John took pains to ensure that he never became associated with the opposition to Richard's kingship. Learn how and when to remove this template message, John Cornwall, 1st Baron Fanhope and Milbroke, Death of John of Gaunt, Richard Cavendish explains the life and death of Henry IV's father, on February 3rd, 1399, Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present, www.measuringworth.com, "British History in depth: Black Death: Political and Social Changes", Several entries, as Duke of Aquitaine & Lancaster; and as King of Castile and Duke of Lancaster, "Explanatory Notes on 'The Book of the Duchess', "Marks of cadency in the British royal family", Sir Jean Froissart: John of Gaunt in Portugal, 1385, Margaret of France, Queen of England and Hungary, Eleanor of England, Countess of Leicester, Joan, Countess of Hertford and Gloucester, Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_of_Gaunt&oldid=1149661958, Pretenders to the throne of the kingdom of Castile, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from December 2022, All articles needing additional references, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2023, Articles needing additional references from March 2020, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from January 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2023, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the ODNB, Wikipedia articles incorporating citation to the NSRW, Wikipedia articles incorporating citation to the NSRW with an wstitle parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, During his marriage to Constance, John of Gaunt fathered four children by a mistress, the widow. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 - 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. Close. With them, he participated in the Siege of Limoges (September 1370). Trending; Presidents; TV/Film/Stage; . Genealogy chart showing how John of Gaunt (1340-1399) is the 17th Great-grandfather to Queen Elizabeth II (Queen of the United Kingdom) via their common ancestor of John of Gaunt. Married to: Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond; 14551456. Joan Beaufort (1379-1440)-married first Robert Ferrers, 5th Baron Boteler of Wem and second Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmoreland. Only John's intervention in the political crisis succeeded in persuading the Lords Appellant and King Richard to compromise to usher in a period of relative stability. Through advantageous marriages and land grants, John became exceedingly wealthy and influential at his father's court.. 12.1 (2nd ed.). Married to: Sir Oliver St John, of Bletsoe; 14251437. From the eldest son, John, descended a granddaughter, Margaret Beaufort, whose son, later King Henry VII of England, would nevertheless claim the throne. ), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p.125, Planche, J.R., Pursuivant of Arms, 1851, p.xx, Beaufort Society's website (Google's cache of, "The Lancastrian Esses Collar (Appendix 7)" erenow.net, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby, List of coats of arms of the House of Plantagenet, "The Wars of the Roses: York v Beaufort? Due to some generous land grants, John was one of the richest men in his era. [23] He impaled his arms with those of the Spanish kingdom. Unlike some of Richard's unpopular advisors, John was away from London at the time of the uprising and thus avoided the direct wrath of the rebels. Henry then deposed Richard and in September 1399 ascended the throne as King Henry IV. The three princes are believed to represent the dukes of Lancaster, York, and Gloucester, and a portion of line 76, "as three of you or tweyne," to refer to the ordinance of 1390 which specified that no royal gift could be authorised without the consent of at least two of the three dukes. Chaucer married Philippa (Pan) de Roet in 1366, and Lancaster took his mistress of nearly 30 years, Katherine Swynford (de Roet), who was Philippa Chaucer's sister, as his third wife in 1396. Pausing on the journey to use his army to drive off the French forces who were then besieging Brest, he landed at Corunna in northern Spain on 29 July. This four-month ride through enemy territory, evading French armies on the way, was a bold stroke that impressed contemporaries but achieved virtually nothing. Only John, on his return to England in 1389, succeeded in persuading the Lords Appellant and King Richard to compromise to usher in a period of relative stability. 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. John (1362-1365) was the first-born son of John and Blanche of Lancaster and lived possibly at least until after the birth of his brother Edward of Lancaster in 1365 and died before his second brother another short lived boy called John in 1366. