by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

The five eldest surviving daughters of KIng Edward IV, left to right: Elizabeth, Cecily, Anne, Catherine, and Mary. This stained glass window in Canterbury Cathedral, was made by order of King Edward IV; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on August 11, 1467, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Mary was the second of the ten children and the second of the seven daughters of King Edward IV of England, the first King of England from the House of York, and Elizabeth Woodville. Mary’s paternal grandparents were Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England. Her maternal grandparents were Sir Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg.

Mary’s father King Edward IV of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s father King Edward IV was the eldest surviving son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York who had a strong claim to the English throne. The social and financial troubles that followed the Hundred Years’ War, combined with the mental disability and weak rule of the Lancastrian King Henry VI had revived interest in the claim of Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and so the Wars of the Roses were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1487. Richard, 3rd Duke of York was killed on December 30, 1460, at the Battle of Wakefield and his son Edward was then the leader of the House of York. After winning a decisive victory on March 2, 1461, at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, 19-year-old Edward proclaimed himself king. In 1464, King Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville.

Mary’s mother Elizabeth Woodville; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary had nine siblings:

• Elizabeth of York (1466 – 1503), married King Henry VII of England, had seven children including King Henry VIII of England, Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, and Mary Tudor, Queen of France
• Cecily of York (1469 – 1507), married (1) Ralph Scrope of Upsall, no children, marriage annulled; (2) John Welles, 1st Viscount Welles, had two daughters who died in childhood (3) Sir Thomas Kyme, had two sons and one daughter
• King Edward V of England (1470 – circa 1483), briefly succeeded his father, as King Edward V of England, was the elder of the Princes in the Tower
• Margaret of York (born and died 1472)
• Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (1473 – circa 1483), was the younger of the Princes in the Tower
• Anne of York (1475 – 1511), married Thomas Howard (later 3rd Duke of Norfolk and uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII’s beheaded wives), had no surviving children
• George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford (1477 – 1479), died in childhood probably from the bubonic plague
• Catherine of York (1479 – 1527), married William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, had two sons and one daughter
• Bridget of York (1480 – 1517), became a nun

Mary had two half-brothers from her mother’s first marriage to Sir John Grey of Groby:

• Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset (1455 – 1501), married (1) Anne Holland, no children; (2) Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington and 2nd Baroness Bonville, had 14 children; Thomas and Cecily are the great-grandparents of Lady Jane Grey
• Sir Richard Grey (1457 – 1483), unmarried, executed by Richard, Duke of Gloucester (future King Richard III)

Mary was raised with her elder sister Elizabeth, who was eighteen months older, at Sheen Palace in Surrey, England under the supervision of their governess Lady Margery Berners, wife of John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners, a great-grandson of King Edward III. It was the tradition that royal children were brought up away from London and the court for their safety and health. Occasionally, Elizabeth and Mary, the two eldest children of King Edward IV, were called to the court, where they were present at the festivities and during state visits.

In October 1470, thanks to Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, known as “The Kingmaker,” switching from the Yorkist faction to the Lancastrian faction, King Henry VI from the House of Lancaster was restored to the throne. King Edward IV and his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III) fled to Flanders, part of Burgundy, where their sister Margaret of York was married to Charles I the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Three-year-old Mary went into sanctuary at Westminster Abbey in London with her pregnant mother along with her older sister Elizabeth and her younger sister Cecily. While in sanctuary, Mary’s brother Edward (the future Edward V) was born. By April 1471, Mary’s father was back on the throne, and a month later King Henry VI was murdered in the Tower of London.

On July 30, 1476, Mary attended the grand reburial of her paternal grandfather Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and his second son and Mary’s paternal uncle Edmund, Earl of Rutland at the Church of Saint Mary and All Saints in Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire, England. Her grandfather and uncle had been killed in 1460 at the Battle of Wakefield, during the Wars of the Roses. Their bodies had been displayed and then unceremoniously buried. Mary attended the wedding of her four-year-old brother Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York and the five-year-old wealthy heiress Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk (1472 – 1481) at St. Stephen’s Chapel in the Palace of Westminster in London, England on January 15, 1478. In May 1480, Mary and her younger sister Cecily were created Ladies of the Order of the Garter. Their older sister Elizabeth had been named Lady of the Garter in February 1480.

In 1481, negotiations began for a marriage between Mary and Frederik, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig (the future King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway), the youngest son of King Christian I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. However, at the end of 1481, Mary became seriously ill with an unknown illness and died, aged fourteen, on May 23, 1482, at the Palace of Placentia (also known as Greenwich Palace) in Greenwich, London, England. She was interred on the north side of the altar in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England at the side of her younger brother George, who had died three years earlier at the age of two. Mary’s parents were interred in a tomb nearby – her father in 1483 and her mother in 1492.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Elizabeth of York, Queen of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/elizabeth-of-york-queen-of-england/ (Accessed: January 2, 2023).
• Flantzer, S. (2016) King Edward IV of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iv-of-england/ (Accessed: January 2, 2023).
• Mary of York (2016) Naked History. Available at: https://www.historynaked.com/mary-of-york/ (Accessed: January 2, 2023).
• Mary of York (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_York (Accessed: January 2, 2023).
• Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
• Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. London: Cassell.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Drawing of Thomas of Lancaster’s effigy, depicted in Sepulchral Monuments in Great Britain (1796); Credit – Wikipedia

Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence was born on September 29, 1387, either in London, England, or at Kenilworth Castle in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. He was the second of the six children and the second of the four sons of King Henry IV of England and his first wife, the wealthy heiress Mary de Bohun. Thomas’ paternal grandparents were John of Gaunt (the third surviving son of King Edward III of England) and Blanche of Lancaster, the heiress of England’s wealthiest and most powerful peer, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster. It was through Blanche that the Duchy of Lancaster came into the royal family. Since the reign of King Henry IV, the Duchy of Lancaster has provided a source of independent income to the British sovereign. Thomas’ maternal grandparents were Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, and Joan Fitzalan, daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel.  When Thomas was seven years old, his mother died while giving birth to her last child Philippa.

