Biography of Maud Plantagenet Duchess Lower Bavaria 1340-1362

Around 1328 [her father] Henry of Grosmont 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 18] and [her mother] Isabel Beaumont Duchess Lancaster [aged 8] were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Henry Beaumont Earl Buchan [aged 49] and [her grandmother] Alice Comyn Baroness Beaumont. He the son of Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl Lancaster [aged 47] and Maud Chaworth. They were fourth cousins. He a great grandson of King Henry III of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

On or before 4th April 1340 Maud Plantagenet Duchess Lower Bavaria was born to Henry of Grosmont 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 30] and Isabel Beaumont Duchess Lancaster [aged 20] at Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire [Map]. The exact date of her birth uncertain. The Inquisition of her father in May 1361 refers to Blanche being "Maud lady of Henaud [Hainault], aged 21 years on the feast of St. Ambrose last". The Feast of the Ambrose being the 4th of April so Maud was born on or before the 4th of April 1340. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry III of England.

In 1344 Ralph Stafford and Maud Plantagenet Duchess Lower Bavaria [aged 3] were married. She the daughter of Henry of Grosmont 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 34] and Isabel Beaumont Duchess Lancaster [aged 24]. He the son of Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford [aged 42] and Margaret Audley Countess Stafford [aged 26]. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 2 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry III of England.

In 1345 [her future husband] William Wittelsbach I Duke Lower Bavaria [aged 14] succeeded V Count Holland.

On 22nd September 1345 [her grandfather] Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl Lancaster [aged 64] died at Leicester Castle [Map]. His son [her father] Henry [aged 35] succeeded 4th Earl of Leicester, 4th Earl Lancaster.

In 1347 [her husband] Ralph Stafford died.

In 1347 [her future husband] William Wittelsbach I Duke Lower Bavaria [aged 16] succeeded I Duke Lower Bavaria.

In 1352 William Wittelsbach I Duke Lower Bavaria [aged 21] and Maud Plantagenet Duchess Lower Bavaria [aged 11] were married in London. She by marriage Duchess Lower Bavaria. He by marriage Earl of Leicester. She the daughter of Henry of Grosmont 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 42] and Isabel Beaumont Duchess Lancaster [aged 32]. He the son of Louis Wittelsbach IV Holy Roman Emperor and Margaret Hainaut Holy Roman Empress [aged 40]. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry III of England.

After 19th July 1353 [her brother-in-law] Albert Wittelsbach I Duke Lower Bavaria [aged 16] and Margaret of Silesia Duchesa Lowwer Bavaria [aged 11] were married. She by marriage Duchess Lower Bavaria. He the son of Louis Wittelsbach IV Holy Roman Emperor and [her mother-in-law] Margaret Hainaut Holy Roman Empress [aged 41].

In 1356 [her daughter] Unamed Wittelsbach was born to [her husband] William Wittelsbach I Duke Lower Bavaria [aged 25] and Maud Plantagenet Duchess Lower Bavaria [aged 15]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Henry III of England. She died aged less than one years old.

In 1356 [her daughter] Unamed Wittelsbach died.

Inquisitions Post Mortem 118. Writ, 25 March, 35 Edward III. Derby. Inq. taken at Melbum, 4 May, 35 Edward III.

Melbum. The castle and manor (extent given), held of the king in chief by service of a barony. The following field and place names occiu- in the extent: — le Oxlesewe, le Heye, le Bencheparrok, Trentford, le Feldyngbrugge, Russhegrenes, le Hok by Littehnedewebrok, le Hallefeld, Carreweye, le Oldefisshepol, Shallohed and Hervestwellefield. A custom called ' thisteltak ' is payable at Michaelmas. The duke gave to Ingram Fauconer, constable of Melbum castle, a yearly rent of £10. for life, to Amice wife of the said Ingram 5 marks yearly for life, to be increased to 10 marks after her husband's death should she survive him, to John le Fauconer 5 marks for life, to Ahce late the wife of Thomas le Beek a pasture called ' Thomyholm ' for life, and to William le Synger of Weston a pasture called 'le Hassokes' with 'le Puttes' for life. There is a custom called 'tolpottes.'

He held no other lands in the county and no knights' fees or advowsons of churches.

He died on Tuesday before Easter last. His daughters Maud [aged 20] lady of Henaud, aged 21 years on the feast of St. Ambrose last, and [her sister] Blanche [aged 18], lady of Richmond, aged 19 years at the feast of the Annunciation last, are his heirs.

In 1361 [her mother] Isabel Beaumont Duchess Lancaster [aged 41] died.

On 18th September 1361 [her brother-in-law] Louis "The Brandenburger" Wittelsbach V Duke Bavaria [aged 45] died.

On 10th April 1362 Maud Plantagenet Duchess Lower Bavaria [aged 22] died. Her sister Blanche [aged 20] succeeded 6th Countess of Leicester. John of Gaunt 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 22] by marriage Earl of Leicester adding a fourth Earldom to the ones he already held: Earl Richmond, Earl Lancaster and Earl Derby.

On 15th April 1389 [her former husband] William Wittelsbach I Duke Lower Bavaria [aged 58] died.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. In this year, while the Lord Duke of Lancaster had gone to Prussia, and was then staying with the King of Kraków and Poland, engaged in action against the Turks, his daughter was betrothed in England, with the advice of the king and by official arrangement, to Lord William, Duke of Zeeland,¹ the firstborn son of the late Louis, Duke of Bavaria, who had been a usurper of the Holy Roman Empire.

Hoc anno domino duce Lancastrie Spruciam profecto et deinde apud regem Crakkowye et Polonie contra Turcos demorante, filia sua domino duci Selandie Willelmo, primogenito quondam Ludowici ducis Bavarie, intrusoris imperii Romani, fuit in Anglia desponsata de concilio regis et ordinacione.

Note 1. William the Mad, count of Holland, son of Louis of Bavaria by his second marriage with Margaret of Hainault, queen Philippa's sister, married Maud, elder daughter of the duke of Lancaster, who had previously been married to Ralph, son of Ralph lord Stafford. She died in 1362.