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399) m. Blanche of Lancaster (1345-1369) Philippa of Lancaster (1360-1415) m. John I of Portugal (1358-1433) Elizabeth of Lancaster, Duchess of Exeter (1363-1426) m. 1st, John Hasting, 3rd Earl of Pembroke m. 2nd, John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter (c1352-1400) The children bore the surname "Beaufort" after a former French possession of the duke. It is earliest associated with Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster (1245-1296) (the younger son of King Henry III) whose third son John of Lancaster (1286-1317) was called "Seigneur of Beaufort". John renounced his claim in 1388, but he married his daughter, Catherine, to the young nobleman who eventually became King Henry III of Castile and Leon. John of Gaunt is a character in William Shakespeare's play Richard II. The expedition was a military failure. A large part of John's army had succumbed to sickness, however, and when the invasion was mounted, they were far outnumbered by their Portuguese allies. The affair apparently took place before John's first marriage to Blanche of Lancaster. The name Beaufort refers to the estate of Montmorency-Beaufort in Champagne, France, an ancient and seemingly important possession of the House of Lancaster. There is, however, evidence that he may occasionally have used this second marshalling at earlier dates. Joan's many descendants include the Dukes of York, Warwick the "Kingmaker", the Dukes of Norfolk, the Dukes of Buckingham, the Earls of Northumberland, and Catherine Parr, the last queen of Henry VIII. They were harried mainly by French mercenaries of the Castilian king. His first wife, Blanche of Lancaster, was also his third cousin; both were great-great-grandchildren of King Henry III. The two alabaster effigies were notable for having their right hands joined. Here are 10 facts about the royal ancestor, John of Gaunt. His second son John became the first Duke of Somerset in 1443.[3]. This effectively kept him off the scene while England endured the major political crisis of the conflict between Richard II and the Lords Appellant, who were led by John of Gaunt's younger brother Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. Privacy Policy | ContactMe 2010-2023 FamousKin.com. Thus the Beaufort family is today represented in the male line by its illegitimate continuation, the House of Somerset, whose senior representative is Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort. John, son of the King of England, Duke of Lancaster, whereas I have purchased divers manors, &c. before my marriage with my dear wife Catherine, to whom I have given several parts for her life, and I have enfeoffed my dear son John Beaufort, Marquis of Dorset, with certain other parts, &c. to my dear son Thomas Beaufort, brother of the aforesaid John, manors which belonged to Edward de Kendale, the reversion of which I have bought of Dame Elizabeth Crosier, also the lordships, &c. of which Dame Elizabeth Barry held for the term of her life, to him and the heirs of his body; in default of which to my said son John, and the heirs of his body; failing which to my dear daughter Joan, their sister, Countess of Westmoreland; I will that my dear bachelier Monsr Robert Nevil, William Gascoigne, my dear esquires, Thomas de Radclyf, and William Kat'yng, and my dear clerk Thomas de Langley, who, according to my directions, are enfeoffed in the Manor of Bernolswyk, in the County of York, pay annually to my executors for Dame Katherine del Staple xx marks for her life; and touching the wapentakes of Hangest, Hangwest, and Halykeld, in Richmondshire, which I have before granted to my dear son-in-law Ralph Earl of Westmoreland, and to my daughter Joan, his wife, for their lives, I will, &c. From Testamenta Vetusta, Being Illustrations from Wills, of Manners, Customs, &c., vol. Because of his rank, John of Gaunt was one of England's principal military commanders in the 1370s and 1380s, though his enterprises were never rewarded with the kind of dazzling success that had made his elder brother Edward the Black Prince such a charismatic war leader. John inherited the rest of the Lancaster property when Blanche's sister Maud, Countess of Leicester (married to William V, Count of Hainaut), died without issue on 10 April 1362. Two of John's daughters married into continental royal houses (those of Portugal and Castile). From 1372, John gathered around himself a small court of refugee Castilian knights and ladies and set up a Castilian chancery that prepared documents in his name according to the style of Peter of Castile, dated by the Castilian era and signed by himself with the Spanish formula "Yo El Rey" ("I, the King"). The estate of Beaufort was eventually inherited, with other vast possessions, by John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (third surviving son of King Edward