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Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster
Acclaimed author Alison Weir has been prolific with her books on English royalty covering everything from the Houses of York and Lancaster to the reigns of the Tudors and beyond. Now this remarkable historian brings to life the extraordinary tale of the woman who was ancestor to them all: Katherine Swynford, a royal mistress who was to become one of the most crucial figures in the history of the British royal dynasties.
Born in the mid-fourteenth century, Katherine de Roët was only twelve when she married Hugh Swynford, an impoverished knight. But her story had already begun when, at just ten years old, she was appointed to the household of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and fourth son of King Edward III, to help look after the Duke’s children. Widowed at twenty-one, Katherine, gifted with beauty and undeniable charms, was to become John of Gaunt’s mistress.
Their years together played out against a backdrop of court life at the height of the Age of Chivalry. Katherine experienced the Hundred Years’ War, the Black Death, and the Peasants’ Revolt. She survived heartbreak and adversity, and crossed paths with many eminent figures of the day, among them her brother-in-law, the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Yet as intriguing as she was to many of her contemporaries, there were those who regarded her as scandalous and dangerous.
Throughout the years of their illicit union, John and Katherine were clearly devoted to each other, and in middle age, after many twists of fortune, they wed. The marriage caused far more scandal than the affair had, for it was unheard of for a royal prince to wed his mistress. Yet Katherine triumphed, and her children by John, the Beauforts, would become the direct forebears of the Royal Houses of York, Tudor, and Stuart, and of every British sovereign since 1461 (as well as four U.S. presidents).
Drawing on rare documentation, Alison Weir paints a vivid portrait of a passionate spirit who lived one of medieval England’s greatest love stories. Mistress of the Monarchy reveals a woman ahead of her time–making her own choices, flouting convention, and taking control of her destiny. Indeed, without Katherine Swynford the course of English history, perhaps even the world, would have been very different.
Born in the mid-fourteenth century, Katherine de Roët was only twelve when she married Hugh Swynford, an impoverished knight. But her story had already begun when, at just ten years old, she was appointed to the household of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and fourth son of King Edward III, to help look after the Duke’s children. Widowed at twenty-one, Katherine, gifted with beauty and undeniable charms, was to become John of Gaunt’s mistress.
Their years together played out against a backdrop of court life at the height of the Age of Chivalry. Katherine experienced the Hundred Years’ War, the Black Death, and the Peasants’ Revolt. She survived heartbreak and adversity, and crossed paths with many eminent figures of the day, among them her brother-in-law, the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Yet as intriguing as she was to many of her contemporaries, there were those who regarded her as scandalous and dangerous.
Throughout the years of their illicit union, John and Katherine were clearly devoted to each other, and in middle age, after many twists of fortune, they wed. The marriage caused far more scandal than the affair had, for it was unheard of for a royal prince to wed his mistress. Yet Katherine triumphed, and her children by John, the Beauforts, would become the direct forebears of the Royal Houses of York, Tudor, and Stuart, and of every British sovereign since 1461 (as well as four U.S. presidents).
Drawing on rare documentation, Alison Weir paints a vivid portrait of a passionate spirit who lived one of medieval England’s greatest love stories. Mistress of the Monarchy reveals a woman ahead of her time–making her own choices, flouting convention, and taking control of her destiny. Indeed, without Katherine Swynford the course of English history, perhaps even the world, would have been very different.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published January 27, 2009
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7536 people want to read
About the author
Alison Weir
83 books8,372 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Alison Weir is an English writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about British kings and queens, and of historical fiction. Before becoming an author, Weir worked as a teacher of children with special needs. She received her formal training in history at teacher training college. She currently lives in Surrey, England, with her two children.
Alison Weir is an English writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about British kings and queens, and of historical fiction. Before becoming an author, Weir worked as a teacher of children with special needs. She received her formal training in history at teacher training college. She currently lives in Surrey, England, with her two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 438 reviews
November 2, 2007
I picked up a book thinking huh, Christmas present for my mother, and then somehow it was gone 1 in the morning and I'm still. reading.it.
I read the Anya Seton book, and I knew it probably wasn't quite like that, so when I saw a book on Katherine Swinford I may have pounced on it. I have mixed feelings about it.
Alison Weir takes a very small amount of cloth and cuts an exceedingly large coat from it. The cultural and political stuff is fascinating -- I remember enough from socio-economic history of the middle ages that this all slots neatly into the hundred years war, the black death and the Lollards.
And of course, there's Chaucer, and Lancaster and it's all good fun with 700 years distance :-). I did get a certain amount of whiplash from her attitude to Froissart -- depending on whether she likes the inferences or not he's reliable ... or not. And the whole business of taking a possibility and then treating it as established fact and relying on it for the next rather flimsy assumption -- and then taking to task other historians doing the exact same thing (such as assuming that every gift to Katherine related to her relationship with John, and then when similar or greater gifts are handed to other women then no, no those aren't evidence of affairs. Except when they are. *sigh*) is annoying and frustrating. Also, dishonest.
The fire which destroyed the Savoy Palace also destroyed key financial records. More importantly, so little remains from the fourteenth century that much of our history of that period is anecdotal and based on accounts never intended for the purposes to which they are now put, and which bear the weight of historical enquiry with varying degrees of success.
Weir makes no real attempt to derive Katherine's character except from the facts, and from a scattering of maybe fewer than fifty points it's hard to really feel that yes, this was the woman who captivated John of Gaunt. I was left fascinated but ultimately unsatisfied.
That said, it's a riveting read. Flimsy fabric and all.
I read the Anya Seton book, and I knew it probably wasn't quite like that, so when I saw a book on Katherine Swinford I may have pounced on it. I have mixed feelings about it.
Alison Weir takes a very small amount of cloth and cuts an exceedingly large coat from it. The cultural and political stuff is fascinating -- I remember enough from socio-economic history of the middle ages that this all slots neatly into the hundred years war, the black death and the Lollards.
