Saxon & Medieval — Late Medieval; 1371-1394
John of Gaunt
Livery badge in the shape of a shield decorated with the arms of John of Gaunt and his second wife, Constance of Castile. The arms of England are shown quartered with those of France and impaled with the arms of Leon and Castile. The mould used by the badge maker has made a mirror-image of the arms. The badge would have been worn by a follower of John of Gaunt.
John of Gaunt (1340-1399) was the Duke of Lancaster and one of the sons of King Edward III. John married Constance, the daughter of the King of Castile and Leon, in 1371. Due to this marriage, John claimed to be king of Castile and Leon. John of Gaunt was very unpopular as many people blamed him for England's military failures. In 1377 his followers began to hide their livery badges after one of the Duke's knights was attacked in the streets of London and his badges were torn off.
- Category:
- Saxon & Medieval
- Object ID:
- 80.70/13
- Object name:
- John of Gaunt
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- Late Medieval; 1371-1394
- Material:
lead alloy
- Measurements/duration:
- H 40 mm, W 33 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 80%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.