III) following his marriage to the heiress Blanche of Lancaster. His first wife, Blanche of Lancaster, was also his third cousin; both were great-great-grandchildren of King Henry III. The second son (of John of Gaunt), Henry, became a bishop, Lord Chancellor, and a Cardinal; the third son, Thomas, became Duke of Exeter; and the daughter, Joan, married Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, as his second wife. He died in 1387 after six years of marriage. From the eldest son. [citation needed], From 1394 through 1395, he was forced to spend nearly a year in Gascony to shore up his position in the face of threats of secession by the Gascon nobles. John left Portugal for Aquitaine, and he remained in that province until he returned to England in November 1389. Daughter of: King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. John of Gaunt: key dates & facts Born: March 1340, Abbey of Saint Bavon in Ghent Died: 3 February 1399, Leicester, age 58 Parents: King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault Known for: Third surviving son of King Edward III, and a commander in the Hundred Years' War. Please note: The ancestor reports on this website have been compiled from thousands of different sources, many over 100 years old. Five anonymous living donors, all members of the extended family of the present Duke of Beaufort, who claim descent from both the Plantagenets and Tudors through the children of John of. He was called "John of Gaunt" because he was born in . Also known as: John of Gaunt, duc dAquitaine, John of Gaunt, earl of Richmond. 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. It is customary for the Loyal Toast to be given by residents as "The Queen, the Duke of Lancaster". The following year he took part with his father, Edward III, in an abortive attempt to invade France with a large army, which was frustrated by three months of unfavourable winds. From then until 1377, he was effectively the head of the English government due to the illness of his father and elder brother, who were unable to exercise authority. The term Gaunt, a corruption of the name of his birthplace, Ghent, was never employed after he was three years old; it became the popularly accepted form of his name through its use in Shakespeares play Richard II. By then well established, he owned at least thirty castles and estates across England and France and maintained a household comparable in scale and organisation to that of a monarch. On his return he obtained the chief influence with his father, but he had serious opponents among a group of powerful prelates who aspired to hold state offices. Only four months after his return to England, in March 1390, Richard II formally invested Gaunt with the Duchy of Aquitaine, thus providing him with the overseas territory he had long desired. [12], John's final campaign in France took place in 1378. Includes citations for all sources. Daughter of: John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp. All of them were born out of wedlock, but were legitimised upon their parents' eventual marriage. After Blanche's premature death in 1368 and Gaunt's re-marriage in 1371, Elizabeth and her siblings joined the household of Gaunt's second wife . [25], For the remainder of his life, John of Gaunt occupied the role of valued counsellor of the king and loyal supporter of the Crown. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399) 2. Alison Weir dispels the myth of a scheming enchantress and reveals her to be a most influential figure of the 14th century . The campaign of AprilJune 1387 was an ignominious failure. Blanche was the daughter of John's mistress, Marie de St. Hilaire of Hainaut (1340-after 1399), who was a lady-in-waiting to his mother, Queen Philippa. [16] As de facto ruler during Richard's minority, he made unwise decisions on taxation that led to the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, when the rebels destroyed his home in London, the Savoy Palace. His administration of the province was a disappointment, and his appointment as duke was much resented by the Gascons, since Aquitaine had previously always been held directly by the king of England or his heir; it was not felt to be a fief that a king could bestow on a subordinate. (1911). At one point he was forced to take refuge across the Thames, while his Savoy Palace only just escaped looting. [3] The title Duke of Somerset was no longer available, having been granted in 1547 by King Edward VI[6] to his uncle Edward Seymour, Lord Protector, which family and title survives today. During the 1390s, John's reputation of devotion to the well-being of the kingdom was largely restored. {{ media.date_translated }}, {{ asCtrl.bannerRights.content|translate }}, The Geneanet family trees are powered by Geneweb 7.0. When Edward III died in 1377 and John's ten-year-old nephew succeeded as Richard II of England, John's influence strengthened. However, John's ascendancy to political power coincided with widespread resentment of his influence. His time at the head of government was marked by the so-called Good Parliament of 1376 and the Bad Parliament of 1377. Bolingbroke then reigned as King Henry IV of England (1399-1413), the first of the descendants of John of Gaunt to hold the throne of England. John and Warwick then decided to strike Harfleur, the base of the French fleet on the Seine. On his return from France in 1374, John took a more decisive and persistent role in the direction of English foreign policy. Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter (1377-1427), married Margaret Neville, daughter of Sir Thomas de Neville and Joan Furnivall. English Royalty. Research devoted solely to this person has either not yet taken place or it is currently in progress. As a younger brother of Edward, Prince of Wales (Edward, the Black Prince), John exercised great influence over the English throne during the minority of Edward's son, who became King Richard II, and the ensuing periods of political strife. Successor: Henry IV Bolingbroke, King of England (2nd Duke of Lancaster and of Aquitaine) "John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, KG (6 March 1340 - 3 February 1399) was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. (ed. 14th-century English prince, Duke of Lancaster, This article is about the historical figure. John inherited the rest of the Lancaster property when Blanche's sister Maud, Countess of Leicester (married to William V, Count of Hainaut), died without issue on 10 April 1362. John of Gaunt, born in 1340, was the third son of King Edward III. He owned land in almost every county in England, a patrimony that produced a net income of between 8,000 and 10,000 a year. The first, called to grant massive war taxation to the Crown, turned into a parliamentary revolution, with the Commons (supported to some extent by the Lords) venting their grievances at decades of crippling taxation, misgovernment, and suspected endemic corruption among the ruling classes. However, mistrust remained, and some[who?] Chaucer's The Book of the Duchess, also known as the Deeth of Blaunche the Duchesse,[26] was written in commemoration of Blanche of Lancaster, John of Gaunt's first wife. famous descendants of john of gaunt why does wilbur soot have two spotify accounts why does wilbur soot have two spotify accounts And I constitute and appoint the Reverend Fathers in God Richard Bishop of Salisbury; John Bishop of Worcester; my very dear and loving cousins and companions Thomas Earl of Worcester, Steward of the Household of my Lord the King; and William Earl of Wilts, Treasurer of England; my son Ralph Earl of Westmoreland; Monsr Walter Blount; Monsr John Dabruggecourt; Monsr William Par; Monsr Hugh War'ton; Monsr Thomas Skelton; and Cokeyn, Chief Steward of my Lands; Sir Robert Qwytby, my Attorney General; Piers Melburn; William Ketyring; Robert Haylfield, Comptroller of my Household; Sir John Leyburn, my Receiver General; and Thomas Longley, Clerk, my executors. suspected him of wanting to seize the throne himself. The death of the Black Prince on 8 June 1376 and the onset of Edward III's last illness at the closing of Parliament on 10 July left John with all the reins of power. (#3815) FamousKin.com. John of Gaunt was a patron and close friend of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, best known for his work The Canterbury Tales. CODICIL TO THE SAID WILL Item. John received the title "Duke of Lancaster" from his father on 13 November 1362. His first wife, Blanche of Lancaster, was also his third cousin; both were great-great-grandchildren of King Henry III. During this retreat, the army had to fight its way across the Somme at the ford of Blanchetaque against a French army led by Hugh de Chtillon, who was captured and sold to Edward III. Four or more generations of descendants of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399) if they are properly linked:1. [31][32] The monument was severely damaged, and perhaps destroyed, during the period of the Interregnum (16491660); and anything that survived was lost (with the rest of the cathedral) in the Great Fire of London of 1666. The grave and monument were destroyed with the cathedral in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester and Cardinal (1375-1447) Beset on all sides by French ambushes and plagued by disease and starvation, John of Gaunt and his raiders battled their way through Champagne, east of Paris, into Burgundy, across the Massif Central, and finally down into Dordogne. John's daughter, Blanche, married Sir Thomas Morieux in 1381. Near the end of their lives, Lancaster and Chaucer became brothers-in-law. The Complete