And of course, there's Chaucer, and Lancaster and it's all good fun with 700 years distance :-). I did get a certain amount of whiplash from her attitude to Froissart -- depending on whether she likes the inferences or not he's reliable ... or not. And the whole business of taking a possibility and then treating it as established fact and relying on it for the next rather flimsy assumption -- and then taking to task other historians doing the exact same thing (such as assuming that every gift to Katherine related to her relationship with John, and then when similar or greater gifts are handed to other women then no, no those aren't evidence of affairs. Except when they are. *sigh*) is annoying and frustrating. Also, dishonest.
The fire which destroyed the Savoy Palace also destroyed key financial records. More importantly, so little remains from the fourteenth century that much of our history of that period is anecdotal and based on accounts never intended for the purposes to which they are now put, and which bear the weight of historical enquiry with varying degrees of success.
Weir makes no real attempt to derive Katherine's character except from the facts, and from a scattering of maybe fewer than fifty points it's hard to really feel that yes, this was the woman who captivated John of Gaunt. I was left fascinated but ultimately unsatisfied.
That said, it's a riveting read. Flimsy fabric and all.
May 25, 2021
Katherine Swynford is one of those women you hear very little about but whose life had an immense impact on the history of the British Royal House. That is why it is so important to not forget her or her legacy. In this book Weir has tried to recount her life from few and very sparse sources that hardly give any clue as to the life of this elusive woman, who seems to have preferred her privacy to anything else, even at the height of her power as the wife of the mighty Prince John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. That the sources are sparse is not hard to see in this biography, that seems to focus as much on the rest of the royal house as on Katherine and John. Of course it cannot be denied that these other things are important, very important in fact, but in this book they usually seem to have presedence over Katherine who is, after all, supposed to be the main focus. Her name is, as in the chronicles of that time, hardly ever mentioned here, which irked me to no end. Most of the book was pure fill to make it longer, describing the lives of, for instance, Katherine's sister Philippa in detail, though this is not at all relevant to the rest of the story. I wanted to read about Katherine and John, not Philippa. But the end result is a very good view of the life of Katherine Swynford and her contemporaries, giving insight into both domestic and foreign trials during the beginning of the Hundred Years War.
February 18, 2022
Alison Weir is a wonderful historian in the tradition of Barbara Tuchman and Lady Antonia Frasier. I first read Anya Seton's Katherine as a young teenager and became a lifelong student of Plantagenet history. I've always looked for reliable information on Katherine. Carol Sargeant published a John of Gaunt trilogy billed as history, and it was absolutely dreadful-I gave it to my local bookstore-Seton's novel was much more accurate in the facts. Having read many of Weir's bios, I took this up eagerly and was not disappointed. It is so beautifully researched and footnoted that it takes my breath away. (I am one of those weird nerds who revels in footnotes.) I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
February 7, 2025
“This obsession with death and suffering revealed itself in literature, poetry, art, and particularly in sculpture, with the appearance of cadaver tombs with an effigy of the deceased in life above, and another depicting his or her rotting corpse below—a grisly reminder of the end of all flesh.”
This isn’t a novel, but actually a straightforward and well researched biography. Katherine is one of those women who played a significant role in medieval British history but is now much less remembered. She was the mistress and eventually third wife of John of Gaunt, son of Edward III. John of Gaunt and his father founded the Lancastrian side of the Wars of the Roses. The list of Katherine’s ancestors is impressive (or not depending on your sensibilities).
The list includes all the English royal family from Henry V onwards (present royals included), the Tudors were direct descendants, the Scottish royal family from James II, the Spanish and Portuguese royal families, Diana Princess of Wales, assorted US presidents (including Washington, Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, FDR and the Bushes), Winston Churchill, Tennyson and Bertrand Russell.
There are a significant number of gaps in her life, including an accurate date of birth, but Weir does well with what she has. It can feel a little pedestrian at times, but it is informative. Weir also uses sources like Froissant and Thomas of Walsingham. There are plenty of lists and dates and Weir paints a pretty good picture. There is a fair amount of speculation as well though. This isn’t scholarly history, but it is a solid biography.
She is buried in Lincoln Cathedral, very close to where I live and I often walk past the house where she lived in the 1380s and 1390s, so there is a local connection for me.
There are a few interesting lines to follow. Katherine was born on the continent and was perceived as being foreign, which caused a good deal of resentment at the height of her notoriety. Immigration still an issue in the fourteenth century!!
I enjoyed the local connections. It was also interesting to be reminded what lengths the wealthy went to live rapaciously and to save their souls as well!
This isn’t a novel, but actually a straightforward and well researched biography. Katherine is one of those women who played a significant role in medieval British history but is now much less remembered. She was the mistress and eventually third wife of John of Gaunt, son of Edward III. John of Gaunt and his father founded the Lancastrian side of the Wars of the Roses. The list of Katherine’s ancestors is impressive (or not depending on your sensibilities).
The list includes all the English royal family from Henry V onwards (present royals included), the Tudors were direct descendants, the Scottish royal family from James II, the Spanish and Portuguese royal families, Diana Princess of Wales, assorted US presidents (including Washington, Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, FDR and the Bushes), Winston Churchill, Tennyson and Bertrand Russell.
There are a significant number of gaps in her life, including an accurate date of birth, but Weir does well with what she has. It can feel a little pedestrian at times, but it is informative. Weir also uses sources like Froissant and Thomas of Walsingham. There are plenty of lists and dates and Weir paints a pretty good picture. There is a fair amount of speculation as well though. This isn’t scholarly history, but it is a solid biography.
She is buried in Lincoln Cathedral, very close to where I live and I often walk past the house where she lived in the 1380s and 1390s, so there is a local connection for me.
