The Lancastrian Mistress Who Became A Royal Wife - Katherine Swynford - Wars of the Roses

While the claimants for the throne during the Wars of the Roses are well known, what was their argument about anyway? The Houses of York and Lancaster both claimed descent from a different son of Edward III, in some cases, too. But then there were those who claimed descent from John of Gaunt, his third surviving son. And the reason that became so tricky was down to one Catherine Swinford. Catherine's story begins with her father arriving as part of the entourage for Philippa of Hainault, who would become the wife of Edward III and so also become Queen of England. Catherine's father was Pein de Rohe, a herald who later became a knight, but nothing is known of her mother. Catherine also had a sister named Philippa, who would marry the famous poet and courtier Geoffrey Chaucer. We're not even sure of her date of birth, but most educated guesses are that she was born around 1350. It's most likely Catherine was born and raised in the county of Hainault, in an area that today straddles Belgium and France. Her father returned briefly to Hainault to be in the service of Margaret II, Countess of Hainault, but Catherine and the rest of her family came back to England in the face of uncertain politics with the Countess's son. After Pein's death, Catherine's brother Walter would go into the service of Edward the Black Prince, and Catherine and her sisters went into the care of Queen Philippa. The Queen had a large number of noble children in her household alongside her own children, and she was known as a kind, gentle and pious woman. But more than this, she would make sure that those under her care received the best education. Many girls of the time were sent to religious institutions such as abbeys to be educated, but there is no evidence of this for Catherine. Therefore Catherine, who did not belong to the nobility by birth, would learn to read and write, both in Anglo-Norman French and English, and learned how to ride. She would also pick up diplomatic skills and knowledge of how to run an estate. In short, Catherine was brought up at court with courtly understanding, just as if she had been born a Duchess. In her early twenties, Catherine was employed in the household of Blanche of Lancaster, the first wife of John of Gaunt. She was first listed in records in 1365 as a servant, but before long Catherine was entrusted with the care of Blanche and John's daughters, as a sort of governess. It was around this time, probably in 1362, that Catherine entered her first marriage. She would only have been in her early teens, and the groom was Sir Hugh Swinford, a knight in the service of John of Gaunt. Evidence suggests they had at least four children, a son named Thomas and three daughters named Blanche, Margaret and Dorothy. They were not particularly wealthy, as Sir Hugh owned only two small estates, and the family mostly lived off his salary in John of Gaunt's service. Although we cannot really know, it has been suggested that, based on Catherine's later feelings for John of Gaunt, the Swinford marriage was one merely of convenience, not romance. Not to mention the couple didn't see that much of each other, as Hugh was often away on military campaigns, and Catherine was kept busy with her own pregnancies, as well as looking after the Duchess of Lancaster and her children. But in 1368, on the 12th September, Blanche died at Tuckbury Castle in Staffordshire. Catherine was part of the funeral cortege that went south to St Paul's in London, but the Duchess's death changed her position significantly. While there is some evidence Catherine may have been kept on for a while to look after John of Gaunt's three young children, Philippa, Elizabeth and Henry Bolingbroke, she was no different in being dismissed, as the late Duchess's household was broken up. But links remained, in Catherine's daughter Blanche staying on as a lady and waiting to John of Gaunt's daughters Philippa and Elizabeth. John remarried, this time to Constance of Castile, and Catherine retreated to her estate at Kettlethorpe with her family. Perhaps that's where things would have remained, except that Catherine's husband, who was away in Aquitaine on military campaign with John of Gaunt, didn't return home. It's thought he caught an illness while in France, and he died on the 13th November 1371. Catherine didn't just become a widow, due to her husband's poor financial position before he died, she became a poor widow with four children to support. But it would appear that John must have thought something of Hugh Swinford, and he came to the aid of Catherine by bringing her into the household of his new wife. In 1372, Catherine received financial support from both John and King Edward III, and Catherine's sister Philippa also appears in the service of the new Duchess of Lancaster at this time. While there are no hard dates, and the only evidence comes from a letter the Duke of Lancaster would later send to the Pope, it's thought Catherine and John became romantically involved sometime in late 1372. The affair between them helped Catherine's situation, as the estates her husband had owned passed