Peerage, or a history of the House of Lords and all its members from the earliest times (Husee to Lincolnshire). He was most famous for signing the Magna Carta in 1215, and for losing the Duchy of Normandy to King Philip II of France, thus receiving his nickname Lackland. He was called "John of Gaunt" because he was born in Ghent, then rendered in English as Gaunt. WILL: JOHN OF GAUNT, DUKE OF LANCASTER I, John, son of the King of England, Duke of Lancaster, February 3d, 1397. Illegitimate Son (legitimated in 1396) of: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, KG (6 March 1340 3 February 1399) was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The present Somerset family, Dukes of Beaufort, of Badminton House in Gloucestershire, are illegitimate direct male descendants of John of Gaunt, being illegitimate descendants of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, first cousin of Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509). Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile to reclaim his inheritance and depose Richard. There were four children: John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset (13731410); Cardinal Henry Beaufort, (13751447), Bishop of Winchester; Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter (13771426) and Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland (13791440). John of Gaunt was a patron and close friend of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, most famously known for his work The Canterbury Tales. About Me. Allrightsreserved. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, was born on March 6, 1340, at St. Bavo's Abbey in Ghent, Belgium. By this time, too, some of his possessions were taken from him by the Crown. John of Gaunt died of natural causes on 3 February 1399 at Leicester Castle, with his third wife Katherine by his side. John (Plantagenet) of Gaunt KG is a member of the House of Lancaster. However, he did not immediately return to the province, but remained in England and mainly ruled through seneschals as an absentee duke. Through John II of Castile's great-granddaughter Joanna the Mad, John of Gaunt is also an ancestor of the Habsburg rulers who would reign in Spain and much of central Europe. Perhaps she is known more as the subject of a 20th-century romantic novel than for her real life. The poem refers to John and Blanche in allegory as the narrator relates the tale of "A long castel with walles white/Be Seynt Johan, on a ryche hil" (13181319) who is mourning grievously after the death of his love, "And goode faire White she het/That was my lady name ryght" (948949). Blanche (13591388/1389), who married Sir Thomas Morieux (13551387) in 1381 and had no children. Coat of Arms of Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, Descendants of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, Cokayne, G. E.; H. A. Doubleday & Lord Howard de Walden, eds. At a time when English forces encountered setbacks in the Hundred Years' War against France, and Edward III's rule was becoming unpopular due to high taxation and his affair with Alice Perrers, political opinion closely associated the Duke of Lancaster with the failing government of the 1370s. On 23 August, he was confronted by a much larger French army under Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Son of: Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond and Lady Margaret Beaufort. However a decree of King Henry IV in 1406 barred his legitimated half-siblings and their issue from any claim to the throne and the illegitimacy of the Somerset branch doubly bars them. John returned in 1389 and resumed his role as peacemaker. Partly as a result of these failures, and those of other English commanders at this period, John was one of the first important figures in England to conclude that the war with France was unwinnable because of France's greater resources of wealth and manpower. [30] Most conspicuous in this short poem is the number of references to Chaucer's "beste frend". This approach led indirectly to the Anglo-French Congress of Bruges in 137477, which resulted in the short-lived Truce of Bruges between the two sides. An adjacent chantry chapel was added between 1399 and 1403. