Philippa of Lancaster

Author:

Isabel Stilwell

Report:

42

Page:

17

Year:

2015

Subject Matter:

Diplomatic and General History

Excerpt:

From a talk given in July, 2015 to mark the 600th anniversary of the death of Philippa of Lancaster, based on the author’s historical novel, “Philippa of Lancaster — English Princess, Queen of Portugal”.

Remembering Philippa of Lancaster 600 hundred years after her death, nearly to the day, is a way of paying homage to a great queen. As the eldest daughter of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster, she was the granddaughter of the great Edward III. She left behind her much-loved England to marry the Portuguese King, João I, on the 11th of February, 1387, when the population of Porto filled the streets to enthusiastically acclaim Filipa de Lencastre as the Queen of Portugal. A woman of unwavering faith, known for her generosity and strong will, she was determined to change the Portuguese Court, which was so different from the one that she had grown up in. Philippa gave birth to her first child when she was 28, and this marked the start of the Ínclita Geração1, which would one day set sail in search of new worlds, forever changing the destiny of Portugal, and, indeed, of the world. She died of the plague on the 18th of July, 1415, at the age of 55, and was undoubtedly one of Portugal’s most important queens.

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