There are a few interesting lines to follow. Katherine was born on the continent and was perceived as being foreign, which caused a good deal of resentment at the height of her notoriety. Immigration still an issue in the fourteenth century!!
I enjoyed the local connections. It was also interesting to be reminded what lengths the wealthy went to live rapaciously and to save their souls as well!
June 8, 2011
I think everyone who has read this, me included, was drawn to Katherine's story after reading Anya Seton's novel. While this book contains a few interesting illuminations into this fascinating 14th-century woman, so little is known--and that fact is reflected in the construction of the book. If you take out all the repetitions, I think it would be a third of its current length (how many times were we told that her petitions for a private altar showed her piety and that the petitions were granted spoke highly of how the church viewed her in spite of her relationship with John of Gaunt? Or that the two stayed in contact for the sake of their children? or, or, or...) And if you take out the speculation, there'd be almost nothing left. The book is far more about the better-documented people she associated with.
Bill Bryson's book on Shakespeare faced similar documentation problems, yet he turned it into a delightful romp through Elisabethan London. This one rather plods through the intrigues of Katherine's time. If you're curious about Katherine, it's worth the speed-read treatment. If not, Weir's other books are supposedly far better written.
Bill Bryson's book on Shakespeare faced similar documentation problems, yet he turned it into a delightful romp through Elisabethan London. This one rather plods through the intrigues of Katherine's time. If you're curious about Katherine, it's worth the speed-read treatment. If not, Weir's other books are supposedly far better written.
February 8, 2022
interesting and detailed look at the relationship between John Of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford and the history of the late 14th century England and France. a very little known character who has influenced British history since as all monarchs come from her line since Edward IV
January 15, 2015
I've been reading Alison Weir's history books since 1992, as her topics encompass the historical periods I've been interested in for a long time now. I'm always impressed with her insights (usually each book has a fresh, persuasive reinterpretation of some long-held belief) and her clarity (I thought The Wars of the Roses would bore me in its details, but I couldn't have been more wrong). Here, I have to say there were times when I was bored, but that was no fault of the author's writing or of her research, which always seems to be impeccable, or of her subject, except the inescapable fact that there's just not a lot of primary records on Katherine to be found (which the author admits straight off) so, unavoidably, a lot of inferences are made, which is not a problem in and of itself, except her conclusions get repetitive after only a short while.
While I am very interested in this time period and this woman (and I did love Anya Seton's novel, Katherine when I read it way back in the 80s), I think this biography is only worth the time for those who are extremely interested in this time period and/or this woman.
While I am very interested in this time period and this woman (and I did love Anya Seton's novel, Katherine when I read it way back in the 80s), I think this biography is only worth the time for those who are extremely interested in this time period and/or this woman.
January 26, 2009
So who was Katherine Swynford? Most have never heard the name before. She was the daughter of a page from Hainault who arrived in England under the service of Queen Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III. She was brought up in the royal household of Edward & Philippa, married a knight, one Hugh Swynford.
She became the mistress and later wife of John of Gaunt (Ghent). Here is 14th century scandal. However at the courts of Edward III & later Richard II, she was highly thought of. Geoffrey Chaucer was her brother-in-law.
Alison Weir's expert research pulls Katherine from the mists of history, to tell a story that reads like a novel. Her genealogy is part of Elizabeth II and nearly every monarch in Europe. Five American presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Franklin D.Roosevelt & George W.Bush. Sir Winston Churchill, Alfred Lord Tennyson & Bertrand Russell.
She became the mistress and later wife of John of Gaunt (Ghent). Here is 14th century scandal. However at the courts of Edward III & later Richard II, she was highly thought of. Geoffrey Chaucer was her brother-in-law.
Alison Weir's expert research pulls Katherine from the mists of history, to tell a story that reads like a novel. Her genealogy is part of Elizabeth II and nearly every monarch in Europe. Five American presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Franklin D.Roosevelt & George W.Bush. Sir Winston Churchill, Alfred Lord Tennyson & Bertrand Russell.
December 26, 2009
This is overall a very satisfying book. The author, Alison Weir, takes what scraps of information we have about Katherine Swynford and creates what is at least a plausible tale of her life and times. In addition, we get a detailed portrait of her lover and, later, husband--John of Gaunt, son of a king and father of kings. Indeed their liaison produced several lines of rulers--York, Lancaster, Tudor, and Stuart/Stewart. Indeed, the last paragraph of the book notes the even more remarkable descendants of the two focal figures in this book--Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales, and most monarchs in Europe today, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Franklin Roosevelt, George W. Bush, Winston Churchill, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Bertrand Russell, and others.
Weir seems careful to separate what is speculation and what is known about Katherine (e.g., she speculates that Katherine might have been in the royal court and might have met some future associates at that time). The context of the times is well described, so that even thought details are scarce on Katherine, the context in which she lives is richly depicted. Katherine herself comes off well as a character. Weir speculates that she might have been the model for one virtuous woman in Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" (Chaucer was her brother-in-law). Katherine wed Hugh Swynford, who served as a soldier in the king's army and was often away for long periods of time. As were most marriages of the time, this was more of a business deal than an exemplification of "love." Indeed, the record is unclear as to whether or not Katherine was happy with her husband. After having lived at court for a lengthy time, it must have been disheartening for her when she saw the rather plain housing into which she moved upon marriage.
Then, there is the twinned story of John of Gaunt. He was an important figure in royal circles. He married Blanche of Lancaster, and--odd enough for the time--they were truly in love with one another. His story details his role in English politics and international politics as well as his life with Blanche. One of their sons became Henry IV, succeeded by Henry V and the hapless Henry VI. Upon Blanche's untimely death, he married Constance of Castile; their daughter later married the King of Castile. After his marriage to Constance, and after the death of Hugh Swynford, Katherine became his mistress for some time (they may have separated at one point). She bore him, out of wedlock it goes without saying, four children--from those children came the Stuart kings (Scotland), the House of Tudor, and the Yorkist kings (Plantagenets--Edward IV and Richard III). In an extraordinary twist of history, one of the daughters of Edward IV, Elizabeth, married the first Tudor King, Henry VII.
