• John of Gaunt was the fourth son of Edward III, born in Ghent in 1340. He married Blanche, the heiress of the duchy of Lancaster, in 1359, and was himself created Duke of Lancaster in 1362. Widowed in 1369, John married Constance, daughter of Pedro the Cruel of Castile, and in 1372 he assumed the title of King of Castile. In 1387, he resigned all claims in favor of his daughter, Catherine. John was influential during the reign of Richard II and tried to promote peace between the king and his nobles. His children by Catherine Swynford, known as the Beauforts, were legitimized by Richard II and figured prominently in English affairs in the next century. John’s eldest son, Henry Bolingbroke, became king as Henry IV, the first king of the House of Lancaster.2849

• Only 10 when he acceded in 1377, Richard II sat back for the first four years while his uncle, John of Gaunt, ran the country. Then it looked as if John might be running it into the ground.2860, p 100

• The Plantagenets were vilified, especially by Shakespeare and contemporary writers, to justify the Tudors usurping of the English throne. However, John of Gaunt seems to have been more fairly treated. His “This England” speech in William Shakespeare’s Richard II and his treatment in the play would seem to suggest that he was quite well regarded. Katherine herself features in the play albeit briefly. Women were not given much of a place at this time!
John’s fair treatment may also have been because his great-granddaughter Margaret Beaufort married Edward Tudor and was Henry the VII’s mother. The Beauforts were John and Katherine 4 children they had during the nine years she was his mistress. On their marriage in January 1396, the four children were legitimised by decree of John’s nephew Richard the II and the then Pope.2859, p 1