Thomas had five siblings:

• King Henry V of England (1386 – 1422), married Catherine of Valois, had one son King Henry VI of England
• John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford (1389 – 1435), married (1) Anne of Burgundy, no children (2) Jacquetta of Luxembourg, no children
• Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (1390 – 1447), married (1) Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut and Holland, no children (2) Eleanor Cobham, no children
• Blanche of England, Countess Palatine (1392 – 1409) married Ludwig III, Elector Palatine, had one son
• Philippa of England (1394 – 1430) married Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, no children

Thomas’ father Henry of Bolingbroke, flanked by the lords spiritual and temporal, claims the throne in 1399. From a contemporary manuscript, British Library, Harleian Collection; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1398, Thomas’ father, then known as Henry of Bolingbroke because he was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, England, quarreled with Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, who accused him of treason. The two men planned to duel, but instead, Henry’s first cousin King Richard II banished them from England. Henry’s father John of Gaunt died on February 3, 1399, and King Richard II confiscated the estates of his uncle John of Gaunt and stipulated that his cousin Henry would have to ask him to restore the estates. Henry returned to England while King Richard II was on a military campaign in Ireland and began a military campaign of his own, confiscating the land of those who had opposed him. King Richard II eventually was abandoned by his supporters and was forced by Parliament on September 29, 1399, to abdicate the crown to his cousin Henry. King Henry IV was crowned in Westminster Abbey on October 13, 1399. Richard was imprisoned at Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire, England where he died on or around February 14, 1400. The exact cause of his death, thought to have been starvation, is unknown.

During the reign of his father King Henry IV, Thomas was second in the line of succession after his elder brother, the future King Henry V. During his brother’s reign, Thomas was the heir presumptive to the throne until he died in 1421. King Henry IV appointed his 12-year-old son Thomas Lord High Steward of England in 1399, the highest office in medieval England. Thomas held this position until his death. He also held several other positions: Chief Governor of Ireland (1401 – 1413), Lord High Admiral (1405 – 1406), Lieutenant of Aquitaine (1412 – 1413), Lord High Steward of Chester (1415), Constable of the Army (1417), and Lieutenant-General of the Army in France and Normandy (1417 and 1421). In 1399, Thomas was created a Knight of the Order of the Bath and in 1400, he was created a Knight of Order of the Garter.

In 1403, Thomas’ father King Henry IV married again to Joan of Navarre, the widow of Jean IV, Duke of Brittany, and the daughter of Charles II, King of Navarre and Jeanne of Valois. Henry IV and Joan had no children but Joan got along well with her stepchildren.

Thomas’ wife Margaret Holland; Credit – www.findagrave.com https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46305472/margaret-de_beaufort

Sometime after November 10, 1411, when the papal dispensation was issued, Thomas married Margaret Holland (1385 – 1439). Margaret was the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Alice FitzAlan. Margaret’s first marriage was to Thomas’ paternal uncle John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, son of John of Gaunt and his mistress and later his third wife, Katherine Swynford.

Thomas and Margaret had no children but Thomas was the stepfather to Margaret’s six children from her first marriage:

• Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset (circa 1401 – 1418), unmarried, died at the Siege of Rouen during the Hundred Years’ War
• John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset (circa 1403 – 1444), married Margaret Beauchamp of Bletso, had one child Lady Margaret Beaufort who was the mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch
• Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots (circa 1404 – 1445), married (1) James I of King of Scots, had six daughters and two sons including James II, King of Scots (2) Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne, had three sons
• Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche (circa 1405–1431), unmarried, died at the Siege of Louviers during the Hundred Years’ War
• Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset (circa 1406 – 1455), married Lady Eleanor Beauchamp, had ten children, died at the First Battle of St Albans, the first battle of the Wars of the Roses
• Lady Margaret Beaufort (circa 1409 – 1449), married Thomas de Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon, had three sons and five daughters, two sons were beheaded during the Wars of the Roses and one son was killed in battle

Battle of Baugé; Credit – Wikipedia

Thomas accompanied his brother King Henry V on his campaigns in France during the Hundred Years’ War. He commanded the English army at the Siege of Rouen in 1418 which ended in Rouen’s capture by the English. On March 22, 1421, Thomas, aged 33, was killed at the Battle of Baugé in Anjou, France. Underestimating the size of the Franco-Scottish army, Thomas decided to launch a surprise cavalry-led attack rather than use his archers. With only about 1,500 troops available, Thomas charged the French and Scots lines. The shock temporarily disordered the French and Scots, but soon Clarence and his knights were overwhelmed by the French-Scots army of 5,000. Thomas was unhorsed by a Scottish knight, Sir John Carmichael, and finished off on the ground by Sir Alexander Buchanan, probably with a mace.

Thomas’ only child, his illegitimate son Sir John Clarence (? – 1431), known as Bastard of Clarence, fought alongside his father in France and he accompanied his father’s remains back to England. Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence was buried at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England, where his father King Henry IV was buried. Sir John Clarence participated in the procession at his father’s funeral, received land in Ireland from his uncle King Henry V, and was subsequently buried near his father at Canterbury Cathedral.

Tomb of Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence, his wife Margaret Holland, and her first husband and Thomas’ uncle John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Widowed for a second time, Thomas’ wife Margaret decided to live a celibate, simple life and retired to Bermondsey Abbey in London, England. She died there on December 30, 1439, aged 54. Margaret and both her husbands are buried together in a carved alabaster tomb in Canterbury Cathedral. Their effigies show Margaret lying between her two husbands.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2013) King Henry IV of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/march-20-daily-featured-royal-date/ (Accessed: December 21, 2022).
• Jones, Dan. (2014) The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England. New York: Penguin Books.
• Margaret Holland, Duchess of Clarence (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Holland,_Duchess_of_Clarence (Accessed: December 21, 2022).
• Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_of_Lancaster,_Duke_of_Clarence (Accessed: December 21, 2022).
• Thomas of Lancaster, 1. duke of clarence (2022) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_of_Lancaster,_1._Duke_of_Clarence (Accessed: December 21, 2022).
• Томас Ланкастер, герцог Кларенс (2022) Wikipedia (Russian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%81_%D0%9B%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%2C_%D0%B3%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%86%D0%BE%D0%B3_%D0%9A%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81 (Accessed: December 21, 2022).
• Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
• Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. London: Cassell.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

The Norman Gate in the Middle Ward at Windsor Castle, built by Margaret’s father King Edward III; Credit – By Itto Ogami, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78104768

Margaret of Windsor, Countess of Pembroke was the tenth of the fourteen children and the youngest of the five daughters of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. She was born on July 20, 1346, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. King Edward III was also born at Windsor Castle and used it extensively throughout his reign. In 1348, two years after Margaret’s birth, her father established the Order of the Garter, with Windsor Castle being the order’s headquarters. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth, and so Margaret was called “of Windsor”. Her paternal grandparents were King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. Margaret’s paternal grandparents were Willem I, Count of Hainault (also Count of Holland, Count of Avesnes, and Count of Zeeland) and Joan of Valois.