to John and the King on his death, but the Duke ensured she was given gifts of money. Edward III ensured Catherine received her traditional widow's share of the estates, but only in exchange for her promise that she would not remarry without the King's consent. Catherine was likely at Constance's side when she gave birth in March 1373, but it wasn't long afterwards that she returned to Kettlethorpe, with her own pregnancy becoming apparent. The father of both women's children was John of Gawne. Catherine would go on to have four children with her illicit lover, the eldest of whom was a boy also named John. The children were given the surname Beaufort, though it's not certain why this was chosen. The claim they were born in Beaufort Castle appears to be incorrect, but the property did belong to the Duke as part of his inheritance, so there may be a connection. John and his siblings were brought up at Kettlethorpe with his mother, as John of Gawne did not want to advertise the fact he had a mistress. By the end of March 1373, Catherine was appointed by the Duke as a and it was a good excuse to ensure she had to live at the Ducal Palace with them. This meant Catherine and John could see each other more easily, although suspicions were starting to be raised. Many of Constance's ladies-in-waiting knew her husband was having an affair, and as punishment for their gossip, they were packed off to Nuneaton Priory for a while. For nearly two years, they begged to be allowed out of the Priory, missing the comforts of home, but were only granted this when it was certain they would stop spreading talk about the affair. It would appear Constance also knew about her husband's infidelity, but equally she had other reasons for wanting to keep quiet about it. She held a claim to the Castilian crown, and John of Gawne was fighting to grab that claim for his wife and also for himself. Keeping quiet meant he would keep going. In August 1375, not long after Catherine had given birth to her second child with John, a boy named Henry Beaufort, she accompanied the Duke on a trip to Leicester. Around this time, a payment dated from 1375-76 was listed by the Mayor of Leicester, in which 16 shillings were spent on a gift of wine for Catherine. This gift may have been given during their trip, and for the first time she was noted as Lady Catherine Swinford, Mistress of the Duke of Lancaster. It was the first public acknowledgement of her status. By March 1377, Catherine was a wealthy woman, owning more than four estates and living off their income, but by June of that year Edward III died and the balance shifted. In March 1378, perhaps feeling more confident due to his influence with the new King, the young Richard II, John of Gawne publicly rode to his duchy with Catherine, not his wife Constance, by his side. The people were outraged at what they saw as disgraceful and ungodly behaviour, and the chronicler Thomas Walsingham even went so far as to call Catherine a witch and a whore, and that the most terrible curses and vile insults began to circulate against the Duke. John of Gawne's family, although it seems they got on well with Catherine, were fearful of the consequences of his affair with her, and even John himself admitted as much in a letter in 1381. But he ignored these consequences, and in January 1381 Catherine gave birth to their fourth child, Thomas Beaufort. The affair received public condemnation, not least because the Duke was giving his mistress a bigger allowance than his wife. After the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, John admitted he felt guilt in the deaths of those involved, and he swore to set Catherine aside. In July, John went back to his wife, and Catherine resigned as a governess, before renting a house in Lincoln and settling there. But the break didn't prevent a cordial relationship continuing between Catherine and John's family. She and her daughters continued to visit family members, such as Mary de Bohun, the wife of Henry Bolingbroke, and John of Gawne continued to provide money for Catherine and their children. In the early 1390s, she still visited the Duke's court, where a stable of twelve horses was kept for her. Even the King was apparently in support of Catherine, as in October 1383 Richard II granted her the right to fence off 300 acres of land at Kettlethorpe, and in April 1387 she was made a Lady of the Order of the Garter, the highest accolade a woman could receive in England at that time. All these little bits of evidence linking Catherine's with John's family suggest that there was at least a sympathy for their love. In a world where marriage was not romantic, but was merely a contract to further lands, property and wealth, it must have been difficult for two people who genuinely fell for one another. On Christmas day of the same year, along with her daughter Joan Beaufort, Catherine took up a position within Mary de Bohun's household, once again taking a prominent position at court. In November 1389, John returned to England after an absence of three years, and he began to make plans for the future of his illegitimate children. By 1391, possibly because of strained relations due to John's lack