After Constance's death, Katherine wed John and they lived as husband and wife for the few year together left them.
This is a fast moving story, covering an important part of English history. Weir, as best she can given limited information, brings the different characters to life as much as possible under those circumstances. I found this a fascinating book; it is well sritten. And, the genealogical tables at the end were absolutely vital for keeping the players straight (the notables include: The Roet family (Katherine's ancestors and her siblings), the descendants of Edward III (including John of Gaunt), the House of Lancaster, the Swynford family, the Chaucer family, and the Beauforts (descendants of John and Katherine, including Stuarts, Tudors, and Plantagenets).
Weir seems careful to separate what is speculation and what is known about Katherine (e.g., she speculates that Katherine might have been in the royal court and might have met some future associates at that time). The context of the times is well described, so that even thought details are scarce on Katherine, the context in which she lives is richly depicted. Katherine herself comes off well as a character. Weir speculates that she might have been the model for one virtuous woman in Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" (Chaucer was her brother-in-law). Katherine wed Hugh Swynford, who served as a soldier in the king's army and was often away for long periods of time. As were most marriages of the time, this was more of a business deal than an exemplification of "love." Indeed, the record is unclear as to whether or not Katherine was happy with her husband. After having lived at court for a lengthy time, it must have been disheartening for her when she saw the rather plain housing into which she moved upon marriage.
Then, there is the twinned story of John of Gaunt. He was an important figure in royal circles. He married Blanche of Lancaster, and--odd enough for the time--they were truly in love with one another. His story details his role in English politics and international politics as well as his life with Blanche. One of their sons became Henry IV, succeeded by Henry V and the hapless Henry VI. Upon Blanche's untimely death, he married Constance of Castile; their daughter later married the King of Castile. After his marriage to Constance, and after the death of Hugh Swynford, Katherine became his mistress for some time (they may have separated at one point). She bore him, out of wedlock it goes without saying, four children--from those children came the Stuart kings (Scotland), the House of Tudor, and the Yorkist kings (Plantagenets--Edward IV and Richard III). In an extraordinary twist of history, one of the daughters of Edward IV, Elizabeth, married the first Tudor King, Henry VII.
After Constance's death, Katherine wed John and they lived as husband and wife for the few year together left them.
This is a fast moving story, covering an important part of English history. Weir, as best she can given limited information, brings the different characters to life as much as possible under those circumstances. I found this a fascinating book; it is well sritten. And, the genealogical tables at the end were absolutely vital for keeping the players straight (the notables include: The Roet family (Katherine's ancestors and her siblings), the descendants of Edward III (including John of Gaunt), the House of Lancaster, the Swynford family, the Chaucer family, and the Beauforts (descendants of John and Katherine, including Stuarts, Tudors, and Plantagenets).
March 10, 2009
This is biography done the old-fashioned way--tracking down every trace of a record and pursuing every obscure sideline. Weir tells the story of Katherine Swynford (c 1350-1403) who had a long affair with John of Gaunt, a younger son of King Edward III, and ultimately married him when they were both well into middle-age (no pun intended). This was a brazen love match in a century when marriage was strictly for political and financial gain and no one expected it to have anything to do with affection. Even more unusually, Katherine and John's four bastard children were later legitimized. Katherine's descendants were major players in the War of the Roses, became the Stuart and Tudor dynasties, and the the ancestors of every British monarch since 1461.
February 17, 2008
I read this hoping to get a clearer picture of Katherine Swynford (of 'Katherine' by Anysa Seton fame).
I ended up with a much clearer sense of John of Gaunt, Henry IV and Edward III. Which is fine, but not what was intended.
So, do I recommend it? If you have an interest in this particular period of history, this may either augment knowledge you already have or give a starting point. If you're looking for the definitive story of Katherine Swynford - I doubt that such a book can now be written. It's a pity: the snippets of history we have indicate that she was a fascinating woman.
I ended up with a much clearer sense of John of Gaunt, Henry IV and Edward III. Which is fine, but not what was intended.
So, do I recommend it? If you have an interest in this particular period of history, this may either augment knowledge you already have or give a starting point. If you're looking for the definitive story of Katherine Swynford - I doubt that such a book can now be written. It's a pity: the snippets of history we have indicate that she was a fascinating woman.
March 3, 2025
Currently trying to figure out how every major historical figure in Europe is a descendant of John and Katherine, BRB!
Jk I don’t know how British historians (or really any historian) keep track of these family trees, especially when everyone has the same goddamn first name!
Anyway, this was good, very informative and just makes me mad we don’t know more about this woman, and how she was ignored or erased throughout history because she was John’s mistress. Crazy how two people banging can spawn an entire royal dynasty- without her, the Tudor line wouldn’t have existed. Truly an example of “well behaved women rarely make history” - if she hadn’t gone against conventions and hooked up with a man by all accounts it seemed she genuinely loved, and who loved her, she wouldn’t have made her mark in history. A Uterus is a powerful thing and women are never given the credit for due to them for creating dynasty’s.
As a nerd, I’m glad I read this after reading “Katherine” by Anya Seton. I loved that novel and I think it’s important in how it humanized John and Katherine, but it is a work of fiction. One big thing I think is left out of the Seton novelization of Katherine is that she seemed to a very capable household manager and business woman, and very careful in ensuring her children were provided for, both from her first husband, and her children with John.
In the novel she’s a bit more passive and is afraid of pushing or asking too much of John, not wanting him to doubt her love, which could reflect the moral values of the 1950s as well as gender roles of the time the novel was written, it also I guess makes it more romantic- it’s not exactly the epitome of romance to show their love by counting the amount of horses she had stabled with him, or how she would request for forest land or oak trees to increase and better the Synford holdings for her oldest son lol.