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, KG (6 March 1340 - 3 February 1399) was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third of four surviving sons of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Chaucer retorts that "My frend maystow nat reven, blind goddesse" (50) and orders her to take away those who merely pretend to be his friends. From 1367 to 1374 he served as a commander in the Hundred Years War (13371453) against France. He also became the 14th Baron of Halton and 11th Lord of Bowland. He was also depicted as the villain in the Robin Hood tales. He planned a 'great expedition' of mounted men in a large armada of ships to land at Brest and take control of Brittany. [6] Henry returned from exile shortly after to reclaim his inheritance, and deposed Richard. FamousKin.com About Me At a time when English forces encountered setbacks in the Hundred Years' War against France, and Edward III's rule was becoming unpopular due to high taxation and his affair with Alice Perrers, political opinion closely associated the Duke of Lancaster with the failing government of the 1370s. The House of Beaufort continues to exist in a further illegitimate line, surnamed "Somerset", the senior representative of which is Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort, who is thus a direct male-line descendant, albeit via a legitimated and an illegitimate line, of King Henry II, the first Plantagenet King of England. Married to: John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset; 14391444. As with all family trees on this website, the sources for each ancestor are listed on the family group pages so that you can personally judge the reliability of the information. Married to: Thomas Stanley, Earl of Derby; 14721504. Constance died in 1394. Meanwhile, in England, war had nearly broken out between the followers of King Richard II and the followers of Gloucester. In accordance with the legal provisions, you can ask for the removal of your name and the name of your minor children. While the envoy playfully hints to Lancaster that Chaucer would certainly appreciate a boost to his status or income, the poem Fortune distinctively shows his deep appreciation and affection for John of Gaunt. Furthermore, while King Edward and the Prince of Wales were popular heroes due to their successes on the battlefield, John of Gaunt had not won equivalent military renown that could have bolstered his reputation. The English destroyed the shipping in St. Malo harbour and began to assault the town by land on 14 August, but John was soon hampered by the size of his army, which was unable to forage because French armies under Olivier de Clisson and Bertrand du Guesclin occupied the surrounding countryside, harrying the edges of his force. The Beaufort Portcullis, now the symbol of the House of Commons; The heraldic colours white and blue, an old symbol of the Earls of Lancaster. He was buried beside his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster, in the choir of St Paul's Cathedral, adjacent to the high altar. Although Philippa died c. 1387, the men were bound as brothers and Lancaster's children by Katherine - John, Henry, Thomas and Joan Beaufort - were Chaucer's nephews and niece. However, mistrust remained, and some suspected him of wanting to seize the throne himself. The House of Beaufort adopted various heraldic or quasi-heraldic symbols, badges or cognisances. Royal Descendants of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt: Their Children John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford can count many of Europe's royal persons among their descendants, as well as some American presidents. He owned land in almost every county in England, a patrimony that produced a net income of between 8,000 and 10,000 a year,[7] equivalent in 2023 to c.170 213 million in income value, or 3.5 4.4 billion in relation to gdp.[8]. John was married three times. Morieux held several important posts, including Constable of the Tower the year he was married, and Master of Horse to King Richard II two years later. Son of: John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland. Believed to have been written in the 1390s, Chaucer's short poem Fortune, is also inferred to directly reference Lancaster. The Beaufort children, three sons and a daughter, were legitimised by royal and papal decrees after John and Katherine married. In 1386 John left England to seek the throne of Castile, claimed in Jure uxoris by right of his second wife, Constance of Castile, whom he had married in 1371. Exercising his first command, John dared not attack such a superior force and the two armies faced each other across a marsh for several weeks until the English were reinforced by the Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, at which the French withdrew without offering battle. Gaunt is also generally believed to have fathered five children outside marriage: one early in life by a lady-in-waiting to his mother;[citation needed] the others, surnamed Beaufort, by Katherine Swynford, his long-term mistress and third wife. Fortune states three times in her response to the plaintiff, "And also, you still have your best friend alive" (32, 40, 48); she also references his "beste frend" in the envoy when appealing to his "noblesse" to help Chaucer to a higher estate. Although he fought in the Battle of Njera (1367), for example, his later military projects proved unsuccessful.