Who Was This Plantagenet Heiress?

Mary de Bohun

In 1373, the sudden death of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, left England stunned. He passed away without a male heir, leaving behind two young daughters, Eleanor and Mary. Overnight, these little girls became the wealthiest co-heiresses in the kingdom, inheriting vast lands, castles, and immense fortune.

But wealth in the medieval world brought extreme danger. Mary’s brother-in-law, Thomas of Woodstock (the Duke of Gloucester), had already married her elder sister. Greed took hold of him. Thomas realized that if Mary never married, her entire half of the inheritance would legally default to his household. To execute this theft, he orchestrated a sinister plan to lock the young Mary away inside a cloistered convent, forcing her to take religious vows of poverty and renounce her birthright forever.

Fortunately, Mary’s maternal family saw through the trap. In a daring rescue, they smuggled her out of Pleshey Castle under the guise of a friendly family visit. They immediately placed her under the protection of the powerful John of Gaunt. To permanently secure her wealth and safety, a marriage was swiftly arranged between Mary and Gaunt's son, Henry Bolingbroke (the future King Henry IV).

Though born of political survival, their union blossomed into a deeply supportive partnership. Mary went on to secure the Lancastrian dynasty, giving birth to the legendary future King Henry V. Tragically, she passed away in 1394 at just 24 years old after giving birth to her final child, never living to see her husband take the crown. Though she never wore the queen's crown, her bloodline shaped European royalty for generations.