Document Type
Article
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Abstract
A courtier during the reign of Richard II (r. 1377–1399), Joan de Mohun (d. 1404) received garter robes as a Lady of the Garter and received an invitation to the feast of Saint George for the first time in 1384. A benefit reserved for elite women or those belonging to the inner circle of Richard II, elevation to the Ladies of the Garter demonstrated a woman’s honored position at court. Yet Joan de Mohun gained favor during her lifetime with not only the king but also other important figures including John of Gaunt (1340–1399) and Anne of Bohemia (1366–1394). Although Joan’s father, Bartholomew Burghersh, the elder (d. 1355), and husband, John de Mohun V (1320–1376), served the crown during the reigns of Edward III (r. 1327–1377) and Richard II, they remained on the fringe of elite society. Joan, however, developed personal friendships with John of Gaunt, Richard II, and Anne of Bohemia. The tenor of such relationships is seen through the frequency and type of gifts that Joan received from these individuals. While her father and husband were alive, Joan received patronage and gifts in her name, benefits that continued into her widowhood. The continuity of these personal favors suggests that Joan received such patronage on her own merit, allowing Joan to create a comfortable position at court. This article examines the relationships that Joan de Mohun developed with the royal family, the patronage that she personally received, and the ways that she established herself as a valuable and respected member at court.
Keywords
female patronage, piety, gift-giving, English gentry, fourteenth-century court culture, gendered space, tomb building, self-fashioning, Canterbury Cathedral
Recommended Citation
Morris, Melissa M. "Arranging for Space: Religious Performance, Piety, and the Tomb of Joan de Mohun." Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality 60, No. 1 (2025)
