John of Gaunt
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The black widow that bit herself
Affinity, bigamy, consanguinity, denialists, dispensations, Edward I, Edward IV, Elizabeth Wydeville, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, John Ashdown-Hill, John Duke of Bedford, John Earl of Shrewsbury, John of Gaunt, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Latrodecta, Maud Neville, mediaeval canon law, Northampton, pre-contract, Ricardian Loons, step-parentsSince John Ashdown-Hill’s iconic Eleanor was published eleven years ago, we have seen some desperate attempts to contradict his proven conclusion that Lady Eleanor Talbot contracted a valid marriage to Edward IV before his contract to Elizabeth Widville and many such attempts have rebounded on the denialist in question. Now a troll naming herself Latrodecta…
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The article that prompts this post is the first of three concerning the history of the House of Lancaster. There are some sweeping statements that are eminently challengeable, but then it’s Lancastrian about Lancastrians, so bias is bound to be present. The first Lancastrian monarch usurped the throne of his first cousin, Richard II,…
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Shadow King: the Life and Death of Henry VI
Armagnacs, Beaufort family., biographies, Burgundians, Calder Bridge, Catherine de Roet, Edmund of Langley, Edmund of Rutland, Edward III, Edward IV, France, George Goodwin, Henry V, Henry VI, House of York, John of Gaunt, Lancastrians, Lauren Johnson, Lionel of Antwerp, Margaret of Anjou, Outwood, Pontefract Castle, Readeption, Richard Duke of York, Richard of Salisbury, Sandal Castle, Tim Sutherland, Tower of London, Towton, Wakefield, Wars of the Roses, Winchester PalaceHelen Rae Rants! Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI by Lauren Johnson Head of Zeus Publications, 2020, paperback, 700 pages, £12.00 ISBN 978-1784-979645 <img class=”i-amphtml-intrinsic-sizer” style=”max-width: 100%; display: block !important;” role=”presentation” src=”data:;base64,” alt=”” aria-hidden=”true” /> Henry VI has gone down in history as one of England’s worst kings. Not for being cruel…
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How many wives did Sir Simon Burley have….?
Anne of Bohemia, Aquitaine, army service, Beatrice Stafford, Charles V, Dugdale, Edward the Black Prince, executions, Herefordshire, John of Gaunt, Lords Appellant, Marguerite de Beausse, marriages, Nigel Saul, Old St. Paul’s, Order of the Garter, Richard II, Sir Paul Pyndar, Sir Richard Burley, St. Mary Grace’s, tombs, Tower HillSir Simon Burley, childhood friend, tutor and magister of Richard II, was executed today, 5th May, in 1388. He was the son of a Herefordshire knight, was brought up with the Black Prince, and rose to be one of the most powerful men in the land when he ruled the king’s household. Richard adored and…
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I always thought Starkey was a waspish prig (his public opinion of those who support Richard III is just as derogatory!) but having read this article, I think he’s slap-dash as well. Certainly he can’t be checking what goes out to herald the latest of his lectures – this one will no doubt manage…
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Recently, for the purposes of writing fiction, I had cause to check who was admitted to the Garter in 1387. (This is the sort of weird stuff I do all the time and helps explain why for me to write a book takes aeons.) Anyway, the simple answer is Edward of York (later 2nd Duke…
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Here’s something to ponder. “….He [John of Gaunt] built the large mansion called The Savoy by the bank of the Thames in London, lost in during one of the countless rebellions against Richard [II], who, with John I and Henry III, could be termed one of the unusually stupid Plantagenets, though all three had terrible…
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It used to be suggested that Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, was nominated as Richard II’s successor in the Parliament of 1385, but this was questioned by historians due to lack of supporting evidence. It appears that March was in fact so nominated in the Parliament of 1386. (Source – (Ian Mortimer, ‘Richard II and…
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Joan, Lady Mohun.
Canterbury Cathedral, Catherine of Lancaster, clerical errors, Dunster Castle, Edward of Norwich, Father Gervase Matthew, Indulgences, Joan Lady Mohun, John of Gaunt, Knights of the Garter, Leeds Castle, Lord High Constable, Lords Appellant, Matilda Burghersh, Philippa de Mohun, Richard II, Thomas ChaucerJoan, Lady Mohun was the daughter of Sir Bartholomew Burghersh, Lord Burghersh and Elizabeth de Verdun. Her brother, another Sir Bartholomew Burghersh, was the father of the heiress Elizabeth Burghersh who married Edward, Lord Despenser. It is not know exactly when Joan was born but a date somewhere in the 1320s seems likely. (Her brother…
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On 16th September 1398, at Gosford Green near Coventry, there was a tournament involving a trial by combat between Henry of Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford and Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk. Almost the entire nobility of England attended this event, including the king, Richard II, who had ordered the trial to settle a dispute (concerning…
