John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 – February 3, 1399), was the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and is so called because he was born at Ghent in 1340. He became Duke of Lancaster by his first marriage to his cousin, Blanche (1359), heiress to the Palatinate of Lancaster, a title which gave its holder considerable independence from the crown. Gaunt was a fabulously wealthy prince who maintained a household organised along the lines of a royal household, as well as vast estates across England and France and thirty castles.
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. However, Gaunt's ascendancy to political power coincided with widespread resentment of his influence. At a time when when the war in France was going badly and Edward III's rule was becoming unpopular due to high taxation and the King's affair with Alice Perrers, Gaunt was closely associated with the failing government of the 1370s. Furthermore, while the king and the Prince of Wales were popular heroes due to their success on the battlefield, Gaunt had never known any such military success which might have redeemed him.
When King Edward III died and was succeeded by John's nephew, the nine-year-old Richard II of England, Gaunt's influence was strengthened further, but mistrust remained and some suspected him of wanting to seize the throne for himself. He took pains to ensure that he was never associated with the opposition to Richard's kingship, but as virtual ruler of England during Richard's minority, some unwise decisions on taxation led to the Peasants' Revolt in 1381 during which his Savoy Palace was destroyed by the rebels.
In 1386, Richard, who had by now assumed more power for himself, dispatched Gaunt to Spain as an ambassador. However, crisis ensued almost immediately and in 1387 Richard's misrule took the country to the brink of civil war. Only Gaunt, on his return to England, was able to bring about a compromise between the Lords Appellant and King Richard, ushering in a period of stability and relative harmony. During the 1390s Gaunt's reputation of devotion to the well-being of the kingdom was much restored. Gaunt died in 1399.