Margaret had thirteen siblings. Her brothers married into the English nobility, and their descendants later battled for the throne in the Wars of the Roses.

• Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376), married Joan, 4th Countess of Kent, had one surviving son King Richard II of England
• Isabella of England (1332 – 1379) married Enguerrand VII de Coucy, 1st Earl of Bedford, had two daughters
• Joan of England (1333/1334 – 1348), died of the plague on the way to marry Pedro of Castile
• William of Hatfield (born and died 1337)
• Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338 – 1368), married (1) Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster, had one daughter (2) Violante Visconti, no children
• John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340 – 1399), married (1) Blanche of Lancaster, had seven children including King Henry IV of England (2) Infanta Constance of Castile, had one surviving daughter (3) Katherine Swynford (formerly his mistress), had three sons and one daughter
• Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341 – 1402), married (1) Infanta Isabella of Castile, had two sons and one daughter (2) Joan Holland, no children
• Blanche of the Tower (born and died March 1342)
• Mary of Waltham (1344 – 1362), married Jean V, Duke of Brittany, no children
• Thomas of Windsor (1347 – 1348), died of the plague
• William of Windsor (born and died 1348), died of the plague
• Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (1355 – 1397), married Eleanor de Bohun, had one son and four daughters

Woodstock Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

The family’s main home was Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England. It was the favorite residence of Margaret’s mother Philippa and the birthplace of several of her children. Marriage plans began for Margaret the year after her birth. A marriage was being negotiated for her with one of the sons of Albrecht II, Duke of Austria, but the negotiations were canceled due to political situations. Several years later, Margaret was betrothed to Jean of Châtillon, the son of Charles of Blois. The betrothal was canceled because Margaret’s sister Mary was betrothed to John IV, Duke of Brittany, and Charles of Blois was a rival claimant to the throne of the Duchy of Brittany.

Among the children of the nobility who lived in the court of King Edward III was John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1347 – 1375), the only son of Laurence Hastings, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Agnes Mortimer. John’s father died when he was one year old, and John became a ward of King Edward III. John was brought up with King Edward III’s children and was particularly close to Margaret and her brother Edmund of Langley. Since Margaret was a younger daughter, it was more permissible for her to marry an English noble. On May 19, 1359, at Reading Abbey in Reading, England, 11-year-old Margaret married 12-year-old John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke.

Coat of Arms of Hastings, Earls of Pembroke; Credit – By Rs-nourse – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30837060

After their marriage, Margaret and her husband John remained at the royal court. John’s royal connection meant that he was referred to as the King’s son in official records. In 1359, John and his close friend Edmund of Langley, the son of King Edward III, accompanied King Edward III on a military campaign in France. When the Treaty of Brétigny was ratified in 1360, King Edward III, his son Edmund, and his son-in-law John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke returned to England. Margaret’s unmarried sister Mary was at court along with her fiancé Jean IV, Duke of Brittany, who had been raised at King Edward III’s court.

Margaret’s sister Mary and Jean IV, Duke of Brittany were married at Woodstock Palace around July 3, 1361. Mary and Jean remained at the English court after their marriage. Arrangements were being made for them to leave England and take up residence in Brittany, now in France, as the Duke and Duchess of Brittany. However, within weeks, Mary became quite ill, and she died sometime before September 13, 1361. Sadly, 15-year-old Margaret, Countess of Pembroke died unexpectedly a short while later, after October 1, 1361, the last date there is a record that she was living. Margaret and her sister Mary were buried at Abingdon Abbey in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. Abingdon Abbey was dissolved in 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII. Nothing of Abingdon Abbey remains.

Abingdon Abbey Church, where Margaret and her sister Mary were interred, covered the whole of this park space as far as the Queen Victoria statue to the west. Credit – By Motmit at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4572679

The death of his young wife Margaret greatly upset 14-year-old John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Seven years later, in July 1368, John married Anne Manny, 2nd Baroness Manny and this marriage reinforced his position in the royal circle. Anne Manny was the daughter and heiress of Walter Manny, 1st Baron Manny, one of King Edward III’s bravest military commanders, and Margaret of Norfolk, Duchess of Norfolk in her own right, a first cousin of King Edward III. John and Anne had one child John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, born in 1372, six months after his father’s death.

The 1372 naval Battle of La Rochelle; Credit – Wikipedia

John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke was in royal service for the rest of his short life, mostly as a military commander. King Edward III remained attached to the husband of his deceased daughter Margaret and always referred to John as “my dear son”. John led the English fleet against the Castilian fleet in the 1372 Battle of La Rochelle. The Castilians were the victors and John was captured and imprisoned in the Kingdom of Castile where he was treated very poorly. Ransom for John was finally arranged in 1375 but by that time John was quite ill. He was released from prison in Castile but never returned to England. John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke died, aged 27 on April 16, 1375, in Picardy, France. The news of John’s death was greeted with shock in England because of his youth and high status. King Edward III did not attend the Order of the Garter ceremonies of 1375 due to being in formal mourning for his former son-in-law. John’s remains were returned to England where he was interred at the Blackfriars Friary in Hereford, England, in ruins since the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2015) King Edward III of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iii-of-england/ (Accessed: November 27, 2022).
• John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hastings,_2nd_Earl_of_Pembroke (Accessed: November 27, 2022).
• Margaret, Countess of Pembroke (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret,_Countess_of_Pembroke (Accessed: November 27, 2022).
• Маргарет Плантагенет (2021) Wikipedia (Russian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%82_%D0%9F%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%82 (Accessed: November 27, 2022).
• Mortimer, Ian. (2006) The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation. London: Vintage Books.
• Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
• Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. London: Cassell.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Mary of Waltham, Duchess of Brittany from King Edward III’s tomb in Westminster Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary of Waltham, Duchess of Brittany was born on October 10, 1344, at Bishop’s Waltham Palace in Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire, England. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth, and so Mary was called “of Waltham”. Mary was the ninth of the fourteen children and the fourth of the five daughters of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Her paternal grandparents were King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. Joan’s paternal grandparents were Willem I, Count of Hainault (also Count of Holland, Count of Avesnes, and Count of Zeeland) and Joan of Valois.

