Edward Iii Of England's Children - Siblings That Fought The Hundred Years War & Black Death

The Children of King Edward III of England The siblings who fought the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death Edward III was one of England's great medieval warrior kings. But when he wasn't sacking France, he was in the sack making babies with his queen, Philippa of Annaux. They had 13 children, The siblings grew into legendary warriors and key political players, and they sprouted the branches of the family that would go head to head in the Wars of the Roses. Edward III was such a prolific father that he is believed to be an ancestor to 99.53% of all people of British descent alive today, about 200 million people worldwide. So if you have any amount of British heritage, then it is extremely likely that at least one of these royal siblings is in your family tree. Let's meet the children of King Edward III of England. Edward married Philippa of Annaux when they were both 13. His mother, Isabella of France, arranged the union to secure Philippa's father's support of her invasion of England. She overthrew her husband, Edward II, who had forsaken her in favor of his lover, Hugh de Spencer. Once Isabella had secured her son's throne, she ordered her husband to be quietly murdered, and his lover to be loudly and publicly executed. Young Edward and Philippa got on well, she was already pregnant when she was crowned queen in Westminster Abbey. Edward overthrew his mother, executed her lover Mortimer, and took control of England. Now wielding the power of the king, he came to rely on the sage advice of his wife. Having come from the emerging epicenter of European commerce, the Netherlands, Philippa was well-versed in finance and diplomacy. She took an interest in England's wool industry and helped to secure the nation's wealth for centuries to come. Philippa was a model queen and mother who worked tirelessly for her adopted country, the crown, and her children. Her popularity helped her husband maintain order during his 50-year reign. In 1328, Edward's maternal uncle, King Charles IV of France, died leaving behind a daughter and a pregnant wife. When the baby was born a girl, a succession crisis ensued. Women were barred from inheriting the French throne. As the daughter of Charles' sister, Edward III was the next male in the family, and he laid claim to the French throne. But the French balked at being ruled by an Englishman, and named his cousin King Philippe Edward was not pleased and began the Hundred Years' War. His eldest son, Edward of Woodstock, became one of the greatest heroes of the conflict. He was born in 1330 and often traveled with his parents to battlefields across Scotland and France. He lived up to his expectations and became a model of chivalry and one of the greatest knights of his age. Rather than rally a few noble knights as previous kings had done, King Edward raised taxes and hired a professional army of skilled warriors. He premiered six-foot longbows. Their range and power rained devastation on the enemy and were the medieval equivalent of an atomic bomb. The volley of archers, followed by a stampede of heavy cavalry, cut through the French at the Battle of Crecy. When the king was sure that he would win, he left his 16-year-old son to command the vanguard to victory, thus ensuring the prince's popularity and confidence. Edward created for his son the first English dukedom, Cornwall. This massive estate in the south continues to be held by the monarch's eldest son to this day. Next, Edward was named Prince of Wales and a golden circlet was placed upon his head. Father and son laid siege to the crucial port of Calais. After a year of conflict, the city surrendered and the king ordered the six burghers to present him with the keys to the city, barefoot with nooses around their necks. Queen Philippa fell to her knees and begged for their lives, and Edward spared them. This was a public stunt to display the king's chivalric mercy. To celebrate his victory, he established the most noble order of the garter. He was inspired by King Arthur and his legendary Knights of the Round Table. After the king himself, Prince Edward was the first knight to be inducted. The garter remains England's oldest chivalric order. Prince Edward was next appointed the king's lieutenant in Gascony. He earned the nickname the Black Prince, probably because of a distinct suit of black steel armor and for his brutality. His father ordered him to lead an army into Aquitaine, during which he pillaged and plundered several towns. He defeated the French at the Battle of Poitiers and took King Jean II as prisoner. In another act of chivalry, he gave the captured king the best horse and rode behind him on an inferior pony. Next, the 30-year-old prince took a break and returned to England, where he settled down with his cousin Joan of Kent. She was four years his senior and one of the most beautiful women in England, but she had a complicated past. At 13, she secretly married 26-year-old Thomas Holland, just before he went to war. Joan's family then arranged her marriage to the Earl of Salisbury. Joan was too afraid to admit that she'd already been married without permission, so she became a bigamist. But when Thomas returned from France after eight years away, he protested that his wife had been stolen. The pope ruled in his favor and ordered the couple to have a proper church wedding. They had five children, but Thomas died of illness. Joan was the last of her siblings to survive, so she became the Countess of Kent. She was a rich woman and an attractive prospect for Edward. The king and queen would normally have insisted that he marry a foreign princess, but Queen Philippa was exceedingly fond of Joan and encouraged her husband to apply for a papal dispensation. The newlyweds were sent to rule