Because that seems to be the main source of these story here - looking at various accounts, mainly household report type documents, and mentions in chronicles, and making educated guesses and interpretations as to what was happening and who was where at what time. Which I see some reviews criticizing, which I get, but also I think Katherine deserves to have at least one biography devoted to her, and Weir I think is doing the best she can with the sources provided. We just don’t know.
It’s so impressive to me how Katherine seemed to expertly and diplomatically navigate relationships with the Lancaster’s despite her reputation. She seemed be extremely diplomatic and able to maintain good relations with John’s other children even though she was the “other woman” and was very careful in what she asked for financially, while still ensuring her children were provided for. She never seemed to “overstep” as other mistresses have been famous for. She seemed to be devoted to ensuring her children from her marriage, her Beaufort’s, and John’s other children all got along for the most part, like I could totally imagine a world where Henry IV resented and disliked Katherine, but by all accounts it seemed he and his first wife held her in high esteem.
That’s what’s very impressive to me in general about her, John of Gaunt, and Edward III and his wife Philippa - they all managed to raise their children to be very close and united- unlike other British royal families (see Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine lmao) and to be devoted and loyal to the crown. John of Gaunt definitely could’ve made a bid for the throne, especially when Richard II was still a child, but he never did. His son did, breaking the loyalty streak, but if my cousin tried to steal my inheritance right after forbidding me from ever seeing my father again, I’d be pissed off too.
Katherine is an extremely impressive woman, and I wish she and John had been able to longer together as husband and wife. I hope as years go on that we can maybe uncover more about her and her life.
Jk I don’t know how British historians (or really any historian) keep track of these family trees, especially when everyone has the same goddamn first name!
Anyway, this was good, very informative and just makes me mad we don’t know more about this woman, and how she was ignored or erased throughout history because she was John’s mistress. Crazy how two people banging can spawn an entire royal dynasty- without her, the Tudor line wouldn’t have existed. Truly an example of “well behaved women rarely make history” - if she hadn’t gone against conventions and hooked up with a man by all accounts it seemed she genuinely loved, and who loved her, she wouldn’t have made her mark in history. A Uterus is a powerful thing and women are never given the credit for due to them for creating dynasty’s.
As a nerd, I’m glad I read this after reading “Katherine” by Anya Seton. I loved that novel and I think it’s important in how it humanized John and Katherine, but it is a work of fiction. One big thing I think is left out of the Seton novelization of Katherine is that she seemed to a very capable household manager and business woman, and very careful in ensuring her children were provided for, both from her first husband, and her children with John.
In the novel she’s a bit more passive and is afraid of pushing or asking too much of John, not wanting him to doubt her love, which could reflect the moral values of the 1950s as well as gender roles of the time the novel was written, it also I guess makes it more romantic- it’s not exactly the epitome of romance to show their love by counting the amount of horses she had stabled with him, or how she would request for forest land or oak trees to increase and better the Synford holdings for her oldest son lol.
Because that seems to be the main source of these story here - looking at various accounts, mainly household report type documents, and mentions in chronicles, and making educated guesses and interpretations as to what was happening and who was where at what time. Which I see some reviews criticizing, which I get, but also I think Katherine deserves to have at least one biography devoted to her, and Weir I think is doing the best she can with the sources provided. We just don’t know.
It’s so impressive to me how Katherine seemed to expertly and diplomatically navigate relationships with the Lancaster’s despite her reputation. She seemed be extremely diplomatic and able to maintain good relations with John’s other children even though she was the “other woman” and was very careful in what she asked for financially, while still ensuring her children were provided for. She never seemed to “overstep” as other mistresses have been famous for. She seemed to be devoted to ensuring her children from her marriage, her Beaufort’s, and John’s other children all got along for the most part, like I could totally imagine a world where Henry IV resented and disliked Katherine, but by all accounts it seemed he and his first wife held her in high esteem.
That’s what’s very impressive to me in general about her, John of Gaunt, and Edward III and his wife Philippa - they all managed to raise their children to be very close and united- unlike other British royal families (see Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine lmao) and to be devoted and loyal to the crown. John of Gaunt definitely could’ve made a bid for the throne, especially when Richard II was still a child, but he never did. His son did, breaking the loyalty streak, but if my cousin tried to steal my inheritance right after forbidding me from ever seeing my father again, I’d be pissed off too.
Katherine is an extremely impressive woman, and I wish she and John had been able to longer together as husband and wife. I hope as years go on that we can maybe uncover more about her and her life.
March 3, 2009
This is very readable, and it's a nice overview of the life and times of Katherine Swynford. Her story is fascinating, but I must say that Anya Seton's popular novel Katherine is a more satisfying read, for all its inaccuracies.
Apparently very little is actually known about Katherine, and this biography seems to be mostly derived from the surviving records of gifts that were granted to her and her family by various people, primarily John of Gaunt. The book is a constant stream of guesswork: Katherine perhaps lived here in this year, and she probably had her third (or maybe fourth) child in this year, and she might have been doing such-and-such in this place at this time. Weir originally wanted to write a biography of John of Gaunt, and I really think she should have stuck with that.
This left me wanting to re-read Katherine, and to find a good book on Richard II.
Apparently very little is actually known about Katherine, and this biography seems to be mostly derived from the surviving records of gifts that were granted to her and her family by various people, primarily John of Gaunt. The book is a constant stream of guesswork: Katherine perhaps lived here in this year, and she probably had her third (or maybe fourth) child in this year, and she might have been doing such-and-such in this place at this time. Weir originally wanted to write a biography of John of Gaunt, and I really think she should have stuck with that.
This left me wanting to re-read Katherine, and to find a good book on Richard II.
