John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster (d. 1399)

John of Gaunt (1340-99): duke of Lancaster, son of Philippa of Hainault and Edward III, king of England, who was a pretender to the Castilian throne by right of his marriage to Constanza, eldest daughter of Pedro I, king of Castile, who died in 1369. John of Gaunt was an important person in English political and military life during the last quarter of the fourteenth century, exercising great influence in domestic and foreign policy in England during the reign of Richard II, despite periods of unpopularity and strife with his royal nephew.

King Richard II of England (d. 1400)

Richard was born on 6 January 1367 in Bordeaux. Froissart called him Richard of Bordeaux after his place of birth. He was the second son of Edward, the Black Prince, prince of Wales and Aquitaine, and Joan of Kent. After the death of his elder brother Edward in 1372, and of his father, in 1376, Richard was created prince of Wales, duke of Cornwall and earl of Chester on 20 November 1376. He succeeded to his grandfather, King Edward III the following year, and became king on 22 June 1377. He reigned as king of England until 1399, when he was forced to abdicate by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke. Richard married his first wife, Anne of Bohemia, on 14 January 1382. In 1396, two years after the death of his first wife, he married Isabella, daughter of the French king, Charles VI.

England

Island kingdom bounded to the west by the Marcher lordships and the (still contested) principality of Wales conquered by Edward I; English lordships included parts of modern south Wales (from southern Pembrokeshire through Swansea, Cardiff and on towards Gloucester in England); bounded to the north by the kingdom of Scotland, to the east by the North Sea and to the south by the Channel; included Somerset, Devon and Cornwall to the south-west. Population up to the Black Death of 1348-9 approximately 4 million souls.

Philippa of Lancaster (d. 1415)

Philippa of Lancaster (1360 - 1415), daughter of John, duke of Lancaster and Blanche of Lancaster. Wife of João I, king of Portugal.

King Richard II of England (d. 1400)

Richard was born on 6 January 1367 in Bordeaux. Froissart called him Richard of Bordeaux after his place of birth. He was the second son of Edward, the Black Prince, prince of Wales and Aquitaine, and Joan of Kent. After the death of his elder brother Edward in 1372, and of his father, in 1376, Richard was created prince of Wales, duke of Cornwall and earl of Chester on 20 November 1376. He succeeded to his grandfather, King Edward III the following year, and became king on 22 June 1377. He reigned as king of England until 1399, when he was forced to abdicate by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke. Richard married his first wife, Anne of Bohemia, on 14 January 1382. In 1396, two years after the death of his first wife, he married Isabella, daughter of the French king, Charles VI.

Anne of Bohemia

Anne, daughter of Charles IV of Bohemia, was married to Richard II in 1382. She died at Sheen in 1394.

England

Island kingdom bounded to the west by the Marcher lordships and the (still contested) principality of Wales conquered by Edward I; English lordships included parts of modern south Wales (from southern Pembrokeshire through Swansea, Cardiff and on towards Gloucester in England); bounded to the north by the kingdom of Scotland, to the east by the North Sea and to the south by the Channel; included Somerset, Devon and Cornwall to the south-west. Population up to the Black Death of 1348-9 approximately 4 million souls.

Holy Roman Empire of Germany

Simon Burley

Sir Simon Burley (? - executed in 1388), tutor, chamberlain and favourite of Richard II who also had great influence on the king; he was executed by the order of the Merciless Parliament in 1388.

Edward of Woodstock, prince of Wales, the Black Prince

Edward of Woodstock (1330 - 1376), prince of Wales from 1343 (aged 12), and from 1362 prince of Aquitaine; popularly known as the Black Prince. He was the eldest son of king Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. He was knighted by his father on the Crécy campaign, the day after the English army landed at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue. He married Joan of Kent on 10 October 1361. They had two sons, Edward, and Richard. His first son died young, in 1372. The Black Prince himself died on 8 June 1376, in Westminster. When king Edward III died the following year, he was succeded by Richard. The Black Prince was an effective, successful and popular military leader in the campaigns against France during the first part of the Hundred Years' War.

