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John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 - 3 February 1399) was a n E n g l ish royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the four th s o n o f K ing Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. B ec a u se o f Gaunt's royal origin, advantageous marriages, and some genero u s l a n d grants, he was one of the richest men of his era, and was an in f l u e ntial figure during the reigns of both his father and his nephew, R i c h a rd II.[2][3] As Duke of Lancaster, he is the founder of the royal H o u s e o f Lancaster, whose members would ascend the throne after his deat h . H i s b irthplace, Ghent in Flanders, then known in English as Gaunt, w a s t h e o rigin of his name.
John's early career was spent in France and Spain fighting in the Hundr e d Y e a rs' War. He made an abortive attempt to enforce a claim to the Cr o w n o f C astile that came through his second wife, Constance of Castile, a n d f o r a t ime styled himself as King of Castile. When Edward the Black P r i n ce , Gaunt's elder brother and heir-apparent to the ageing Edward III , b e c a me incapacitated owing to poor health, Gaunt assumed control of m an y g o v ernment functions, and rose to become one of the most powerful p o li t i cal figures in England. He was faced with military difficulties ab r o a d a nd political divisions at home, and disagreements as to how to de a l w i t h these crises led to tensions between Gaunt, the English Parliam e n t , a nd the ruling class, making him an extremely unpopular figure for a t i m e .
John of Gaunt had four children by his mistress (later to become his th i r d w i f e) Katherine Swynford, who were given the surname Beaufort: John , c r e a t ed Earl of Somerset in 1397; Henry, who became a bishop in 1398 a n d C a r d inal in 1427; Thomas, Duke of Exeter, who died without issue in 1 4 2 6 ; a n d Joan , whose second marriage to Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmor l a n d p r oduced nine children, including Cecily Neville, mother of Richar d I I I .
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1340 - 1399 (58 years)
[1, 2, 3] 