Aquitaine, a region of France which had belonged to the English crown since Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II of England in 1152. There they lived happily together and welcomed two more sons, Edward and Richard. The black prince made a quick sojourn to Spain to assist King Pedro of Castile in defeating his illegitimate brother, Enrique of Trastamara. He was successful and demanded in payment a massive 170-carat uncut red gem. The black prince's ruby, which is actually a spinel, glows front and center in the imperial state crown to this day. While Edward was fighting, his young sons were in Bordeaux. An epidemic of bubonic plague struck, and five-year-old Edward died. When the prince returned, he was heartbroken. He contracted dysentery from unsanitary battlefield conditions and languished for five years. The once-celebrated knight could no longer mount a horse, and he surrendered his command. He died at the age of 45, pre-deceasing his father and leaving his nine-year-old son, Richard, as heir to the throne. Isabella was born in 1332 and named for her Isabella of France. She was her father's favorite child and was rocked in a gilded cradle lined with taffeta and covered with a fur blanket. Her gowns were crafted from imported Italian silk, embroidered with jewels and lined in fur. Isabella and her siblings were waited on by a house full of maids, butlers, and tutors. When she was three, her father arranged her marriage to King Pedro of Castile, but eventually her younger sister was sent in her place. Isabella's parents attempted to arrange several marriages for her, but the princess was very particular. When she was 19, five ships were prepared to sail her to Gascony to marry Bernard d'Albret, but at the last moment Isabella changed her mind. Her parents don't seem to have been upset, and her father granted her an allowance of 1,000 marks a year. Isabella remained single until 33, unusual for the time. Eventually she expressed a desire to wed Angueron VII, Lord of Cousy, a wealthy French magnate with whom she'd fallen in love. He was seven years her junior and had been brought to London as a hostage in exchange for King Jean II. King Edward gave his daughter a generous dowry of 4,000 pounds and released her groom without a ransom. He named the couple Earl and Countess of Bedford. The newlyweds moved to his family lands in France. They welcomed two daughters, Marie and Philippa. He continued to fight against his in-laws while Isabella made frequent trips back home. Family dinners must have been awkward. When King Edward III was on his deathbed, Isabella came to comfort him. When her nephew Richard II became king, her husband renounced all ties to England and abandoned his wife. She was separated from her eldest daughter, Marie, who remained with her father. Isabella died in 1382, age 50. Joan was born in 1333. At 14, she bid her family farewell and boarded a ship bound for Castile, where she was set to marry Pedro, the heir to the throne. The princess bride was dressed in the finest velvet and silk, bedecked with dazzling jewels, and took an entire ship to carry her trousseau. She traveled through hostile France with an intimidating retinue of armed guards, but they could not keep her safe from a danger no knight could vanquish—bacteria. The party stopped to rest at a castle in Bordeaux, France. The Black Death had already crept north from Italy, but it was unknown in England, so Joan's protectors had no idea of the danger. Members of the entourage began to fall ill. In desperation, they moved the princess to the small village of Lermo, but it was too late. She succumbed on September 2, 1348. Most royals who died on the road were embalmed and carried home with great honor, but in the chaos of the plague, Joan was buried quickly in Bayonne Cathedral. A statue of her was erected in Westminster Abbey and placed next to her father's tomb. King Edward wrote a sorrowful letter to his daughter's intended father-in-law, informing him of her sad demise, and writing that she had been sent ahead to heaven to reign among the choirs of virgins. William of Hadfield was born in 1337. He died shortly after birth and was buried in York Minster. Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, was born in 1338, while his parents were visiting Queen Philippa's family in the Low Countries. His name, Lionel, was unusual in England at the time. It derived from Sir Lionel of Arthurian legend and refers to the lions in the English coat of arms. When he was just 4 years old, his father married him to 10-year-old Elizabeth du Berc. She had inherited massive estates in Ireland, and Lionel became Earl of Ulster in her name. The king planned to make his second son the biggest magnate in Ireland. When Lionel was 17, his father knighted him, and brought him to France to get him into the family business of waging war. While they were gone, Elizabeth gave birth to their only child, Philippa. Lionel had grown into a handsome and strong young man, who supposedly stood nearly 7 feet tall. Like his big brother, Lionel was a worthy soldier. He showed off in jousting tournaments, was created a knight of the garter, and went to war with Scotland. Once he was trained up a bit, his father named him Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Though the English crown claimed possession of all of the island, the local clan leaders were really in control. They opposed Lionel and gave him plenty of trouble. He made Dublin his base and renovated the castle. From there, he sent out troops to subdue the Irish. To further aid his son, the king named him Duke of Clarence, making him the first Irish duke. Elizabeth died after 25 years of marriage, and Lionel continued to try and control her lands. Despite his father's ample financial support, he found taking control of the island impossible. He gave up the thankless job and returned to England. A second political marriage was soon arranged, with Violante Visconti, daughter of the Lord of Milan. In exchange for a prestigious alliance with the Plantagenets, the Lord gave Lionel half of his land and 2 million gold florins. King Edward's new ambition for his second son was to make him king of Italy and possibly even Holy Roman Emperor. In Milan, he enjoyed five months of feasts and tournaments with his new bride, but the prince fell suddenly ill with an unknown malady and died at 29. There were suspicions that he had been poisoned, but by whom and why is unknown. Lionel's body took the long journey back to England and was buried in Clare Priory next to his first wife. