized John and Katherine’s
children.
9/21/1397, John presided at the trial of the Earl of Arundel
and pronounced his death sentence.
10/28/1397, John and Katherine attended the wedding of
Richard II near Calais, France. Katherine became a companion of the royal child
bride [almost 7 years old], a role in which she had plenty of experience.
8/1398, John, aging and ill, relinquished his Duchy of
Aquitaine.
2/3/1399, John had a detailed will written. Katherine was
left lands, many items, and £2000. The same day, John, Duke of Guienne and
Lancaster, died in Leicester castle.
[––Katherine––]
3/16/1399, John buried in Old St Paul’s Cathedral, London
with Blanche, as requested in his will.
3/18/1399, Richard II extended Henry of Derby’s exile for
life, declared the Lancastrian inheritiance forfeit, and distributed its lands
among his favorites. Richard allowed Katherine to keep her dower lands.
7/1399–10/1399, Katherine’s stepson Henry invaded England
and captured Richard II who abdicated. Henry was then crowned King Henry IV
[the nearest heir, Edmund Mortimer, was only 8 years old.]
11/9/1399, in a grant to Katherine, King Henry called her
“the King’s mother.”
By 1400, Widow Katherine had rented a house in Minster Yard,
Lincoln.
5/10/1403, Katherine died; buried in Lincoln Cathedral.
(S) The Royal Lineage of Our Noble and Gentle Families,
1883, Foster, P21. (S) The Last Knight, Cantor, 2004. (S) Magna Carta Ancestry,
P486. (S) Mistress of the Monarchy, Weir, 2007.
Family notes:
·
9/1/1396, Pope Boniface wrote a letter about
previously consenting [“by word of mouth”] to John’s marriage with Katherine.
[A dispensation had been required because John had been godfather to one of
Katherine’s children.] The letter was needed by John and Katherine to prove
that the Pope had provided dispensation because of widespread opposition to the
marriage.
Children of John
and Marie de St. Hilaire:
i. Blanche of Lancaster, born bef. 1360 in England.
Children of John
and Blanche:
i. Queen Philippa of Lancaster, born 3/31/1360 in Leicester
castle, England.
2/1387 in Orpoto Cathedral, Philippa, 27 years old, married
King João I of Portugal. [8 children.]
Children: Henry the Navigator, born 3/4/1394 in Portugal. [3rd
child]
ii. Elizabeth of Lancaster, born 2/21/1363 in England.
6/24/1380 at Kenilworth, Elizabeth married to 8-year-old
John Hastings, 3rd earl of Pembroke. [Annulled.]
6/24/1386, Elizabeth, pregnant, married the father John
Holland, Duke of Exeter, half-brother to King Richard II.
1400, John Holland was captured and executed for treason at
Pleshy by the Countess of Hereford.
By 12/12/1400, Elizabeth married Sir John Cornwall, Lord
Fanhope.
iii. King Henry IV, born 4/3/1367 in England.
4/23/1377, With future King Richard II, Henry created a
Knight of the Garter.
6/24/1380 at Rothford Hall, Essex, Henry of Derby married
Mary de Bohun, coheriess & d/o Earl Humphrey de Bohun & Joan Fitzalan.
1387, Henry defeated Robert de Vere, Earl of oxford, and
favorite of King Richard II at the battle of Radcot Bridge, Oxfordshire. (S)
The Wars of the Roses, Weir, 1995, P32.
4/1388, Mary created a Lady of the Garter.
9/1389, Richard II named Henry to the Privy Council.
1390, Henry at the Jousts of Saint Inglevert, near Calais,
France.
5/1390, Henry joined a Teutonic Knight crusade in eastern
Europe.
1392, Henry joined a crusade into Prussia.
1394, Mary died.
Henry and Thomas de Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, became embroiled
in a mutual claim of treason.
9/16/1398, Henry and Thomas met at Coventry to settle their
quarrel. Richard II stop the match and banished both men. (S) Shakespeare’s
Richard II.
2/3/1399, Henry left £1000 in the will of his
father.
3/18/1399, Richard II disinherited Henry’s lands while he
was in exile.
7/4/1399, Henry landed at Ravenspur; then proceeded through
the Lancastrian lands in the north and took York. [Henry invaded while Richard
II was in Ireland.]
9/29/1399, Richard II, a prisoner in the Tower, abdicated
his crown to Henry.
10/13/1399, Henry “Bolingbroke” was crowned King Henry IV.
Henry instituted the new Order of the Bath, making his 4 sons its first
members. [Charles IV of France refused to recognize Henry as king of England.]
1402, Henry married Joan of Navarre.
1/21/1408 at the manor of Greenwhich, Henry wrote his will.
(S) Testamenta Vetusta, V1, 1826, P18.
3/1413, Henry died [of some disease of much debate].
Children of Hugh
and Katherine:
i. Thomas Swynford, born 1368 in England.
Thomas
married Joan Crophill.
2/3/1399, Thomas ‘his most
dear bachelor’ left 100 marks in the will of John, duke of Lancaster.
10/5/1411, Thomas’ legitimacy
established by letters patent.
Children of John
and Constance:
i. Queen Catherine of Hertford, born 1372 in England.
9/1388, Catalina married Henri, Prince of Asturias [later
King Henri III of Castile and Leon.]
[Their descendants ruled Spain until 1700.]
Children of John
and Katherine:
[The issue of Katherine were surnamed Beaufort after John of
Gaunt’s French lordship in Champagne.]
i. John Beaufort (369356), born 2/1373 in Lincoln castle,
England.
ii. Henry Beaufort, born ~1374 in England.
1398, Henry made Bishop of Lincoln.
4/1399, Henry appointed Chancellor of Oxford University.
1403, 1413, 1424, Henry appointed Chancellor of England.
1404, Henry named Bishop of Winchester.
1426, Henry created Cardinal-priest of St. Eusebius, and
became the papal legate for Germany, Hungary and Bohemia.
5/1431 at Rouen, Henry present at the burning of Joan of
Arc.
12/16/1431, Henry crowned Henry VI as King of France at the
Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
Henry completed the building of Winchester Cathedral.
4/11/1447, Henry died; buried in Winchester Cathedral.
iii. Thomas Beaufort, born ~1375 in England.
2/3/1399, Thomas left 1000
marks in the will of his father.
Thomas married Margaret, d/o Sir Thomas Neville of Horneby.
[No surviving children.]
1/31/1410, Thomas named Chancellor of England.
1412, Thomas created Earl of Dorset.
1416, Thomas created Duke of Exeter for life.
1418, Thomas created Count of Harcourt in Normandy.
1420, Thomas captured at the battle of Bauge; released
shortly afterwards.
1422, Thomas an executor of the will of King Henry V.
12/31/1426, Thomas died in England. [No surviving children.]
iv. Joan Beaufort (3802861), born 1377 in Pleshy castle,
England.
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