Mary had thirteen siblings. Her brothers married into the English nobility and it was their descendants who later battled for the throne in the Wars of the Roses.

• Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376), married Joan, 4th Countess of Kent, had issue (King Richard II of England)
• Isabella of England (1332 – 1379) married Enguerrand VII de Coucy, 1st Earl of Bedford, had issue
• Joan of England (1333/1334 – 1348), died of the plague on the way to marry Pedro of Castile
• William of Hatfield (born and died 1337)
• Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338 – 1368), married (1) Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster, had issue (2) Violante Visconti, no issue
• John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340 – 1399), married (1) Blanche of Lancaster, had issue including King Henry IV of England (2) Infanta Constance of Castile, had issue (3) Katherine Swynford (formerly his mistress), had issue
• Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341 – 1402), married (1) Infanta Isabella of Castile, had issue (2) Joan Holland, no issue
• Blanche of the Tower (born and died March 1342)
• Margaret of Windsor (1346 – 1361), married John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, no issue
• Thomas of Windsor (1347 – 1348), died of the plague
• William of Windsor (born and died 1348), died of the plague
• Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (1355 – 1397), married Eleanor de Bohun, had issue

Woodstock Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

The family’s main home was Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England. It was the favorite residence of Mary’s mother Philippa and the birthplace of several of her children. In her early years, Mary was raised in the household of Sir William de St. Omer, Lord of Brundale, and his wife Elizabeth. It was common for royal and noble children to be raised for a period of time in another household.

John IV, Duke of Brittany (right) jousting with Mary’s brother Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (left); Credit – Wikipedia

Mary was well-acquainted with her future husband John IV, Duke of Brittany because he had been raised in King Edward III’s household. During a succession dispute in the Duchy of Brittany, now in France, King Edward III supported John of Monfort, John IV’s father. During the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, a close alliance with Brittany would give the English troops access to ports in Brittany. When John of Montfort was captured at the Siege of Rennes, during the War of the Breton Succession, his wife Joanna of Flanders, received military support from King Edward III. In return, Joanna promised her son John would marry one of Edward III’s daughters. In 1342, Joanna of Flanders brought her three-year-old son to England and left him with King Edward III for safety, and so the future John IV, Duke of Brittany was raised in the royal nursery. When Mary was born in 1344, she was regarded as the future bride of John. Her sisters were older than John and already betrothed. When John’s father died in 1345, he inherited the Duchy of Brittany and King Edward III became his guardian. Mary and John spent their childhood together

16-year-old Mary and 22-year-old John were married at Woodstock Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England around July 3, 1361. There is no account of the wedding but it is known that tailor John Avery created a wedding dress, a gift from King Edward III, consisting of a tunic and a mantle made from two types of cloth of gold. The mantle was trimmed with 600 minivers and 40 ermines, gifts from King Jean II of France.

Mary and John remained at the English court after their marriage. Arrangements were being made for them to leave England and reside in Brittany as the Duke and Duchess of Brittany. However, within weeks, Mary became quite ill, and she died sometime before September 13, 1361, because on that date a clerk of the royal court paid 200 pounds “for the expenses of the burial of Madame Mary, daughter of the King, Duchess of Brittany”. Sadly, Mary’s 15-year-old younger sister Margaret, Countess of Pembroke died unexpectedly a few weeks later, after October 1, 1361, the last date there is a record that she was living. Mary and her sister Margaret were buried at Abingdon Abbey in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. Abingdon Abbey was dissolved in 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII. Nothing of Abingdon Abbey remains.

Drawing of the effigy on John’s tomb: Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s widower John IV, Duke of Brittany married two more times and both wives had an English connection. In 1366, John married Lady Joan Holland (1350 – 1384), daughter of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent and Joan of Kent, 4th Countess of Kent, a granddaughter of King Edward I of England and the mother of King Richard II of England from her third marriage to Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King Edward III of England. John and Joan Holland had no children. In 1386, John married Joan of Navarre (1370 – 1437), daughter of King Charles II of Navarre and Joan of Valois. John and Joan of Navarre had nine children.  John IV, Duke of Brittany died on November 1, 1399, aged 60, in Nantes, Duchy of Brittany, now in France. He was buried at Nantes Cathedral. After John’s death, his widow Joan of Navarre became the second wife of King Henry IV of England.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2015) King Edward III of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iii-of-england/ (Accessed: November 24, 2022).
• John IV, Duke of Brittany (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_IV,_Duke_of_Brittany (Accessed: November 27, 2022).
• Mary of Waltham (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Waltham (Accessed: November 27, 2022).
• Мария Плантагенет (2022) Wikipedia (Russian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%9F%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%82 (Accessed: November 27, 2022).
• Mortimer, Ian. (2006) The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation. London: Vintage Books.
• Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
• Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. London: Cassell.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Joan of England, sculpted on the tomb of her father King Edward III, from The Monumental Effigies of Great Britain drawn and etched by Thomas Hollis and George Hollis; Credit – Wikipedia

One of the early English victims of the bubonic plague, dying from it on her way to her wedding, Joan was the third of the fourteen children and the second of the five daughters of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Her paternal grandparents were King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. Joan’s paternal grandparents were Willem I, Count of Hainault (also Count of Holland, Count of Avesnes, and Count of Zeeland) and Joan of Valois. The date and place of her birth have been cited differently. The years of her birth have been cited as 1333, 1334, or 1335. The Tower of London or Woodstock Palace has been cited as her place of birth. Alison Weir in her 1989 Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy says, Joan “was probably born in February (certainly before 30 May), 1335 at Woodstock Palace in Oxford, not in the Tower of London as is sometimes stated.”