Simon Burley

Sir Simon Burley (? - executed in 1388), tutor, chamberlain and favourite of Richard II who also had great influence on the king; he was executed by the order of the Merciless Parliament in 1388.

Simon Burley

Sir Simon Burley (? - executed in 1388), tutor, chamberlain and favourite of Richard II who also had great influence on the king; he was executed by the order of the Merciless Parliament in 1388.

England

Island kingdom bounded to the west by the Marcher lordships and the (still contested) principality of Wales conquered by Edward I; English lordships included parts of modern south Wales (from southern Pembrokeshire through Swansea, Cardiff and on towards Gloucester in England); bounded to the north by the kingdom of Scotland, to the east by the North Sea and to the south by the Channel; included Somerset, Devon and Cornwall to the south-west. Population up to the Black Death of 1348-9 approximately 4 million souls.

Calais

Gravelines

Gravelines (Nord), France.

Bruges

Bruges

Ghent

Ghent (East Flanders), Belgium.

Ghent

Ghent (East Flanders), Belgium.

Brussels

Brussels, Belgium.

Wenceslas I, duke of Luxemburg and Brabant (d. 1383)

Wenceslas I of Luxemburg (133? - 1383), duke of Luxemburg and Brabant, as a consort to Joanna, duchess of Brabant. Son of John 'the Blind', king of Bohemia, and Beatrix of Bourbon. He became the duke of Brabant through his wife Jeanne, who inherited the duchy of Brabant after her father's death in 1355. He was one of Froissart's patrons. He contributed to Froissart's Meliador through his lyric poetry, inserted at intervals throughout this long Arthurian romance. He died in 1383.

Duke Albert of Bavaria, count of Hainault, Holland and Zeeland

Aubert de Bavière (1336 - 1404), count of Hainault, Holland and Zeeland. He was married to Margaret of Brieg. A protector and patron of Froissart.

John II, count of Blois (d. 1381)

John II of Châtillon, count of Blois and Soissons between 1372 and his death in 1381. He was the second son of Louis I of Châtillon and Jeanne of Hainault. He inherited the lordships of Schoonhoven and Gouda, both in the county of Holland, from his paternal grandfather, John of Hainault on the latter’s death in 1356. When his elder brother Louis II died in 1372, he also inherited the counties of Blois and Soissons. He married Mathilde of Gueldres on 14 February 1372. They had no children. John died 9 June 1381 and was buried in the Francisan convent in Valenciennes. He was succeded as count of Blois by his youngest brother Guy.

Waleran III de Luxemburg, count of Saint-Pol (d. 1415)

Waleran III de Luxemburg (1355 - 1415; killed at Agincourt), count of Saint Pol; son of Guy de Luxemburg, count of Ligny, and Mahaut de Châtillon, countess of Saint Pol. He married firstly Maud Holland, daughter of Thomas Holland, earl of Kent, and half-sister of king Richard II. After her death he married Bonne, daughter of Duke Robert of Bar.

Robert of Namur (d. 1391)

Born around 1325 as the sixth son of John I, count of Namur, and Marie of Artois. He was lord of Beaufort-sur-Meuse and Renaix. He followed the example of his brothers and took part in several campaigns in Prussia. He was knighted by the lord of Spontin during one of his earliest Prussian campains, in the winter of 1346–1347. On his return he joined King Edward III at the siege of Calais. On 1 July 1347 Edward III granted him an annuity. In 1354 Robert married Isabella of Hainault, the sister of the English queen, Philippa of Hainault, from whom he had no offspring. His second marriage to Isabella of Melun also remained childless. In 1371 Robert was marshal of the duke of Brabant for the military campaign against the duke of Juliers and was taken prisonner during the Battle of Baesweiler, where he may have commanded the vanguard. In 1382 he accompanied Anne of Bohemia from Maastricht to London, where she was to marry the English king Richard II. He died in April 1391. Robert was one of Froissart’s patron.

