John of Gaunt, the first Duke of Lancaster was born today in 1340. If I wanted to change the history of our nation and if I had a time machine then he would be a prime target.
John of Gaunt's legitimate male heirs, the Lancasters, included Kings Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI. His other legitimate descendants included, by his first wife, Blanche, his daughters Queen Philippa of Portugal and Elizabeth, Duchess of Exeter; and by his second wife, Constance, his daughter Queen Catherine of Castile.
John fathered five children outside marriage, one early in life by a lady-in-waiting to his mother, and four surnamed "Beaufort" (after a former French possession of the Duke) by Katherine Swynford, Gaunt's long-term mistress and third wife. The Beaufort children, three sons and a daughter, were legitimised by royal and papal decrees after John and Katherine married in 1396; a later proviso that they were specifically barred from inheriting the throne, the phrase excepta regali dignitate (English: not eligible for the royal dignity), was inserted with dubious authority by their half-brother Henry IV.
Descendants of this marriage included Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester and eventually Cardinal, the man who presided over the trial of Joan of Arc; Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland, grandmother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III; John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, the great-grandfather of King Henry VII; and Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots, from whom are descended, beginning in 1437, all subsequent sovereigns of Scotland, and successively, from 1603 on, the sovereigns of England, of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the United Kingdom to the present day. The three succeeding houses of English sovereigns from 1399 — the Houses of Lancaster, York and Tudor — were descended from John through Henry Bolingbroke, Joan Beaufort and John Beaufort, respectively.
He was also a patron of Geoffrey Chaucer, who was also his brother in law, he married Phillipa de Roet, the sister of John's 3rd wife Katherine. His influence on literature didn't end there either. In William Shakespeare's play Richard II, the famous England speech is spoken by the character of John of Gaunt as he lies on his deathbed.
It was through the book "Katherine" by Anya Seaton that I discovered this interesting time and character in history. It was a very compelling story covering Watt Tyler and the Peasant's Revolt as well as the human side to the relationship.
Lancashire is the Red Rose County, so I wanted to wear a red dress today to represent the colour of the rose. I also wanted to couple it with something that had just a dash of "this sceptre'd isle".
I think this dress is bright and cheerful whilst also maintaining a balance of fun and style. It is a 1940s style dress with slight puff top sleeves, buttons to the waist and a nicely fitted skirt. It is however the accents that make this dress, I just love the Union Jack trim! Who wouldn't? This is one of my "reclaim the union Jack from Ginger Spice" dresses. It also has a highly appropriate name!
Dress: Belted Vixen Dress With Cuffs in Union Jack by Tara Starlet
Shoes: Aldo
"England"
This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,
This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings,
Fear'd by their breed and famous by their birth
Renowned for their deeds as far from home,
For Christian service and true chivalry,
As is the sepulchre in stubborn Jewry,
Of the world's ransom, blessed Mary's Son,
This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land,
Dear for her reputation through the world,
Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it,
Like to a tenement or pelting farm:
England, bound in with the triumphant sea
Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege
Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame,
With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds:
That England, that was wont to conquer others,
Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
Ah, would the scandal vanish with my life,
How happy then were my ensuing death!
—Act II, scene i, 42–54, The Tragedy of King Richard II