Joan had thirteen siblings. Her brothers married into the English nobility and it was their descendants who later battled for the throne in the Wars of the Roses. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth, and so some of Joan’s siblings were called “of <their birthplace>.

• Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376), married Joan, 4th Countess of Kent, had issue (King Richard II of England)
• Isabella of England (1332 – 1379) married Enguerrand VII de Coucy, 1st Earl of Bedford, had issue
• William of Hatfield (born and died 1337)
• Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338 – 1368), married (1) Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster, had issue (2) Violante Visconti, no issue
• John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340 – 1399), married (1) Blanche of Lancaster, had issue including King Henry IV of England (2) Infanta Constance of Castile, had issue (3) Katherine Swynford (formerly his mistress), had issue
• Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341 – 1402), married (1) Infanta Isabella of Castile, had issue (2) Joan Holland, no issue
• Blanche of the Tower (born and died March 1342)
• Mary of Waltham (1344 – 1362), married John V, Duke of Brittany, no children
• Margaret of Windsor, Countess of Pembroke (1346 – 1361), married John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, no children
• Thomas of Windsor (1347 – 1348), died of the plague
• William of Windsor (born and died 1348), died of the plague
• Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (1355 – 1397), married Eleanor de Bohun, had issue

Woodstock Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

The family’s main home was Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England. It was the favorite residence of Joan’s mother Philippa and the birthplace of several of her children. Joan, her sister Isabella, her brother Edward, and their first cousin once removed Joan of Kent (who married Joan’s eldest brother and is the mother of King Richard II) were sent to live in the household of Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke and his second wife Marie de St Pol, Countess of Pembroke. It was common for royal and noble children to be raised for a period of time in another household.

In 1338, three-year-old Joan accompanied her father to Koblenz, a seat of the Holy Roman Emperor, now in Germany, where King Edward III was a special guest of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor, at a meeting of the Imperial Diet, the deliberative body of the Holy Roman Empire. King Edward III and Holy Roman Emperor Ludwig IV formally allied against King Philippe VI of France. Because Joan stayed at Ludwig’s court to be educated, she possibly was betrothed to one of the sons of Ludwig and his second wife Margaret of Hainault, the older sister of Joan’s mother. However, Ludwig broke his alliance with Edward III, and in 1340, Joan was returned to England.

In 1345, Joan was betrothed to the future King Pedro of Castile and León, the son of King Alfonso XI of Castile and León and Maria of Portugal. In the summer of 1348, thirteen-year-old Joan left England for Bayonne, Duchy of Gascony, now in France, where her wedding was to take place on November 1, 1348. Joan was accompanied by a heavily armed retinue and it was said that her trousseau alone required an entire ship.

The fleet of four English ships arrived in the port of Bordeaux, Duchy of Gascony, now in France. The mayor of Bordeaux warned the officials accompanying Joan of the Black Death, the bubonic plague. The plague had not yet reached England, and it is unlikely that the officials realized the danger. Joan’s retinue settled in a family castle in Bordeaux to take a planned break in their travels. Despite a serious outbreak of the plague in Bordeaux, it did not occur to Joan and the officials to leave the city. However, they soon watched in horror as members of Joan’s retinue fell ill and began to die. Robert Bauchier, the leader of Joan’s retinue, died on August 20, 1338. After the death of Robert Bauchier, Joan feared for her life and was moved to a small village called Loremo. However, Joan did not escape the plague and died on September 2, 1348.

Map showing the spread of the Black Death; Credit – By Flappiefh – Own work from:Natural Earth ;The origin and early spread of the Black Death in Italy: first evidence of plague victims from 14th-century Liguria (northern Italy) maps by O.J. Benedictow., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66468361

Andrew Ulford, a member of Joan’s retinue who did not get the plague, traveled to England in October 1348 to inform King Edward III of the shocking news of his daughter’s death. On October 15, 1348, King Edward III sent a letter to King Alfonso XI of Castile annulling the marriage arrangement and describing the grief he and his family experienced after Joan’s sudden death. He described her as a martyred angel looking down on them from heaven to protect the royal family. On October 25, 1348, King Edward III sent men to Bordeaux to bring Joan’s body back to London for burial. It is unknown what happened. There is no record of the return of Joan’s remains to England and no reports of her burial.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2015) King Edward III of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iii-of-england/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
• Joan of England (died 1348) (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_England_(died_1348) (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
• Иоанна Английская (1335-1348) (2021) Wikipedia (Russian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BE%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%90%D0%BD%D0%B3%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_(1335%E2%80%941348) (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
• Mortimer, Ian. (2006) The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation. London: Vintage Books.
• Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
• Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British royalty: A Phrase and Fable dictionary. London: Cassell.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England & one of her daughters, probably Isabella, wall painting at St Stephen’s Chapel, Palace of Westminster; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on June 16, 1332, at Woodstock Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, Isabella of England, Countess of Bedford, was the second of the fourteen children and the eldest of the five daughters of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Her paternal grandparents were King Edward II of England and Isabella of France, for whom she was named. Isabella’s paternal grandparents were Willem I, Count of Hainault (also Count of Holland, Count of Avesnes, and Count of Zeeland) and Joan of Valois.

Isabella had thirteen siblings. Her brothers married into the English nobility, and it was their descendants who later battled for the throne in the Wars of the Roses. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth, and so some of Isabella’s siblings were called “of <their birthplace>.

• Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376), married Joan, 4th Countess of Kent, had issue (King Richard II of England)
• Joan of England (1333/1334/1335 – 1348), died of the plague on the way to marry Pedro of Castile
• William of Hatfield (born and died 1337)
• Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338 – 1368), married (1) Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster, had issue (2) Violante Visconti, no issue
• John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340 – 1399), married (1) Blanche of Lancaster, had issue including King Henry IV of England (2) Infanta Constance of Castile, had issue (3) Katherine Swynford (formerly his mistress), had issue
• Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341 – 1402), married (1) Infanta Isabella of Castile, had issue (2) Joan Holland, no issue
• Blanche of the Tower (born and died March 1342)
• Mary of Waltham (1344 – 1362), married John V, Duke of Brittany, no issue
• Margaret of Windsor, Countess of Pembroke (1346 – 1361), married John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, no issue
• Thomas of Windsor (1347 – 1348), died of the plague
• William of Windsor (born and died 1348), died of the plague
• Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (1355 – 1397), married Eleanor de Bohun, had issue

The family’s main home was Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England. It was Isabella’s mother’s favorite residence and the birthplace of Isabella and three of her siblings. Isabella and her siblings had their own household, with many servants. As a child, Isabella, her brother Edward, and her sister Joan, the three eldest children, were sent to live in the household of Sir William de St. Omer, Lord of Brundale. It was common for royal and noble children to be raised for a period of time in another household.

