An Enduring Love - John of Gaunt & Katherine Swynford

One of the most famous and widely spoken love stories of the Middle Ages, that of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford, would even today, after over 500 years, have its descendants sitting on the throne of England.

Read on to discover a tale of enduring love!

Katherine’s is the classic story of rags to riches, at a time when often men would rise in status due to martial skill, patronage or marriage, it was not quite so common for women. This fact makes her rise from the position of the younger daughter of an Hainault knight to the Duchess of Lancaster and one of the most powerful women in England, even more extraordinary. Katherine was born around 1350 in Hainault, her father Sir Paon de Roet was a knight in the service of Count William of Hainault. In 1327 when the Count’s daughter Phillipa sailed to England to wed the young King Edward III, Sir Paon was a member of her retinue. It seems that Katherine, together with her sister Phillipa, travelled with their father to England and as a consequence, were raised in the household of the Queen.

Young girls would often take on the role of ladies-in-waiting to the nobility, in Katherine’s case it was in the service of Blanche of Lancaster, wife to John of Gaunt, third son of King Edward III.

Even as early as this it was clear that ties were developing between Katherine and the house of Lancaster, for in 1362 she married Hugh Swynford of Coleby and Kettlethorpe, a Lincolnshire knight serving with John of Gaunt. They had possibly three children together, the first a daughter Blanche, born in 1367 and named after the Duchess, had John of Gaunt named as her Godfather. Katherine served the Duchess of Lancaster loyally until her death on the 12th September, 1368, even to the point of sending for a priest to absolve her mistress prior to her death. The Duchess, who was only in her early 20’s at the time, most likely died after contracting the Black Plague which was rampant in England during that period, although some sources point to her dying in childbirth. Regardless of how she died, at this point there can be no doubt at all of the love John of Gaunt felt for his wife, he was devastated and mourned her greatly, this is made obvious by the fact that he held annual commemorations on the anniversary of her death for the rest of his life, as well as choosing to be buried beside her in St Paul's Cathedral, London. Rather than leaving the household and taking up a post with another lady of the nobility, Katherine instead was appointed by John as Governess to the two Lancaster daughters Phillipa and Elizabeth.

It was said that John of Gaunt honoured Katherine “for the care shown to the late Duchess and for the Lancastrian children after their mother’s death”. He also awarded her a pension and her own blazon which depicted three Catherine wheels.

It is often the case that love grows through shared mourning, I like to think that maybe at such a sad time in the lives of the family, Katherine offered no small degree of comfort to both John and the children, and this was possibly when the budding romance began to develop.It was after the death of the Duchess that Hugh Swynford was recalled back to the Continent and in 1371 he died of dysentery, at the time there was speculation that he was poisoned by a servant of John of Gaunt but that has not been confirmed. What we do know is that later in 1371, John married Constance of Castille in a dynastic alliance, meant to secure for himself the crown of Castille. We also know that it was around this time that rumours began of a relationship between Katherine and John, some said it had begun prior to Hugh’s death but this also has not been proven. Either way, within 2 years Katherine would bear her first child to John, with three more following over the next 6 years. Despite being illegitimate these four children would go on to become prominent members of the nobility, some even in turn becoming ancestors of current European Monarchs, including our own English royal family.

John and Katherine would live openly together for several years, there were several reports of this scandalous behaviour by the Duke and his “witch and whore”, however John was the wealthiest magnate in the country aside from the King, which meant he could pretty much do as he pleased. On King Edward III’s death in 1377, John’s nephew Richard would become Richard II as his father Edward the Black Prince had tragically died a year earlier. John would serve Richard loyally, however in 1381, because of his wealth and power, as well as the fact that he was one of the Kings chief counsellors (those responsible for the Pole Tax that angered the common people), he became the primary target of the growing Peasants Revolt. On the 13th June,1381 his beautiful Savoy Palace was burnt to the ground by the mob, even though he was not even in London at this time, but rather on his way to Scotland for a campaign.

It is difficult to determine what John was thinking at the time, maybe he thought that the burning of the Savoy was God’s wrath for his adultery, or else he was making a bid to recover some of the popularity lost during the revolt, but after this event, he formally renounced Katherine and returned to his wife. 

Katherine then moved to her late husband’s manor of Kettlethorpe, away from the court. It does seem that John still looked out for her, visiting her regularly and even keeping a stable of horses for her use. She seems to have been content to remain on friendly terms with all of his family, on occasion receiving gifts from them, in some household records, there are entries of casks of wine being given to her from John. It is also known that he provided oak trees for the renovation of Katherine’s estates. It is believed that he borrowed money from her in 1386 for his Castillian campaign, from this we can determine that despite their separation, the relationship remained completely amicable during that time.

In 1394, the death of Constance of Castille once again changed the situation for the pair, this time for the better, finally on the 13th January, 1396, almost a quarter of a century after their affair had begun, Katherine and John were married in Lincoln Cathedral. Subsequently, a papal bull was granted in September, followed in February 1397 by King Richard II issuing a Royal Patent, both of which officially recognised the union and legitimised the children born of this unconventional love.

However, while bestowing upon the children the name “Beaufort”, a caveat accompanied the royal decree, explicitly excluding this lineage from the line of succession. Unfortunately, a happiness that took so long for them to find was very short-lived as John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster passed away on the 3rd February, 1399, just three years after finally marrying his beautiful Katherine. In just over 4 years on the 10th May, 1403, at the age of only 52 or 53, she would then join him, together for eternity. Her tomb lies beside that of her daughter Joan, Countess of Westmoreland in Lincoln Cathedral, near where she married her soulmate all those years ago. When thinking about this incredible relationship, the thing that really touches the romantic within me is that this unimaginable affair of the heart blossomed, despite time, gossip and separation, a true testament to the enduring passion, resilience and determination of both parties. 

Katherine and John’s love story has been immortalised in literature and history, one of our Facebook ads mentioning the relationship has generated over 500 comments, mostly referring to novels that tell this unforgettable love story… forget the tales of chivalry and knights in shining armour, this story is the stuff of legends.

Visiting Lincoln Cathedral and standing by Katherine’s tomb was very moving for me… take a look at our Plantagenets in England tour where we will visit this stunning Cathedral. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Max

Lincoln Cathedral photos © Plantagenet Discoveries, John of Gaunt Photo Creative Commons/Public Domain