June 20, 2017
Why is there no miniseries about this couple?!?! Someone please make it...PLEASE!
I have fallen completely in love with their story and I need more!!!!
John and Katherine's story kept me on the edge of my chair, I simply had to know how their story would end. I can't even imagine what they went through together and how much they must have loved each other. It's seriously quite overwhelming.
There is an historical fiction about this couple...that I may or may not have just purchased and will consume shortly. 😂
I have fallen completely in love with their story and I need more!!!!
John and Katherine's story kept me on the edge of my chair, I simply had to know how their story would end. I can't even imagine what they went through together and how much they must have loved each other. It's seriously quite overwhelming.
There is an historical fiction about this couple...that I may or may not have just purchased and will consume shortly. 😂
September 21, 2018
Katherine Swynford is a figure of romance and scandal, remembered best as the low-ranking mistress who married her lover, John of Gaunt, and became the Duchess of Lancaster. Their children, the Beauforts, would be legitimised by Richard II and rise to prominence in the reigns of the Lancastrian kings, before their descendant, Henry VII, would ultimately claim the throne of England as the victor of the Wars of the Roses.
I neither enjoyed this book a great deal or found myself terribly annoyed by it. I picked this up with some hesitation, aware that Alison Weir has something of a reputation as not being reliable as a historian, but this, surprisingly, did not arise as a significant issue in my reading. Maybe I just don’t know enough about Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt to be a proper judge.
Katherine’s life is poorly evidenced – some records, such as her will, have been lost or destroyed – and for many, Anya Seton’s interpretation of her in the iconic novel Katherine is the dominant image. However, Seton’s work was fiction and by reading Weir’s biography, some (but not all) of Seton’s inaccuracies are revealed – of course, as Weir notes on her appendix on this novel, it reflects more accurately the time when it was written and published more than it does Katherine’s own historical period.
But how does Weir build a biography out of such limited evidence? There is some speculation – honestly, I tired of reading “it is impossible to know/there is no evidence/we will never know” (or some variation) before Weir told us how Katherine “must have” felt. And there is some repetition – we heard a lot about how pious Katherine was and how Chaucer owed pretty much everything to her influence.
Moreover, Weir turns the narrative into a sort of roving tale. This is subtitled as a biography of Katherine and John of Gaunt, but we also get a lot of biographical detail and conjecture about other figures. At one stage, the book even felt like a biography of Katherine, Gaunt and Geoffrey Chaucer (I suppose that’s fair – he was, after all, Katherine’s brother-in-law and enjoyed Gaunt’s patronage). Other figures briefly sketched by Weir include Katherine’s sister, Philippa Chaucer; Gaunt’s first two wives, Blanche of Lancaster and Constance of Castile; all of Katherine’s children, the Swynfords and the Beauforts; the future Henry IV and his wife, Mary de Bohun; and Richard II. In some ways, this makes sense as an approach – for instance, we get information about Mary de Bohun because Katherine served her as a lady-in-waiting. But it does have its downfalls – Katherine barely appears in the second chapter, for instance, and a reader solely wanting to know about Katherine might be frustrated by the diversions Weir takes. I’m interested enough in this period and some of these figures that I didn’t mind learning about them.
However, I do think Weir could have done more in biographizing John of Gaunt. I also felt frustrated that her discussion of his death was limited to a few pages discussing the theory he had died of a venereal disease. It makes for a convincing argument, but then, with no other options presented, it’s hard to come to any other conclusion.
I was also not entirely comfortable with Weir’s tendency to turn to Chaucer’s works to extrapolate details and interpretations to the real-life figures. I know very little about Chaucer and I accept there is some logic in extrapolating from The Book of the Duchess, written about Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster and Gaunt’s first wife, but his other works?
There were some details of Weir’s that I took issue with. Her discussion of Edward of Woodstock (‘the Black Prince’) and Joan of Kent lacked nuance, and after recently reading biographies of both figures, this was disappointing. Part of this might be due to the book’s age – it is eleven years old. Michael Jones’s recently published The Black Prince, for example, convincingly challenges the account of Edward’s abhorrent behaviour at Limoges. Weir states that Edward died of amoebic dysentery, but the more recent studies I’ve read challenge this (I think one pointed out that it would be impossible to survive amoebic dysentery for nine years) and instead suggest other causes, such as rectal cancer or a venereal disease.
Weir also repeats the narrative that, in 1382, the twelve-year-old Mary de Bohun gave birth to her and Henry Bolingbroke’s firstborn son that did not long survive, which is now discredited and outdated – it is now accepted that their firstborn child was the future Henry V, born most likely in 1386. Additionally, Weir is a bit odd with her sources – in some situations, she upbraids Walsingham or Froissart as unreliable, then turns around and uses them as though they are reliable.
The writing is largely fine – it’s clear and accessible, but it wasn’t as readable as I thought Weir’s writing would be, given her status as a bestselling author of popular history. I wearied of the detailed descriptions of the numerous buildings Katherine lived in at various times of her life. Furthermore, Weir’s attempts to succinctly summarise Richard II’s deposition and the Wars of the Roses were overwhelming. It was like being smacked about the face repeatedly by information at high speed.
I neither enjoyed this book a great deal or found myself terribly annoyed by it. I picked this up with some hesitation, aware that Alison Weir has something of a reputation as not being reliable as a historian, but this, surprisingly, did not arise as a significant issue in my reading. Maybe I just don’t know enough about Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt to be a proper judge.
Katherine’s life is poorly evidenced – some records, such as her will, have been lost or destroyed – and for many, Anya Seton’s interpretation of her in the iconic novel Katherine is the dominant image. However, Seton’s work was fiction and by reading Weir’s biography, some (but not all) of Seton’s inaccuracies are revealed – of course, as Weir notes on her appendix on this novel, it reflects more accurately the time when it was written and published more than it does Katherine’s own historical period.