When Isabella was three years old, her father unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a marriage for her with Pedro I, the future King of Castile and León. In 1345, Isabella’s sister Joan was betrothed to the same Pedro but in 1348, as fourteen-year-old Joan traveled from England to Castile, she became ill with the plague and died. Over the years, Isabella had several other possible betrothals but none came to fruition. In 1351, a marriage had been arranged with Bernard d’Albret, son of Bernard Ezi II, Lord of Albret who held land in Gascony, now in France. As the ship was about to depart for France, Isabella changed her mind, and the marriage was called off. The unmarried Isabella was actively involved in court life and enjoyed watching tournaments and taking part in hunts. King Edward III granted his unmarried daughter English land including, in 1355, the control of Burstall Priory in Yorkshire. In 1358, Eleanor was granted an annual income of a thousand marks.

At the age of thirty-three, in 1365, Isabella married for love. The French nobleman Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy was one of the forty hostages from the French high nobility sent to England in 1360 during the Hundred Years’ War in exchange for the release of King Jean II of France. Seven years younger than Isabella, he was the son and heir of Enguerrand VI, Lord of Coucy and Catherine of Austria. In London, Enguerrand became acquainted with King Edward III and his unmarried daughter Isabella. The couple fell in love. Edward III agreed to the marriage and granted him the titles Earl of Albemarle and Earl of Bedford.

On July 27, 1365, Isabella and Enguerrand were married at Windsor Castle amid festivity and magnificence. Isabella wore the jewels her father, mother, and brothers gave her as a wedding present. King Edward III’s wedding present to his new son-in-law Enguerrand was his release as a hostage without paying a ransom.

Ruins of the Château de Coucy; Credit – By CJ DUB – Own work, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2699065

Four months after the wedding, Isabella and Enguerrand traveled to Enguerrand’s home, the Château de Coucy in Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, Lordship of Coucy, now in France. In April 1366, Isabella gave birth to her first daughter in Coucy. Throughout her married life, Isabella never felt quite at home in Coucy. Whenever Enguerrand had to be away for extended periods, she would return to England. The couple’s second daughter was born in Eltham Palace in London, England in 1367.

Isabella and Enguerrand had two daughters:

• Marie de Coucy, Countess of Soissons (1366 – 1405), married Henri of Bar, Lord of Marle, Marquis de Pont-à-Mousson, had two sons
• Philippa de Coucy (1367 – 1411), married Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, 9th Earl of Oxford, a favorite of Philippa’s first cousin, King Richard II of England, no children

Three months after the birth of their second daughter, Isabella and her husband returned to Coucy. When the Hundred Years’ War between England and France resumed in 1368, Enguerrand VII faced a dilemma as he was a vassal of the King of France and the son-in-law of the King of England. He decided not to participate in any battles of the Hundred Years’ War. However, Enguerrand continued to serve the King of France as a military commander and was often away from home.

In 1376, Isabella was created the second Lady of the Garter. Her mother Queen Philippa had been created the first Lady of the Garter in 1369. The Order of the Garter was founded in 1348 by Isabella’s father King Edward III and is the oldest and most senior order in the United Kingdom.

In April 1377, Isabella was summoned to England because of the ill health of her father King Edward III. She was at his deathbed when he died on June 21, 1377. Because Isabella’s elder brother Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince had died in 1376, his ten-year-old son succeeded as King Richard II. After the coronation of Richard II, Enguerrand decided to cut all ties to England and only serve the French king, effectively ending his marriage with Isabella. Enguerrand returned to France, never to see Isabella again. Isabella remained in England with her younger daughter Philippa while her older daughter Marie continued living in France.

Isabella died either in April 1379 or sometime between June 17 and October 5, 1382, aged 47 or 50. She was buried in Christ Church Greyfriars in London, England. Several other female family members were also buried there: her paternal aunt Joan of The Tower, Queen of Scots; her paternal grandmother Isabella of France, Queen of England; the second wife of her great grandfather King Edward I, Margaret of France, Queen of England; and her great-great-aunt, the daughter of King Henry III, Beatrice of England. The graves and the tombs at Christ Church Greyfriars have been lost or destroyed. The monastery associated with Christ Church Greyfriars was dissolved in 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The buildings, including the church, suffered heavy damage. Tombs disappeared, sold for their marble and other valuable materials, and monuments were defaced. The original Christ Church Greyfriars was destroyed during the 1666 Great Fire of London. The church was rebuilt but was mostly destroyed by bombing during World War II. It was decided not to rebuild the church and the ruins are now a public garden.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2015) King Edward III of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iii-of-england/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
• Mortimer, Ian. (2006) The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation. London: Vintage Books.
• Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
• Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British royalty: A Phrase and Fable dictionary. London: Cassell.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Eleanor of Woodstock, Duchess of Guelders; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor of Woodstock, the second wife of Reinald II, Duke of Guelders, was born on June 18, 1318, at Woodstock Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. Eleanor was named after her paternal grandmother Eleanor of Castile, Queen of England. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth, and so Eleanor was called “of Woodstock”. She was the third of the four children and the elder of the two daughters of King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. Eleanor’s paternal grandparents were King Edward I of England and his first wife Eleanor of Castile. Her maternal grandparents were King Philippe IV of France and Joan I, Queen of Navarre in her own right.

