John of Gaunt

Lore & Background

John exercised great influence over the English throne during the minority of King Richard II and the ensuing periods of political strife. He mediated between the king and a group of rebellious nobles, which included his own son, Henry Bolingbroke. Following Gaunt's death in 1399, the Lancastrian estates and titles were declared forfeit to the Crown, and Bolingbroke was branded a traitor and ordered into exile. Henry raised an army to reclaim his inheritance and depose Richard, reigning as King Henry IV. All English monarchs from Henry IV onwards are descended from John of Gaunt. His direct male line, the House of Lancaster, ruled England from 1399 until the Wars of the Roses.

Reader's Guide

John of Gaunt's significance lies in his role as founder of the royal House of Lancaster, whose members ascended the throne after his death. His extensive network of retainers, known as the Lancastrian affinity, became the cornerstone of his political power and was later inherited by his son Henry, the future King Henry IV. All English monarchs from Henry IV onwards are descended from John of Gaunt. Through his daughter Joan Beaufort, 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), and through them many royal families of Europe can trace lineage to him. His forging of the 1386 Anglo-Portuguese alliance, still in force today, represents a lasting diplomatic legacy.

Did You Know?

• John of Gaunt's name derived from an anglicised form of his birthplace, Ghent in Flanders, then known in English as Gaunt.
• When he became unpopular, a scurrilous rumour circulated claiming he was actually the son of a Ghent butcher.
• He owned at least thirty castles and estates across England and France, with a net income of between £8,000 and £10,000 a year.
• He helped forge the 1386 Anglo-Portuguese alliance, secured through the marriage of his daughter Philippa to John I of Portugal, which is still in force today.