But how does Weir build a biography out of such limited evidence? There is some speculation – honestly, I tired of reading “it is impossible to know/there is no evidence/we will never know” (or some variation) before Weir told us how Katherine “must have” felt. And there is some repetition – we heard a lot about how pious Katherine was and how Chaucer owed pretty much everything to her influence.
Moreover, Weir turns the narrative into a sort of roving tale. This is subtitled as a biography of Katherine and John of Gaunt, but we also get a lot of biographical detail and conjecture about other figures. At one stage, the book even felt like a biography of Katherine, Gaunt and Geoffrey Chaucer (I suppose that’s fair – he was, after all, Katherine’s brother-in-law and enjoyed Gaunt’s patronage). Other figures briefly sketched by Weir include Katherine’s sister, Philippa Chaucer; Gaunt’s first two wives, Blanche of Lancaster and Constance of Castile; all of Katherine’s children, the Swynfords and the Beauforts; the future Henry IV and his wife, Mary de Bohun; and Richard II. In some ways, this makes sense as an approach – for instance, we get information about Mary de Bohun because Katherine served her as a lady-in-waiting. But it does have its downfalls – Katherine barely appears in the second chapter, for instance, and a reader solely wanting to know about Katherine might be frustrated by the diversions Weir takes. I’m interested enough in this period and some of these figures that I didn’t mind learning about them.
However, I do think Weir could have done more in biographizing John of Gaunt. I also felt frustrated that her discussion of his death was limited to a few pages discussing the theory he had died of a venereal disease. It makes for a convincing argument, but then, with no other options presented, it’s hard to come to any other conclusion.
I was also not entirely comfortable with Weir’s tendency to turn to Chaucer’s works to extrapolate details and interpretations to the real-life figures. I know very little about Chaucer and I accept there is some logic in extrapolating from The Book of the Duchess, written about Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster and Gaunt’s first wife, but his other works?
There were some details of Weir’s that I took issue with. Her discussion of Edward of Woodstock (‘the Black Prince’) and Joan of Kent lacked nuance, and after recently reading biographies of both figures, this was disappointing. Part of this might be due to the book’s age – it is eleven years old. Michael Jones’s recently published The Black Prince, for example, convincingly challenges the account of Edward’s abhorrent behaviour at Limoges. Weir states that Edward died of amoebic dysentery, but the more recent studies I’ve read challenge this (I think one pointed out that it would be impossible to survive amoebic dysentery for nine years) and instead suggest other causes, such as rectal cancer or a venereal disease.
Weir also repeats the narrative that, in 1382, the twelve-year-old Mary de Bohun gave birth to her and Henry Bolingbroke’s firstborn son that did not long survive, which is now discredited and outdated – it is now accepted that their firstborn child was the future Henry V, born most likely in 1386. Additionally, Weir is a bit odd with her sources – in some situations, she upbraids Walsingham or Froissart as unreliable, then turns around and uses them as though they are reliable.
The writing is largely fine – it’s clear and accessible, but it wasn’t as readable as I thought Weir’s writing would be, given her status as a bestselling author of popular history. I wearied of the detailed descriptions of the numerous buildings Katherine lived in at various times of her life. Furthermore, Weir’s attempts to succinctly summarise Richard II’s deposition and the Wars of the Roses were overwhelming. It was like being smacked about the face repeatedly by information at high speed.
July 28, 2022
2.5
not as good as I thought it would be
not as good as I thought it would be
August 18, 2014
A nonfictional, biographical account of Katherine Swynford, mistress and finally wife to the Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt. The time period covered begins in the mid-1300s.
I recommend this to anyone interested in writing about the time period between the 1330s to the early 1400s and/or if you have an interest in the Tudors, Stuarts, Yorks, the War of the Roses, the 100 Years War, or the medieval time period.
My Take
It’s a fascinating love story of an orthodox yet unconventional man who ignored the social conventions of his time, who adored a woman of learning, wit, and discretion, and she loved him back for himself as well as the financial security it brought her and her children. Hers with her husband, Hugh Swynford, as well as the Beaufort children she bore the duke.
Weir is primarily clinical in her reporting on Katherine, and mostly because, as she says, there is so little primary material available about her. Women were not important in that time, so emphasis was not placed on them. Instead Weir has pulled together facts and extrapolated events. No, she hasn’t made a thing up. In fact, Weir has been extremely careful to note what is possibility and what is specific. And still, she brought enough heart to this story to make me cry and marvel. Weir impressed me with what she brought to this biography.
It also made me wish there could have been more Queen Phillippas and more Katherines if only because of the way in which they approached child raising. History would have been much less vicious.
Weir’s focus is on Katherine but as there is so little available on her, most of the text is of John, and so it becomes an assessment of the times, a gloss of how the politics and infighting affected Katherine and John. It’s a different perspective on the times, more of a surface look with no dipping underneath to examine events in any depth, but then the focus of Mistress of the Monarchy is not events but on a single woman of whom there isn't much information but what Weir can glean from legal documents, births, deaths, marriages, and household movements.
Weir does look at almost everything about the time period: the peasants, the lords, the politics, the royals, food, clothing, mores, architecture, gifts, customs, child rearing, the time’s idea of Chivalry and what constituted "courtly love", the Church, how foreigners saw England, Chaucer’s life, laws of inheritance, obligations, and the like.
What Weir has to say about the Church will make you understand more why Wycliffe and Martin Luther took the positions they did. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to live under a Church-influenced government:
It was fascinating to read the bits of Chaucer and how the verses related to events in his life.
The ending will make you cry and cause you to wish you could go back in time to warn John. To list the what ifs and if onlys. As it is, I drew some satisfaction for the promise they gave for the future.
The Cover
The cover is gorgeous, but then I’ve always had a weakness for medieval tapestries.
