Henry Tudor's Right to Rule?: John of Gaunt, Katherine Swynford and the Beaufort Line

hello and welcome back to the channel if you're new here hi you're very welcome this is reading the past and I'm dr. Kat and having looked through my comment sections I'm seeing some recurrent themes popping up and only here on YouTube but also on my other social media platforms and the questions that you're asking or topics that you are suggesting that I speak about in future videos well there seems to be a theme emerging lots of you have asked me to talk about the relationship of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt others want to know a bit more about the Wars of the Roses and in particular what Henry the seventh claimed the throne was and I think that that can be covered at least in part in this video so let's have a look at it [Music] I'd like to begin by looking at the ancestry or family tree of Henry Tudor this claimant of the earldom of Richmond goes on a course to become King Henry the seventh and in doing so he becomes the founder monarch of arguably one of the most famous royal dynasties in history Henry's mother was Lady Margaret Beaufort she became pregnant with him aged just 12 and gave birth as a widow at 13 it is believed that this birth was incredibly traumatic and that it physically damaged her despite to further marriages she would have no more children nor any further reported pregnancies her father and thus Henry's maternal grandfather was John Beaufort Duke of Somerset Margaret was his only legitimate child and thus his heir he died just before her first birthday she inherited a large estate John Beaufort was his own father's second son but his elder brother Henry had died without children so John inherited the father's title becoming urn of Somerset he would later get the title of Duke of Somerset which he was given in 1443 John Beaufort Earl of Somerset so Henry the seventh maternal great-grandfather was the eldest son of John of Gaunt by his mistress and later third wife Katherine Swynford this John Beaufort was born in 1373 twenty-three years before his parents eventual marriage John of Gaunt was Henry the seventh maternal great-great-grandfather he was the fourth son of King Edward the third and Philippa of Hainault but he was only the third son to reach maturity Henry's maternal great-great great-grandfather was King Edward the third he was made King of England at age fourteen at first under the Regency of his mother Isabella of France and her presumed lover Roger Mortimer together this pair had deposed and probably ordered the death of his father Edward the second Edward the third could seize control of his own government just before his 18th birthday Mortimer would be executed King Edward the third was the grandfather of richard ii by his eldest son Edward the Black Prince he was also however the grandfather of richard ii deposing cousin Henry Bolingbroke who would become King Henry the fourth Henry the fourths father was John of Gaunt and his mother was John of Gaunt's first wife Blanche of Lancaster Henry Tudor's father was Edmund Tudor Earl of Richmond he was some 12 years his mother Margaret Beaufort's senior Edmund had died a plague a few months before Henry's birth at the time he had been captured by York his forces thus Henry Tudor entered the world during the early years of the so called Wars of the Roses and it would certainly be a backdrop for much of his early life Edwin Tudor was the eldest son of oh and Tudor and Catherine of Valois Owen Tudor was a minor Welsh nobleman Catherine of Valois was the widow of King Henry the fifth it is often said that Catherine of Valois became Owen Tudors wife however the marriage if it did happen occurred in secret and there are some scholars who questioned whether they were ever really married Catherine of Valois was Henry Tudor's paternal grandmother however through her marriage to King Henry the fifth she was also the mother of King Henry the sixth thus King Henry the sixth was Henry Tudor's uncle his own father's half-brother Henry the sixth was himself the grandson of Henry Bolingbroke who became Henry the fourth who had deposed the Plantagenet King which was the second in favour of himself Henry the fourth was the son of John of Gaunt by his first wife Blanche of Lancaster therefore Henry the fourth come from the Plantagenet cadet branch of the House of Lancaster the War of the Roses being fought between two Plantagenet cadet branches the House of Lancaster and the House of York the rule of Henry Bolingbroke grandson Henry the sixth was not without trouble his perceived weakness as a king which may have been due to mental illness is viewed by many as a principal cause of the Wars of the Roses between the houses of York and Lancaster it would be Henry the sixth nephew his namesake Henry Tudor who would eventually triumph defeat in which the third at the Battle of Bosworth Field to become King at the head of a new dynasty the House of Tudor in looking at this ancestry for Henry Tudor we have a family tree that is naughty as far as I'm concerned I don't think it's explicitly clear how he has acclaimed the throne of course it's evident that he is related to monarchy although his father pre deceased his birth Edmund Tudor was the half-brother of Henry the sick there is a familial tie there but a familial tie is not the same as right to rule or claim to the throne and in having this as