Blanche of England

Blanche of England
Blanche (middle) with her husband and his second wife Matilda as depicted in 1435
Born	Spring 1392 Peterborough Castle, Northamptonshire
Died	22 May 1409(1409-05-22) (aged 17) Haguenau, Alsace
Burial	St Mary's at Neustadt, Electorate of the Palatinate
Spouse	Louis III, Elector Palatine (m. 1402; her death 1409)
House	Lancaster
Father	Henry IV, King of England
Mother	Mary de Bohun

Blanche of England, LG (spring 1392 – 22 May 1409), also known as Blanche of Lancaster, was a member of the House of Lancaster, the daughter of King Henry IV of England by his first wife Mary de Bohun.

Born at Peterborough Castle in Northamptonshire, Blanche was the sixth of the seven children born during the marriage of Henry of Lancaster and his wife Mary de Bohun. At the time of her birth, Henry was only Earl of Derby and, thanks to his marriage, Earl of Northampton and Earl of Hereford; as the only surviving son of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster, he was the heir of the Duchy of Lancaster. Blanche was named after her paternal grandmother.

Blanche's mother died on 4 June 1394 in Peterborough Castle after giving birth to her last child, Philippa. Five years later, on 13 October, Blanche's father deposed his cousin Richard II and usurped the throne. Three years later, in 1402, her father was remarried, to Joanna, daughter of King Charles II of Navarre and widow of Duke John V of Brittany. They had no children.

After his accession to the English throne, King Henry IV wanted to make important alliances in order to maintain and legitimise his rule. One needed ally was King Rupert of Germany, who had also ascended following his predecessor's deposition: a marriage between Rupert's eldest surviving son Louis and Henry IV's eldest daughter Blanche was soon arranged.