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, was born in 1340 in Ghent, Flanders. His nickname is an anglicized version of his birthplace. At the time, his father was securing loans from Flemish merchants for his war with France, and his mother was being held as surety. Edward III was not present for the birth of his third surviving son, but he soon retrieved his queen and baby prince. John spent his childhood in the household of his older brother, Edward Prince of Wales, who was ten years his senior. He idolized his chivalric sibling, who taught him the ways of knighthood. At ten, John was on Edward's ship during the Battle of Winchelsea. Queen Philippa watched from the shore as her two sons faced hand-to-hand combat and sinking ships, but they were victorious. France was getting their butts kicked in pitched battle with the English, so when Charles V became king, he took on a new tactic. The French simply refused to come out of The Plantagenet army raided the countryside, pillaging towns and slaying peasants, but without the French army to whoop, they were denied any real victory or gains in the war. John led plenty of these raids, but he also possessed great diplomatic skills. Even the Scots respected him. After King David II died without issue, the idea was floated that John might be named the new king of Scotland, but an actual Scot, Robert II, was chosen instead. At 19, John wed 17-year-old Blanche of Lancaster. She and her sister Maud were heiresses to the largest property portfolio in England, the Duchy of Lancaster. Maud died at 22, thus Blanche inherited it all, and since women's property really belonged to their husband, John was the second wealthiest man in England after his father. They had a happy marriage and seven children, but she died at just 26, possibly from the Black Death. By the time John was 27, the Anglo-French rivalry had manifested in English support for Pedro of Castile, versus French support for his illegitimate half-brother, Enrique of Tristamara. John led the vanguard in the Battle of Nahara and won. Prince Edward brought Pedro's two daughters, Constance and Isabella, back to France, as surety that their father would pay for helping win back his throne. But Pedro was assassinated before he could pay up. To recoup his loss, Edward married Constance and Isabella to his brothers, John and Edmund. John made haste to marry Constance in a no-frills ceremony. He was more interested in laying claim to her father's throne and began calling himself King of Castile. He cared very little for Constance. Though they had two children together, John stowed her in Leicester Castle and forgot about her. He was really in love with her lady-in-waiting, Catherine Swinford. After the Black Prince's Spanish adventure, he fell gravely ill. Their father, now in his late fifties, was also in declining health. With Lionel busy in Ireland, John was the most senior, able-bodied, plantagenet man, and he rose to the occasion. He spent a year in Aquitaine settling his big brother's affairs. Then he returned to London to take charge of the country. There, he was not so popular. He opposed the growing merchant class, Parliament, and the wealthy clergy, who called him out for being an adulterer. In 1377, King Edward III died, and the Black Prince's 10-year-old son became King Richard II. John was effectively his regent and actually ran the country, but many in London thought that he wanted to seize the throne. Peasants revolted against John. His palace of Savoy was burned to the ground, and his family narrowly escaped and went on the run. Luckily, the prince was in Scotland, where the people who admired him were ready to protect him. 14-year-old King Richard famously rode out and calmed the furious peasant mob. From then on, the young king felt he no longer needed his uncle. Out of power in England, John journeyed to Castile to try and actually sit on the throne he had claimed for over a decade. But on the campaign, he lost half of his army to the plague. He came back to England a changed man. Weary of war, he tried unsuccessfully to broker peace with France. His second wife, Constance, died, and he quietly married Catherine and had their four children legitimized. John of Gaunt died peacefully in 1399, age 58, and was buried next to his first wife. He was best known for the incredible dynasty he fathered. John's children and descendants went on to fight on both sides of the Wars of the Roses and rule several countries. In the next episode, we'll meet them. But now, back to Edward III's children. Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, was born in 1341. At 18, he got his turn to go with daddy on a military expedition to France. This campaign failed, but Edmund was made a knight of the garter anyway. He continued fighting in France and aided his brother Edward at the siege of Limoges. He wed Isabella of Castile, and they had three children. Their son Richard was a grandfather of Edward IV and Richard III. Thus, Edmund is an ancestor of every English monarch from Henry VIII on. Edmund and Isabella did not have a happy marriage, and she was notoriously unfaithful. Edmund aided his brother John in his disastrous attempt to claim Castile. He inherited his godfather's lands in Yorkshire, and his nephew Richard elevated him to Duke of York. After the king fell out with John of Gaunt, Edmund acted as keeper of the realm whenever Richard was out of the country. In 1399, John's eldest son, Henry Bolingbroke, invaded England. Edmund raised an army to support King Richard, but then he decided to switch nephews and back Henry instead. He won, had himself crowned Henry IV, and imprisoned Richard. Edmund was richly rewarded for his support. Isabella died after 20 years of unhappy marriage, and Edmund promptly wed Joan Holland, an heiress 40 years his junior. They had no children. Edmund died in 1402, age 61. Blanche was born in 1342 in the Tower of London. She died shortly after birth and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Mary of Waltham, Duchess of Brittany, was born in 1344. Her future husband, John, son of the Sovereign Duke of Brittany, was five years old and living with the English royal family. This was part of Edward III's campaign to ally with other continental monarchs against France. Mary and her younger sister Margaret led a sheltered life at the royal residence at the was married to John, her childhood playmate, who was now Duke of Brittany. Her wedding dress was a gift from her father. The tunic and long mantle were made of two types of cloth of gold and lined with 640 ermine skins. The couple honeymooned at home at the English court, but plans were underway for their entrance in Brittany as Duke and Duchess. Before they departed, Mary fell ill with a lethargic disease and it was impossible to rouse her. She died in 1361, age 16. Her heartbroken husband referred to her as my late dearest companion. Margaret, Countess of Pembroke, was born in 1346. Numerous grooms were proposed for her, including Albert III of Austria and Charles of Blois, a union which would have made her a rival to her beloved elder sister Mary. The royal children had been raised with John Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, and Margaret was very close with him. They married when she was 13. When she was 15, Margaret fell seriously ill, possibly with the same wasting disease as Mary. She died one month after her beloved sister, and they were buried together in Abingdon Abbey. Their mother commissioned a tomb, and their father ordered stained glass windows commemorating his youngest daughters. Thomas of Windsor was born in 1348. He lived for over a year, but died of the plague and was buried at King's Langley Church in Hertfordshire. William of Windsor was born in 1348, but he died at just one month old. Edward and Philippa's youngest child, Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, was born in 1355. His eldest brother, Edward, was 25 at the time. At 19, he wed heiress Eleanor de Bois and given Plessy Castle in Essex. The couple had four children. At 22, Thomas was knighted and created Earl of Buckingham. Then he became Earl of Essex in his wife's name. Thomas commanded an army in aid of his brother-in-law, Duke John IV, in his war to keep Brittany independent from France. He laid siege to the city of Nantes and its vital bridge over the Loire River. But the Bretons decided to reconcile with King Charles VI, and with dysentery ravaging his men, Thomas gave up and returned home. There he discovered that his brother, John of Gaunt, had married his son, Henry, to Thomas' sister-in-law, Mary de Bourne. Thomas had been hoping to maintain control of both his wife and sister-in-law's lands and fortunes, and he was miffed. Still, he aided his brother and nephew in squashing the peasants' revolt. He was named Duke of Gloucester in gratitude. Richard II was unpopular and seen as extravagant and incompetent. Thomas continued to be at odds politically with his sovereign nephew. He even went so far as to but it was defeated and Thomas was imprisoned. While the prince awaited trial for treason, he was murdered, probably on the king's orders. Parliament declared Thomas posthumously guilty, and his estates were forfeit to the crown. But his death made Richard II even more unpopular. Edward III didn't just father 13 children by his wife. Towards the end of Queen Philippa's life, the king had an affair with her lady-in-waiting, Alice Pears. He was 52 and she was 16. They had three children together. After Edward III's death, his royal offspring accused Alice of manipulating the elderly senile king. They seized her property and ousted her from court. They had nothing to do with their illegitimate half-siblings, who got little benefit from being the children of a king. The eldest, Sir John de Southeray, married Maude Percy, the daughter of a wealthy baron. Sir John's wife divorced him, claiming that she had never consented to the union. He tried to redeem himself by serving under his royal half-brother, John of Gaunt, during his plagued Castilian campaign. But when the soldiers went unpaid, bitter Sir John led a mutiny. His brother took mercy on him. He was the only mutineer who was spared execution. His younger sisters both married men of minor gentry. Jane wed Richard Northland, and Joan married Robert Scairne, a lawyer and Member of Parliament. In the next episode, we'll meet John of Gaunt's illustrious children, learn how his eldest son Henry stole the throne from Richard II, how his daughters became queens of Portugal and Spain, and how his illegitimate descendants rose to challenge their royal cousins and found the Tudor dynasty. Want even more tea on history? Check out the History Tea Time podcast. Don't want to wait to see the next episode? Patrons get exclusive early access to all of my multi-part series. If you would like to join my Patreon and help me make more fascinating videos, click on the link in the description. Thank you for watching!