a potential claim is a big problem because Henry Tudor through his father isn't related to Henry v the person who Henry the sick claims his right to rule from rather they are related to Catherine of Valois Henry the sixth mother and she has no claim to the English throne nor therefore would Edmund and thus neither Henry instead to understand Henry Tudor's claimed throne we have to look to his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort and on paper at least it seems to be a much stronger surer footing for her bloodline because she is of a direct descent from John of Gaunt the son of Edward the third but nothing's ever that simple is it and the problem with his claim to the throne coming from them is the fact that her ancestral line comes from John of Gaunt through his relationship with Katherine Swynford and that's what we're going to look at now John of Gaunt was born in March 1314 just two years later in September 13:42 he was invested as the Earl of Richmond with all of the assets that were due to that estate this would not be the last of the grants and honors received by him during his lifetime he would become Duke of Lancaster and Aquitaine he would also attempt to claim the title and honors of king of Castile his eldest brother Edward the Black Prince was nearly 10 years John senior and a renowned soldier John would follow in his father's footsteps and indeed the Plantagenet family tradition of a seeming proficiency for violence by nineteen he was leading his own retinue into battle and at 21 he was made a knight of the Garter this is viewed as a recognition both of his status by birth and also his martial achievements in the same year that John was leading his first retinue into battle he also married for the first time to Blanche of Lancaster the daughter of Henry Duke of Lancaster the pair married in May 13 59 then two years in his marriage John's father-in-law the Duke of Lancaster was dead and then the following year his sister-in-law his wife's Co where to that title had also died John was 22 years old and was now the Duke of Lancaster with a claim to the vast wealth connected to that title John and Blanche had three surviving children Philippa Elizabeth and the future Henry the sixth at the time Henry of Bolingbroke Blanche died on the 12th of September 13 68 leaving John a widower and despite the fact that he would go on to marry two more times he still used his will to request that he be buried beside his first wife it is believed that Katherine Swynford first entered Blanche's service around three years before the death of the latter in approximately 1365 however she only became known by that name following her marriage which may have occurred shortly after she entered Blanche's service she married Sir Hugh Swynford who was one of John of Gaunt's tenants and a fellow Knight Sir Hugh would accompany John on campaigns in 1366 and 1370 after Blanche's death on the 12th of September 1368 Thrun was given the care of John and Blanche's children Katherine was buried herself three years later in November 13 71 it is unclear when Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt began their romantic relationship but her rise in prominence the grants of gifts and land that came her way in the spring of 1372 is seen by many as evidence of a possible origin point for that relationship however by the spring of 1372 John of Gaunt was already remarried because in September 13 71 he had married a claimant to the throne of Castile the Infanta Constanza John and Constanza had only one child that would survive infancy a daughter Katherine evidently John's marriage to Constanza was a politically advantageous match as a potential claimant to the throne of Castile through her through their marriage John was able to make that claim in his own name nevertheless it does seem clear that his relationship with Katherine Swynford remained a strong one as his mistress Katherine Swynford would give John of Gaunt four children between 1372 and 1377 they were all given the name of one of John of Gaunt's former French titles both it there was John from whom Margaret Beaufort and her son Henry Tudor would descent then Henry Thomas and finally a daughter Joan although as I mentioned Katherine had seen a rise in prominence and gifts in the spring of 1372 nevertheless John rewarded Katherine further with grants of manners this was evidence a recognition of her place as his mistress and the mother of his children he gave her these gifts in 1377 this action was however a source of scandal and Katherine was denounced by some chroniclers as a devil and enchantress on the 21st of June 1377 John of Gaunt's father King Edward the third had passed away his eldest son however had pre deceased him and therefore it was the eleven-year-old son of Edward the Black Prince John of Gaunt's eldest brother who became King as Richard the second although I must say it's a little bit odd to me because John at this time is not elected to any of the councils that would oversee which of the second reign perhaps the other nobleman wanted to push him out but nevertheless it is clear that as the new Kings Uncle John of Gaunt must have enjoyed an influence both due to his status as one of the leading and wealthiest noblemen in the country and also because of his personal familial relationship with the king four years into the new reign in 1381 and rebellion was posing a serious threat to order