The House of Lancaster

The House of Lancaster descended from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (the fourth but third surviving son of King Edward III).

John of Gaunt married Blanche of Lancaster (1359) at Reading Abbey, they had 7 children but only 3 survived:

King Henry IV of England.

Philipa of Lancaster, wife of King John I of Portugal; thus from then on all Kings and Queens of Portugal descended from John of Gaunt.   

Elizabeth of Lancaster married three times: Earl of Pembroke (John Hastings), 1st Duke of Exeter (John Holland) and 1st Baron of Fanhope (John Cornwall).

It was their son, King Henry IV, who was the first King of the House of Lancaster.

John’s first marriage brought him extensive wealth, his father-in-law was the first Duke of Lancaster (Henry of Grosmont), who died without a male heir so it was upon his death that John inherited vast estates of land and titles, John of Gaunt was the second Duke of Lancaster.

John of Gaunt died in Leicester Castle and although he was married three times  was buried beside his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster, in Old St Paul’s Cathedral, London; Blanche died in 1368, it is reported that she was in her early twenties.