Eleanor had three siblings:

• King Edward III of England (1312 – 1377), married Philippa of Hainault, had fourteen children
• John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall (1316 – 1336), unmarried
• Joan of The Tower (1321 – 1362), married King David II of Scotland, no children

Eleanor and her siblings had a difficult childhood. Their father Edward II was a weak king and his relationship with his favorites Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser the Younger, whether they were friends, lovers, or sworn brothers, was problematic and caused discontent both among the nobles and the royal family. Opposition to the regime grew, and when Edward II’s wife Isabella was sent to France to negotiate a peace treaty in 1325, she turned against Edward II and refused to return. Isabella allied herself with the exiled Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, and invaded England with a small army in 1326. Edward II’s regime collapsed and he fled to Wales, where he was captured in November 1326. Edward II was forced to give up his crown in January 1327 in favor of his son 14-year-old son King Edward III, with Isabella and Mortimer acting as regents. King Edward II died in Berkeley Castle on September 21, 1327, probably murdered on the orders of Isabella and Mortimer.

In 1324, because of a war with France, Hugh le Despenser, the favorite of Eleanor’s father King Edward II, took custody of six-year-old Eleanor and her sister three-year-old Joan from their mother Queen Isabella, claiming that Isabella, who had been born in France, could possibly incite her children to betray their father. Eleanor and Joan were placed in the care of Hugh le Despenser’s sister Isabel le Despenser and her husband Ralph de Monthermer, 1st Baron Monthermer. For the next two years, Eleanor lived at Pleshey Castle and Marlborough Castle, de Monthermer’s estates. When King Edward II was deposed in 1326, Eleanor and Joan were returned to the custody of their mother.

In 1328, things changed for Eleanor, her brother King Edward III, and her sister Joan. In January 1328, Edward III married Philippa of Hainault. Soon after, Eleanor was moved to the household of her new sister-in-law who became her guardian. England and Scotland signed the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in the spring of 1328, formally ending the First War of Scottish Independence. One of the terms of the treaty was that seven-year-old Joan of England would marry four-year-old David, the son and heir of Robert I the Bruce, King of Scots. Eleanor and her mother accompanied Joan to Berwick-upon-Tweed, the northernmost town in England, 2 ½ miles from the border with Scotland, where the young couple was married in July 1328. Less than a year after the wedding, Robert the Bruce died, and Joan’s five-year-old husband became King David II of Scots and eight-year-old Joan became Queen of Scots.

There had been some negotiations for a marriage for Eleanor. In 1325, there were negotiations between England and Castile for Eleanor to be betrothed to King Alfonso XI of Castile, but the betrothal never occurred due to disagreements over the dowry. The future King Jean II of France was a prospective groom for Eleanor in 1329 and in 1330, there were negotiations for Eleanor to marry the future King Pedro IV of Aragon. Neither negotiation resulted in a marriage. Since marriages to a king or future king had failed, Eleanor had to settle for a count who was twenty-three years older than her.

Reinald II, Count of Guelders, later Duke of Guelders; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor’s brother King Edward III had negotiated an alliance with Reinald II, then Count of Guelders and later Duke of Guelders, in connection with the English-French conflicts, but marriage to his sister had not been one of the goals. Exactly how the marriage came about is not known. Eleanor did not have a dowry and so the initiative for the marriage may have come from Reinald. It is also possible that Willem II, Count of Hainault and/or his wife Joan of Valois, the parents of Edward III’s wife Philippa, played a role in arranging the marriage. Willem was interested in an English-Guelders alliance and Joan had a reputation as a talented mediator.

There appears to have been a proxy marriage on October 20, 1331, in England. In May 1332, 14-year-old Eleanor and 37-year-old Reinald II, Count of Guelders were married in person in Nijmegen, County of Guelders, now in the Netherlands. The County of Guelders, later the Duchy of Guelders, was located in parts of present-day the Netherlands and the present-day German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1339, during Reinald II’s reign, the County of Guelders was elevated to a Duchy.

Reinald had previously been married to Sophia Berthout, Lady of Mechelen who died in 1329. Reinald had four daughters from this marriage who were not much younger than their stepmother Eleanor. After Eleanor and Reinald’s two sons had no children, two of the four daughters became Duchess of Guelders in their own right.

Eleanor’s step-children, the children of Reinald and his first wife:

• Marguerite of Guelders, Lady of Mechelen (1320 – 1344)
• Mathilde of Guelders, Lady of Mechelen, Duchess of Guelders (1325 – 1384), married (1) Godfried van Loon-Heinsberg, no children (2) John, Count of Cleves, no children (3) John II, Count of Blois, no children
• Elisabeth of Guelders (circa 1327 – 1376), Abbess of Gravendaal, unmarried
• Marie of Guelders, Duchess of Guelders (circa 1328 – 1405), married Wilhelm II, Duke of Jülich, had two sons and one daughter, both sons succeeded as Duke of Guelders and Duke of Jülich

Eleanor and Reinald had two sons.

• Reinald III, Duke of Guelders (1333 – 1371), married Marie of Brabant, no children
• Edward, Duke of Guelders (1336 – 1371), unmarried

Eleanor and Reinald had problems in their marriage, and Reinald began to depend more upon Jan Moliart, his chaplain and chief adviser. Moliart was accused of isolating Reinald from Eleanor and spreading rumors that Eleanor was suffering from leprosy. Because of the leprosy rumors, Eleanor was banished from court. She lived in Rosendael Castle, near Arnhem, County of Guelders, now in the Netherlands, probably with her youngest son. When Reinald attempted to annul the marriage, an angry Eleanor walked from Rosendael Castle to the Valkhof, a royal palace in Nijmegen, to contest the annulment. In front of the court, Eleanor threw off her cloak and bared her arms to prove she did not have leprosy, forcing Reinald to take her back.

On October 12, 1343, 48-year-old Reinald II, Duke of Guelders died after a riding accident. The Council of State elected two guardians and regents for nine-year-old son Reinald III, Duke of Guelders, his mother Eleanor and Dirk van Valkenburg, and Dirk’s brother Jan van Valkenburg was elected stadtholder. The van Valkenburgs made the situation so difficult for Eleanor that she was forced to resign her post of regent, and in 1344, her son Reinald III, Duke of Guelders was formally declared to have reached his majority, and therefore, there was no need of a regency.

Broederenkerk, where Eleanor is buried; Credit – By Dguendel – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68105428

In 1350, with encouragement from his mother, Eleanor’s younger son Edward began a civil war against his brother Reinald III for control of the Duchy of Guelders. When Eleanor attempted to reconcile with her son Reinald, he rejected her reconciliation attempts and confiscated her property. Eleanor was then forced to retire to the Cistercian convent in Deventer, a city that was part of the Hanseatic League, now in the Netherlands. Eleanor did not want to ask her brother King Edward III of England for help. She died in poverty at the convent on April 22, 1355, aged 36. Eleanor was buried at the Broederenkerk (link in Dutch), officially the Roman Catholic St. Lebuinus Church in Deventer that had been built on the order of Eleanor.

