Loading AI tools
14th-century English princess From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joan of England (19 December 1333 or 28 January 1334 – 2 September 1348) was a daughter of Edward III and his wife, Philippa of Hainault. She died in the Black Death that struck Europe in 1348.[1][2]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2007) |
| Joan of England | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 19 December 1333 or 28 January 1334 Tower of London (perhaps) |
| Died | 2 September 1348 (aged 14) |
| Burial | |
| House | Plantagenet |
| Father | Edward III of England |
| Mother | Philippa of Hainault |
Joan, also known as Joanna, was born in the Tower of London.[3] As a child she was placed in the care of Marie de St Pol, wife of Aymer de Valence and foundress of Pembroke College, Cambridge.[4] She grew up with her sister Isabella, her brother Edward, and their cousin Joan of Kent.
In 1336, Joan was betrothed to the eldest son of Otto, Duke of Austria, with the stipulation that she would receive her education at the Austrian court.[5] However, Edward III showed reluctance in sending her and delayed her departure, promising that he would personally accompany her the following year.[6]
.jpg)
In 1338, Joan accompanied her father on his campaign to Antwerp.[7][6] Later, they traveled to Koblenz, where they met Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor,[8][9] and were his special guests at the Imperial Diet in the church of Saint Castor. Edward III was crowned vicar-general of the Holy Roman Empire and formed an alliance with Louis against Philip VI of France,[10][11][9] but in 1341 the emperor deserted him.[12]
Joan travelled with Louis IV's consort, Margaret of Hainault, to Munich and remained at court there for nearly a year before finally being brought to the Austrian court in the autumn of 1339.[13][14] Around this time, Duke Otto passed away, and Edward sensed that the new Duke of Austria was swayed towards France.[14] As a result, he decided to dissolve the marriage agreement and insisted on Joan's return home in 1340.[15]
In 1345, she was betrothed to Peter of Castile, son of Maria of Portugal and Alfonso XI of Castile.[16][17] In the summer of 1348, she left England with the blessing of her parents. Thanks to a heavily armed retinue she was, perhaps, the most protected woman of Europe at the time, and it is said that her trousseau alone required an entire ship.[citation needed] The travel schedule included a visit to one of her family's castles in Bordeaux.[18]
As Joan embarked on her journey, the Black Death had not yet appeared in England, and it is unlikely that the party was aware of the danger. Despite the severe outbreak of plague in Bordeaux, at first it did not occur to Joan and her advisors to leave town. Soon, they watched in horror as the members of the entourage began falling sick and dying. Robert Bouchier, the leader of the retinue, died on 20 August.
Joan feared for her life and was probably moved to the small village of Lormont (Loremo), where she remained for some time. However, she could not escape the disease and became its first victim in the camp, suffering a violent, quick attack and dying on 2 September 1348.[19]
Some accounts document that Joan was buried in Bayonne Cathedral, and her statue, in Westminster Abbey, is on the South Side of her father's tomb.[20]
Here is an excerpt from the letter that King Edward III sent to King Alfonso of Castile (translated by Rosemary Horrox in her book The Black Death):[21]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
