Editing John of Gaunt (section)

=== Marriages ===
[[File:John and Blanche of Lancaster.png|thumb|John with his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster, in a 15th-century family tree of his great-grandson, [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]]]]
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* On 19 May 1359 at [[Reading Abbey]], John married his [[Cousin#Third cousins|third cousin]], [[Blanche of Lancaster]], younger of the two daughters of [[Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster]]. Both shared a common descent from King Henry III. The wealth she brought to the marriage was the foundation of John's fortune. Blanche died on 12 September 1368 at [[Tutbury Castle]], while her husband was overseas. Their son [[Henry Bolingbroke]] became Henry IV of England, having deposed King [[Richard II]], who had seized the duchy of Lancaster upon John's death while Henry was in exile. Their daughter [[Philippa of Lancaster]] became Queen of Portugal by marrying King [[John I of Portugal]] in 1387. All subsequent kings of Portugal beginning from the [[House of Aviz]] were thus descended from John of Gaunt. Philippa's daughter [[Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy|Isabella]], married [[Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy]]. Their lone heiress, [[Mary of Burgundy|Mary]], the only child of Philip's only legitimate son [[Charles the Bold]], married her 2nd cousin, Holy Roman Emperor [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]], whose mother [[Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress|Eleanor]], was the daughter of Philippa's son [[Edward, King of Portugal|Edward]]. Their grandson [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles]] married [[Isabella of Portugal|Isabella]], daughter of [[Manuel I of Portugal]], a male line grandson of Edward.  
* In 1371, John married [[Infanta Constance of Castile]], daughter of King [[Peter of Castile]], thus giving him a claim to the [[Crown of Castile]], which he would pursue. Constance died in 1394. Though John was never able to make good his claim, his daughter by Constance, [[Catherine of Lancaster]], became Queen of Castile by marrying [[Henry III of Castile]]. [[Catherine of Aragon]] & [[Joanna of Castille]] are descended from Catherine through their mother [[Isabella I]], daughter of Catherine's son [[John II of Castile|John II]]. Isabella I was also a descendant of Catherine's half-sister Philippa, through her mother [[Isabella of Portugal, Queen of Castile|Isabella]], who was the daughter of Philippa's other son [[John, Constable of Portugal|John]]. Hence the [[House of Hapsburg]] is also related to John of Gaunt. 
* During his marriage to Constance, John of Gaunt fathered four children by a mistress, the widow [[Katherine Swynford]] (whose sister [[Philippa Roet]] was married to [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]). Prior to her widowhood, Katherine had had at least two children with her husband, Sir Hugh Swynford from [[Kettlethorpe Hall|Kettlethorpe]] in Lincolnshire. These were Blanche, for whom John of Gaunt stood as [[godparent|godfather]], and Thomas, later Sir Thomas.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/johngauntkingca00armigoog/page/n509 <!-- quote=Thomas Morieux. --> Dame Blanche Morieux] in {{harvnb|Armitage-Smith|1904|pp=460–461}}</ref> John married Katherine in 1396, and their four children, the Beauforts, were legitimised by King Richard II and the Church, but barred from inheriting the throne. From the eldest son, [[John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset|John]], descended a granddaughter, [[Lady Margaret Beaufort]], whose son, later King [[Henry VII of England]], would nevertheless claim the throne.