William I of Flanders, count of Namur (d. 1391)

Born in 1324 as the fifth son of John I of Flanders, count of Namur, and Marie of Artois. He married Jeanne of Hainault, widow of Louis I of Châtillon, count of Blois, who died in 1350. In 1352 he married Catherine of Savoy, by whom he had three children. He became margrave, or count, of Namur in 1337. He fought on the French side at the Battle of Crécy. He died on 1 October 1391 and was succeded as count of Namur by his eldest son, William I.

Hainault

A historical county in the Low Countries. Froissart originated from this historical region that today is divided between the Belgian province of Hainault and the southern part of the French department of the Nord.

Brabant

Historical principality (duchy) in the Low Countries.

Wenceslas I, duke of Luxemburg and Brabant (d. 1383)

Wenceslas I of Luxemburg (133? - 1383), duke of Luxemburg and Brabant, as a consort to Joanna, duchess of Brabant. Son of John 'the Blind', king of Bohemia, and Beatrix of Bourbon. He became the duke of Brabant through his wife Jeanne, who inherited the duchy of Brabant after her father's death in 1355. He was one of Froissart's patrons. He contributed to Froissart's Meliador through his lyric poetry, inserted at intervals throughout this long Arthurian romance. He died in 1383.

Jeanne of Brabant, duchess of Brabant and Luxemburg (d. 1406)

Jeanne de Brabant (1322 - 1406), duchess of Brabant and Luxemburg; daughter of John III of Brabant and Marie of Évreux. She married Wenceslas I of Luxemburg in 1355.

King Richard II of England (d. 1400)

Richard was born on 6 January 1367 in Bordeaux. Froissart called him Richard of Bordeaux after his place of birth. He was the second son of Edward, the Black Prince, prince of Wales and Aquitaine, and Joan of Kent. After the death of his elder brother Edward in 1372, and of his father, in 1376, Richard was created prince of Wales, duke of Cornwall and earl of Chester on 20 November 1376. He succeeded to his grandfather, King Edward III the following year, and became king on 22 June 1377. He reigned as king of England until 1399, when he was forced to abdicate by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke. Richard married his first wife, Anne of Bohemia, on 14 January 1382. In 1396, two years after the death of his first wife, he married Isabella, daughter of the French king, Charles VI.

Simon Burley

Sir Simon Burley (? - executed in 1388), tutor, chamberlain and favourite of Richard II who also had great influence on the king; he was executed by the order of the Merciless Parliament in 1388.

Holy Roman Empire of Germany

King Richard II of England (d. 1400)

Richard was born on 6 January 1367 in Bordeaux. Froissart called him Richard of Bordeaux after his place of birth. He was the second son of Edward, the Black Prince, prince of Wales and Aquitaine, and Joan of Kent. After the death of his elder brother Edward in 1372, and of his father, in 1376, Richard was created prince of Wales, duke of Cornwall and earl of Chester on 20 November 1376. He succeeded to his grandfather, King Edward III the following year, and became king on 22 June 1377. He reigned as king of England until 1399, when he was forced to abdicate by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke. Richard married his first wife, Anne of Bohemia, on 14 January 1382. In 1396, two years after the death of his first wife, he married Isabella, daughter of the French king, Charles VI.

Anne of Bohemia

Anne, daughter of Charles IV of Bohemia, was married to Richard II in 1382. She died at Sheen in 1394.

Simon Burley

Sir Simon Burley (? - executed in 1388), tutor, chamberlain and favourite of Richard II who also had great influence on the king; he was executed by the order of the Merciless Parliament in 1388.

King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (d. 1419)

Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (1361 - 1419), king of Bohemia. He was crowned king of the Romans in 1378 and deposed in 1400.

Brussels

Brussels, Belgium.

Leuven

Leuven (Fr. Louvain), Flemish Brabant, Belgium.

Cologne

Cologne (North Rhine-Westphalia), Germany.