Eleanor was buried somewhere in front of the high altar of Broederenkerk; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Eleanor did not live long enough to see the results of the civil war between her two sons. In 1361 Edward gained power and became Duke of Guelders, and Reinald III was captured and imprisoned. Edward reigned until August 24, 1371, when he was killed in a battle caused by a disagreement between his brother-in-law Wilhelm II, Duke of Jülich and Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg. Upon Edward’s death, his brother Reinald III regained the Duchy of Guelders but he died shortly afterward, on December 4, 1371. As neither Edward nor Reinald had children, another war of succession for Guelders began.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Aliénor d’Angleterre (1318-1355) (2022) Wikipedia (French). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali%C3%A9nor_d%27Angleterre_(1318-1355) (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
• Eleanor of Woodstock (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Woodstock (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
• Flantzer, Susan. (2016) King Edward II of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-ii-of-england/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
• Foley, Liam. (no date) Reginald II of Guelders, European Royal History. Available at: https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/tag/reginald-ii-of-guelders/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
• Tuchman, Barbara. (1978) A Distant Mirror. The Calamitous 14th Century. New York: Random House
• Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
• Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British royalty: A Phrase and Fable dictionary. London: Cassell.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall, from the Genealogical roll of the kings of England; family tree of Edward I; Credit – Wikipedia

John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall was born on August 15, 1316, at Eltham Palace in Eltham, southeast London, England. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth, and so John was called “of Eltham”. He was the second of the four children and the second of the two sons of King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. John’s paternal grandparents were King Edward I of England and his first wife Eleanor of Castile. His maternal grandparents were King Philippe IV of France and Joan I, Queen of Navarre in her own right.

John had three siblings:

• King Edward III of England (1312 – 1377), married Philippa of Hainault, had fourteen children
• Eleanor of Woodstock (1318 – 1355), married Reinoud II of Guelders, had two children
• Joan of The Tower (1321 – 1362), married King David II of Scotland, no children

A 15th-century depiction of John’s mother Isabella capturing King Edward II, John’s father; Credit – Wikipedia

John and his siblings had a difficult childhood. His father Edward II was a weak king and his relationship with his favorites Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser the Younger, whether they were friends, lovers, or sworn brothers, was problematic and caused discontent among the nobles and the royal family. Opposition to the regime grew, and when Edward II’s wife Isabella was sent to France to negotiate a peace treaty in 1325, she turned against Edward II and refused to return. Isabella allied herself with the exiled Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, and invaded England with a small army in 1326. Edward II’s regime collapsed and he fled to Wales, where he was captured in November 1326. Edward II was forced to give up his crown in January 1327 in favor of his son 14-year-old son King Edward III, with Isabella and Mortimer acting as regents. King Edward II died in Berkeley Castle on September 21, 1327, probably murdered on the orders of Isabella and Mortimer.

John was the heir to the English throne until 1330, when his nephew Edward, Prince of Wales, the first child of King Edward III, was born. Edward III was theoretically King of England, but the true ruler was Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. After the birth of Edward III’s first son, Mortimer realized that his situation had deteriorated. Many nobles were jealous and angry because Mortimer abused power. In March 1330, Mortimer ordered the execution of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, the half-brother of Edward II. After this execution, the nobles begged the young King Edward III to assert his independence, which he did shortly before his 18th birthday. In October 1330, a Parliament was summoned to Nottingham Castle, and Mortimer and Isabella were seized by Edward III and the nobles. Isabella begged for mercy for Mortimer, but he was accused of assuming royal power and of various other crimes and was condemned without a trial and hanged. Isabella was initially held at Berkhamsted Castle and then held under house arrest at Windsor Castle until 1332, when she moved back to her own home Castle Rising Castle in Norfolk where she died on August 22, 1358.

King Edward III began marriage negotiations for his brother several times – in 1328 with María Díaz de Haro, heiress of the Lordship of Biscay, in 1334 with Marie de la Cerda, a descendant of King Alfonso X of Castile, and in 1335 with Jeanne de Penthièvre, the niece and heiress of Jean III, Duke of Brittany. However, none of the negotiations led to a betrothal.

John participated in the Second Scottish War of Independence. He was one of the commanders at the 1333 Battle of Halidon Hill, a great victory for the English. In January 1335, John defeated the Scots when they raided Redesdale in Northumberland, England. King Edward III was impressed by his brother’s bravery in battle, and in 1335, he appointed John the Warden of the Scottish Marches – Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border.

John’s brilliant military career was similar to the later career of his nephew Edward, Prince of Wales, known as The Black Prince, who predeceased his father, and ended just as suddenly. John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall died on September 13, 1336, in Perth, Scotland at the age of 20. The cause of his death is uncertain. There are references to John dying from a fever and dying in a skirmish with the Scots.

Tomb of John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall; Credit – Wikipedia (Click on the link below, white alabaster tomb, to see photos of the tomb from the Westminster Abbey website.)

King Edward III was devastated by his brother’s death and ordered 900 masses to be said for John’s soul. John was given a magnificent funeral at Westminster Abbey in London. He was buried in St. Edmund’s Chapel at Westminster Abbey in a white alabaster tomb with a recumbent effigy wearing armor with a sword and a shield with John’s coat of arms carved on it. King Edward III is buried just to the north of John’s tomb, in the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor.

The effigy on John’s tomb; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Isabella of France, Queen of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/isabella-of-france-queen-of-england/ (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
• Flantzer, Susan. (2016) King Edward II of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-ii-of-england/ (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
• Jean d’Eltham (2021) Wikipedia (French). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_d%27Eltham (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
• John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, Westminster Abbey. Available at: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/john-of-eltham-earl-of-cornwall (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
• John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (2022) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Eltham,_Earl_of_Cornwall (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
• John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Eltham,_Earl_of_Cornwall (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
• Jones, Dan, 2012. The Plantagenets. New York: Viking.
• Williamson, David, 1996. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.