John of Gaunt Marries Blanche of Lancaster

John of Gaunt Marries Blanche of Lancaster

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As one of the country’s richest heiresses, Blanche of Lancaster was chosen as the bride for King Edward III's surviving son, her third cousin, John of Gaunt.

The couple was married on the 19th of May 1359 at Reading Abbey in Berkshire.

Blanche had just turned 14 and John was 19 years old.

The whole royal family was present at the wedding, and the King gave Blanche expensive gifts of jewellery.

Their marriage is widely believed to have been happy, although there is little solid evidence for this.

The assumption seems to be based on the fact that John of Gaunt chose to be buried with Blanche.

Blanche herself was pregnant for most of her married life, giving birth to 7 children between 1360 and 1368.

Only three survived to adulthood.

Blanche and John’s last surviving child, was Henry of Bolingbroke, the future Henry IV of England.

Blanche died at Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire, on 12th September 1368, aged about 22.

It is believed that she may have died after contracting the Black Death, which was rife in Europe at that time.

However, recent research by Amy Licence suggests that Blanche may have died from the complications of childbirth, rather than from the plague.

In 1374, six years after her death, John of Gaunt commissioned a double tomb for himself and Blanche.

Gaunt himself died in 1399, and was laid to rest beside Blanche. The two effigies were notable for having their right hands joined.

The tomb was lost when the cathedral was destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666.

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https://historytheinterestingbits.com/.../blanche.../

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders

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The wedding of Blanche of Lancaster and John of Gaunt, painted by Horace Wright, 1914