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After Blanche's death in 1369, John married Constance of Castile, daughter of King Peter I of Castile, thus giving him a claim on the kingdom of Castile, which he would pursue unsuccessfully. After the death of his elder brother, Edward, the Black Prince, John of Gaunt became increasingly powerful. He was able to protect the religious reformer, John Wyclif, with whose aims he sympathised. When his father died and was succeeded by John's nephew, the youthful Richard II of England, Gaunt's position was strengthened still further, but some unwise decisions and actions caused Richard, and some of the common people, to distrust him, which is why his Savoy Palace was destroyed by rioters during the Peasants' RevoltPeasant revolts See Peasants' War for the German Peasants' Revolt of 1524- 1526 The Peasants' Revolt or Great Rising of 1381 is a major event in the history of England. The names of its leaders, John Ball, Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, are still familiar even of 1381Events June 12 Peasants' Revolt: In England rebels arrive at Blackheath. June 14 King Richard II of England meets the leaders of Peasants Revolt. The revolt is discussed in John Gower's Vox Clamantis of this year. Births Deaths 1381.. In 1386Events End of reign of Poland by Capet-Anjou family. Dan I is succeeded as ruler of Wallachia by Mircea the Old. The Viking colony of Greenland submits itself to the Norwegian king. Births March 12 Ashikaga Yoshimochi, Ashikaga shogun Deaths 1386., he was dispatched by Richard to the Continent as an ambassador. In the meantime, he had fathered four children by a mistress, Katherine SwynfordCatherine (or Katharine or Katherine (~1350 1403) was the daughter of Payne (or Paen) de Roet (or Rouet or Roelt) a Flemish herald from Hainault who was knighted just before dying in the wars, leaving Catherine and her older sister Philippa, as well as a (whose sister married the poet, Geoffrey ChaucerChanticleer and the Fox at Ashby-de-la-Zouch castle Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1343- 1400) was an English author, philosopher, diplomat, and poet, and is best known and remembered as the author of The Canterbury Tales''. He is sometimes credited with being the). Years after his wife died, he married Katherine, and their children, the Beauforts, were legitimised but barred from inheriting the throne. From the eldest son, John, came a granddaughter, Margaret BeaufortMargaret Beaufort ( May 31 1443 June 29 1509) was the daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, granddaughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt and his mistress Katherine Swynford; following Gaunt's mar, whose son, later King Henry VII of EnglandHenry VII ( January 28, 1457 April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland ( August 22, 1485 April 21, 1509), was the founder of the Tudor dynasty and is generally acknowledged as one of England's most successful kings. King of England, Lord of Irelan, would nevertheless claim the throne.

John of Gaunt's legitimate son from his first marriage, Henry Bolingbroke, was less of a diplomat than his father, and was banished from the kingdom by Richard II in 1398. When John of Gaunt died in 1399, his estates were declared forfeit to the crown. This caused Bolingbroke to return, and he deposed the unpopular Richard to reign as King Henry IV of England.