Katherine Swynford

Katherine Swynford
Katherine Swynford, from her tomb
Duchess consort of Lancaster and Aquitaine
Reign	13 January 1396 - 3 February 1399
Born	Katherine de Roet c. 1349 County of Hainaut (possibly)[1]
Died	10 May 1403 (aged 52–53) Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Kingdom of England
Burial	Lincoln Cathedral
Spouse	Hugh Swynford ​ ​ (m. 1362; died 1371)​ John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster ​ ​ (m. 1396; died 1399)​
Issue	Blanche Swynford Margaret Swynford (?) Dorothy Swynford (?) Thomas Swynford John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset Cardinal Henry Beaufort Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland
House	Lancaster (by marriage)
Father	Payne de Roet

Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (born Katherine de Roet, c. 1349 – 10 May 1403) was the third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the fourth (but third surviving) son of King Edward III.

Daughter of a knight from Hainaut, Katherine, whose name is also spelled 'Katharine' or 'Catherine',^[2] was brought up at the English royal court, later found herself in the service of Blanche of Lancaster, the first wife of John of Gaunt. At that time, she was married to Hugh Swynford (or de Swynford), one of the Duke's knights. After the death of the Duchess, Katherine became the lady-in-waiting of her daughters, and also took care of them.

After the death of Hugh Swynford, she became a member of the household of the Duke's new wife, Constance of Castile, and she was given management of the estates of her deceased husband in Lincolnshire: Coleby and Kettlethorpe. She soon became the mistress of John of Gaunt. From this connection, at least four children were born, who received the surname Beaufort after one of their father's French estates. Those four children were later recognized and legitimized by the Church.

In addition, Gaunt gave his mistress several estates, and also provided her with a generous allowance. Since the relationship between Katherine and John of Gaunt caused public condemnation, in 1381 the Duke was forced to break their relationship. Katherine then settled in a rented house in Lincoln.

Despite the formal break, Katherine's relationship with her former lover and the rest of his family continued to be quite cordial. In 1387, she was made a Lady of the Garter by King Richard II,^[3] and shortly thereafter she became a member of the household of Mary de Bohun, wife of Henry Bolingbroke, eldest son and heir of John of Gaunt, who later became King of England under the name of Henry IV.^[4]

In the early 1390s, the love affair between Katherine and John of Gaunt resumed, and after the death of his second wife, the Duke unexpectedly married his mistress in 1396, which caused discontent among the English nobility. However, in the same year, a papal bull was received, recognizing the marriage as valid, and all the children born from the connection were legitimized. After the death of the Duke in 1399, Katherine retired to her rented house in Lincoln, where she died four years later. She was buried at Lincoln Cathedral.^[5][6]

Katherine and John of Gaunt's descendants, the Beaufort family, played a major role in the Wars of the Roses. Henry VII, who became King of England in 1485, derived his claim to the throne from his mother, Margaret Beaufort, who was a great-granddaughter of Gaunt and Swynford. His legal claim to the throne, therefore, was through a cognatic and previously illegitimate line. Henry VII's first action was to declare himself king "by right of conquest" retroactively from 21 August 1485, the day before his army defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.^[7]

Through her son, John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and her daughter, Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland, Katherine became the ancestor of all English (and later British) kings since Edward IV.