Brief History of John of Gaunt
(Ghent)
Jen Garbin (ENG300Y)
John of Gaunt (Ghent), 1340-399
John, by the grace of God, King of Castille and Leon,
Duke of Lancaster and Aquitaine, Earl of Derby, Lincoln
and Leicester, Lord of Beaufort and Nogent, of Bergerac
and Roche-sur-Yon, Seneschal of England and Constable
of Chester.
"He was a tall spare man, reserved
and proud. He was courageous in battle, and easily roused,
but he was loyal to a degree and chivalrous in every
sense of the word. He loved the tournament, and specialized
in absolutely fair play, a quality rare in his day.
He was a great patron, of poets, scholars, clergy, monks,
and indeed of the poor. . . . he was nevertheless the
ideal Englishman, and like all of his type he did not
see where his own virtues lay: a soldier who was far
and away at his best at a peace conference, a hot tempered
fighting man who restrained the tempers of others."
-- John Fines
Who's Who in the Middle Ages
(Source: http://www.labelle.org/bio_JohnG.html)
John of Gaunt was born the fourth son of Edward III
of England, and was one of the most influential political
figures in England during Chaucer’s time. In 1359,
John of Gaunt married Blanche, Heiress of, and later
Duchess of Lancaster. After Blanche’s father’s
death, John became Earl and Duke of Lancaster, making
him one of the wealthiest and most powerful nobles in
all of England. He was a soldier and served under his
brother, Edward the Black Prince, in the Hundred Years
War and against Peter the Cruel of Castille. After his
first wife, Blanche, died in 1369, John made a political
marriage (1371) with Constance of Castille, heir of
Peter of Castille, thus giving him a claim to the Castillian
throne. <to top>
Upon his return to England in 1375, he allied himself
with the corrupt court party led by Alice Perrers, mistress
of Edward III and for all intents and purposes, ruled
England for a short time until being ousted from power
by the Good Parliament of 1376. John rebounded and put
together a handpicked parliament in 1377, about the
same time his nephew, Richard II, ascended the throne.
It was thought by many that John would make a claim
to the crown for himself, since young Richard’s
ability to reign was in doubt. However, John was a strong
advocate for legitimate inheritance and held strong
devotion to his brother and family. In addition, his
focus was on his own claims in Castille. Upon his return
to England in 1389, he was named Duke of Aquitane as
a reward, and helped restore peace between Richard II
and the hostile barons led by the Duke of Gloucester,
and which included his son, Henry of Bolingbroke (ironically,
later to usurp the throne of England as Henry IV). In
1396, John of Gaunt married Catherine Swynford, the
governess to his children by Blanche, as well as his
long time mistress.
So, how did he come to be the chief patron of Chaucer?
The connection developed as Chaucer served in a number
of positions in the royal court at the time. In 1357,
Chaucer became page in the household of Elizabeth de
Burgh, Countess of Ulster. Later, both John of Gaunt
and Chaucer served in the retinue of Prince Lionel (1359)
in the war in France, in which Chaucer was captured
(and then ransomed in March 1360 for 16 pounds). They
were the same age. In 1365-1366, Chaucer married Philippa
Roet who was a chamber lady to Queen Philippa, and later
to Gaunt’s second wife, Constance. Chaucer’s
wife was also the sister of Katherine Swynford, long
time mistress and third wife of John of Gaunt. <to
top>
In 1367, Chaucer became a valet in the household of
Edward III. When Lionel died in 1368, Chaucer transferred
his services to John of Gaunt. He was well known as
part of the literati of the court at the time, and hence
John of Gaunt would have been well acquainted with his
work.
It is popularly believed that Chaucer wrote The
Book of the Duchess upon the request of John of
Gaunt as a eulogy for his late wife, Blanche, Duchess
of Lancaster.
List of Works Cited
http://www.infoplease.com/ipd/A0500957.html
http://www.online-literature.com/view.php/richardII/6?term=gaunt
http://www.labelle.org/bio_JohnG.html
http://www.librarius.com/chauchro.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~midgley/gaunt.html
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