the schrab Elian came in the form of the peasants revolt they were displeased with the way the country is being governed and they feared that the king was beset by evil advisers hoping to assuage the wrath of God and the Commons John of Gaunt makes a show of renouncing Katherine Swynford and publicly reuniting with his wife Constanza Katherine Swynford it seems was willing to do as she was told and retire with grace to one of her properties she was also granted a generous pension all of which had been the gift of John of Gaunt however many do believe that the repudiation of Katherine Swynford and her separation from John of Gaunt was just for show they believe that the relationship continued during this period albeit more discreetly John of Gaunt second wife Constanza died in March 13 94 in January 13 96 John of Gaunt married Katherine Swynford at Lincoln Cathedral despite the fact that their affair their relationship had been public knowledge for years that she had four acknowledged children by him their eventual marriage was a shock to much of the court because of the unequal nature of the match nevertheless in September 13 96 papal bull legitimize the children of John and Catherine all four of them were recognized by the church in this way early the following year in February 13 97 a real Charter was issued which ratified the legitimacy of the children of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford recognizing it as common law now these were illegitimate children from a marriage as far as the Pope and God was concerned but also the common law of England in this step these children were now able to inherit lands and titles because of the legitimacy and for many this is it case closed the moment which changes it which means that Henry Tudor's right the throne is recognized by both church and state through the papal bull and the Royal Charter many argue that we have the evidence of Henry Tudor's right to rule although his mother's bloodline the House of Beaufort may have begun in adultery there may not have been legitimacy at first through the marriage of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford and then the legitimization by both church and state of their children all of their descendants now have the right to inherit lands and titles those titles they would argue includes the throne as is often the case when we explore history there is a counterpoint for this argument of Henry's right to rule because his ancestors had been legitimized following the late marriage of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford while they recognized that these children were made legitimate by papal bull and royal charter as far as they're concerned this enables them to claim an earldom perhaps even a dukedom but not the throne kings and queens of England they say must be born legitimate they cannot be made so thus as far as they're concerned Henry Tudor might have a claim to Earl or Duke of Richmond but not to King further to this they looked the wording of the Royal Charter that recognized Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt's children as being legitimate they assert that because there is not a specific wording saying that they could also claim inheritance the throw as well as other lands and titles that this was not the intention they argue that iced they are not explicitly granted to write to the throne what is actually happening is this Royal Charter is borrowing them from it John of Gaunt died in February $13.99 and he was buried as per his wishes beside his first wife Blanche of Lancaster his former mistress and last wife Katherine Swynford spent her remaining years in retirement at Lincoln it was there that she died on the 10th of May 14:03 and her body was interred at Lincoln Cathedral but what do you think about the relationship between Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt what about their late marriage was it the final chapter of a great love story their very own happily ever after moment if you will or was it something more pragmatic a concerted attempt to secure the futures of their children and descendants and was it enough did their act of getting married and seeking to legitimize their children give their descendants including Henry Tudor all of the same rights and claims as any other child John of Gaunt namely did it give him the right to rule as always I look forward to reading your discussion in the comment section underneath this video or you can come and find me over on my social media I'll leave links to my Instagram and Twitter in the description box so you can follow me there and we can continue this conversation I do hope you enjoyed this video and found it useful if you did then please let me know by hitting the thumbs up please also subscribe to this channel and while you're there hit the notification bell next subscribe button so that YouTube tells you what I've next uploaded I hope you're going to have a great day whatever you're doing and I look forward to speaking to all in my next video take care of yourselves good bye for now [Music]

Channel: undefined

Views: 49,234

Rating: 4.9678249 out of 5

Keywords: Tudor, Beaufort, John of Gaunt, Lancaster, York, Wars of the Roses, Katherine Swynford, Education, Literature, Culture, History, Early Modern, Renaissance, Medieval

Id: GC5ePwOLVao

Length: 18min 39sec (1119 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 03 2020