of feelings towards her, or possibly because of an agreement between them, Constance had begun to live apart from her husband. Catherine began to be seen once more with John of Gaund, and while there's no proof their relationship sprang up once more, it may have done with a lot of caution. On the 24th of March 1394, Constance of Castile died. John of Gaund was spurred to make an unprecedented decision in the wake of his second wife's death. He decided to marry Catherine Swynford as his third wife. This was likely partially due to being in love with her, but also more importantly to legitimize his four children with her. On the 13th of January 1396, the couple were finally married at Lincoln Cathedral, making Catherine the Duchess of Lancaster. In order to emphasize her new status, and help everyone forget the sordid past, Catherine did not use the silver rings of her family for her coat of arms, but instead the three wheels of Saint Catherine, representing royalty and virtue. They had oral permission from the Pope, but not a legal document confirming their marriage, and it didn't help that the royal court was stunned, some outraged, by the marriage. In order to help cement the marriage legally, John of Gaund wrote to the Pope to ask for permission. Whatever he wrote was enough to sway the Pope, as on the 1st of September 1396, Pope Boniface IX decreed that their marriage was valid by papal bull. He also importantly legitimized their four children. Catherine's position was assured, especially as both she and John got on well with Richard II. On the 4th of November 1396, Richard II married his second wife, Isabella of Valois. Catherine almost immediately became the companion of the young queen. Catherine and John's marriage was a happy one by all accounts, but by late 1398, the Duke grew ill. It was also said the Duke grew ill because Richard II had fallen out with John's heir, Henry Bolingbroke, who was exiled for 10 years as a result. On the 3rd of February 1399, John of Gaund passed away, leaving furniture, jewels and fine clothes to his wife. Immediately after his death, the royalist cheetahs took advantage of Catherine's vulnerable position and confiscated all of her possessions, including her lands. She had to petition the king about this, and on the 9th of March 1399, he ordered the estates to be returned to her, the land she had received as a dowry as well, and her annual annuity of a thousand pounds was to be restored. He also changed the 10-year exile of Henry Bolingbroke to life and forbid him from inheriting his father's lands and properties. Catherine, unsurprisingly in her position, did not protest against this. She knew she was at the mercy of her good relationship with the king. Catherine retreated from court and her estates, passing Kettlethorpe and Colby to her son Thomas Swinford and renting a house in Lincoln. Little is known about Catherine's later years. Henry Bolingbroke invaded England in late 1399, deposing King Richard II and taking the crown for himself as Henry IV. Catherine's children, both the Swinfords and the Beauforts, supported Henry's usurpation, and as a result, Henry openly called his stepmother the mother of the king. However, Catherine did not return to court, wishing to remain out of the tumultuous politics of the time. In 1400, the new king granted yet more estates to Catherine, as well as an extra annuity of 200 pounds, making her an extremely wealthy woman in her own right. On the 10th of May 1403, Catherine died in her early fifties. She was buried at Lincoln Cathedral in an ornate tomb, and her daughter Joan would later be buried beside her in another tomb. But her involvement with John of Gaunt had irrevocably changed the face of England's royal line and politics. Henry IV confirmed the legitimacy of his half-siblings, the Beauforts, but he also gave a caveat – they and their descendants would not be allowed to claim the throne of England for themselves. Modern historians argue that this is something Parliament had to be involved in, however, for it to really be valid. This is also something that would be debated later with the ascension of Henry VII, a Beaufort descendant. Catherine's grandchildren would marry into England's noble families, such as Cecily Neville marrying Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, and into royalty, such as her granddaughter, also named Joan Beaufort, marrying King James I of Scotland. Most famously, Catherine's great-granddaughter, Margaret Beaufort, would become mother to King Henry VII. While his claim was based mostly on conquest, he also used his lineage back to John of Gaunt to hold the throne of England. Therefore, Catherine became the ancestor of all the future kings and queens of England and then of Great Britain. Catherine Swinford was a woman born into a low gentry family, whose children would become kings and queens of England. She didn't achieve this through manipulation, but simply through falling in love, and her good relationship with the royal family of her time is testament to this. While she may not have been involved in politics or wars of the 14th century, Catherine nevertheless made an impact on the royal line of England.