John of Gaunt of Castile. As his father and elder brother, Edward, the Black Prince, became incapacitated due to poor health, Gaunt assumed control of many government functions, and rose to become one of the most powerful political figures in England. He was faced with military difficulties abroad and political divisions at home, and disagreements as to how to deal with these crises led to tensions between Gaunt, the English Parliament, and the ruling class, making him an extremely unpopular figure for a time. John exercised great influence over the English throne during the minority of King Richard II, and the ensuing periods
Throne of England the existence of the government. It evolved naturally as a separation of the literal throne and property of the nation-state from the person and personal property of the monarch. According to tradition, the roots of British monarchy extend into legends before the ninth-century king Alfred the Great. On 1 May 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain was created by the political union of the Kingdom of England (which included Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland. In this period, the "Throne of the United Kingdom" was merged in usage with the "Throne of England." The modern Queen or King is a