The title is too accurate for Katherine’s descendants "would become the direct forbears of the Royal Houses of York, Tudor, and Stuart, and of every British sovereign since 1461, as well as six U.S. presidents". And those are just the highlights of her descendants, for Katherine was truly a Mistress of the Monarchy.
I recommend this to anyone interested in writing about the time period between the 1330s to the early 1400s and/or if you have an interest in the Tudors, Stuarts, Yorks, the War of the Roses, the 100 Years War, or the medieval time period.
My Take
It’s a fascinating love story of an orthodox yet unconventional man who ignored the social conventions of his time, who adored a woman of learning, wit, and discretion, and she loved him back for himself as well as the financial security it brought her and her children. Hers with her husband, Hugh Swynford, as well as the Beaufort children she bore the duke.
Weir is primarily clinical in her reporting on Katherine, and mostly because, as she says, there is so little primary material available about her. Women were not important in that time, so emphasis was not placed on them. Instead Weir has pulled together facts and extrapolated events. No, she hasn’t made a thing up. In fact, Weir has been extremely careful to note what is possibility and what is specific. And still, she brought enough heart to this story to make me cry and marvel. Weir impressed me with what she brought to this biography.
It also made me wish there could have been more Queen Phillippas and more Katherines if only because of the way in which they approached child raising. History would have been much less vicious.
Weir’s focus is on Katherine but as there is so little available on her, most of the text is of John, and so it becomes an assessment of the times, a gloss of how the politics and infighting affected Katherine and John. It’s a different perspective on the times, more of a surface look with no dipping underneath to examine events in any depth, but then the focus of Mistress of the Monarchy is not events but on a single woman of whom there isn't much information but what Weir can glean from legal documents, births, deaths, marriages, and household movements.
Weir does look at almost everything about the time period: the peasants, the lords, the politics, the royals, food, clothing, mores, architecture, gifts, customs, child rearing, the time’s idea of Chivalry and what constituted "courtly love", the Church, how foreigners saw England, Chaucer’s life, laws of inheritance, obligations, and the like.
What Weir has to say about the Church will make you understand more why Wycliffe and Martin Luther took the positions they did. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to live under a Church-influenced government:
”…all sexual acts were sinful…
Even within marriage, sex was meant to be only for the purpose of procreation:
…all love is disgraceful…
The wise man must love his wife with judgment, not with passion.”
And yet, not even the priests could follow this, ahem…
It was fascinating to read the bits of Chaucer and how the verses related to events in his life.
The ending will make you cry and cause you to wish you could go back in time to warn John. To list the what ifs and if onlys. As it is, I drew some satisfaction for the promise they gave for the future.
The Cover
The cover is gorgeous, but then I’ve always had a weakness for medieval tapestries.
The title is too accurate for Katherine’s descendants "would become the direct forbears of the Royal Houses of York, Tudor, and Stuart, and of every British sovereign since 1461, as well as six U.S. presidents". And those are just the highlights of her descendants, for Katherine was truly a Mistress of the Monarchy.
September 22, 2010
Alison Weir was thorough in her search for material on Katherine Swynford. Most of her facts come from financial rolls, since she dismisses contemporary accounts of Katherine, as written by John of Gaunt's many enemies. As Weir shows, this is a reasonable attitude, because of the many demonstrations of love towards Katherine from the royal children for whom she was governess. Clearly she was a woman who attracted good feelings from the people who genuinely knew her.
As Weir recounted the histories of Katherine's descendants, I remembered where I had encountered her before. I read her THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER. At the time, I wrote to my sister a long refutation of Weir's reasoning, and even though that was 15 years ago and I can't remember the details, it makes me less inclined to trust her speculations here.
As Weir recounted the histories of Katherine's descendants, I remembered where I had encountered her before. I read her THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER. At the time, I wrote to my sister a long refutation of Weir's reasoning, and even though that was 15 years ago and I can't remember the details, it makes me less inclined to trust her speculations here.
March 6, 2014
Unabridged and read by Judith Boyd. The introduction pays homage to Anna Seaton's book, which was published in 1954.
More, luckily, is known about her husband John of Ghent (pronounced Gaunt and I wonder if this is where the adjective comes from as he was very tall (some have said 6'8" as there is armour of his still extant)and very thin)
The Black Prince and Geoffrey Chaucer
More, luckily, is known about her husband John of Ghent (pronounced Gaunt and I wonder if this is where the adjective comes from as he was very tall (some have said 6'8" as there is armour of his still extant)and very thin)
The Black Prince and Geoffrey Chaucer
March 10, 2014
This is one of her best. Having read Seyton's Katherine first and then Weir's well researched book really made Katherine Swynford come alive and take her place in the extraordinary history of the Plantagenets. Recommend anyone interested in the complex genealogy of the Wars of the Roses read this book.
April 21, 2018
I read this book because
Katherine Swynford was a scandalous woman
She is the ancestor of many monarchs of England, throughout Europe, and various presidents of the US.
Her biography might help to better understand the War of the Roses. It does not.
Because this biography of Katherine does not help, I am unwilling to swim through all the possibilities and likelihoodsthat Weir writes of.
I understandthat Alison Weir writes a book whose topic better matches my goal of getting a basic understanding of the War of the Roses. I am surprised I did not know of her book -The War of the Roses-. I will read either her book or someone else's book on the topic.
Katherine Swynford was a scandalous woman
She is the ancestor of many monarchs of England, throughout Europe, and various presidents of the US.
Her biography might help to better understand the War of the Roses. It does not.
Because this biography of Katherine does not help, I am unwilling to swim through all the possibilities and likelihoodsthat Weir writes of.
I understandthat Alison Weir writes a book whose topic better matches my goal of getting a basic understanding of the War of the Roses. I am surprised I did not know of her book -The War of the Roses-. I will read either her book or someone else's book on the topic.
August 4, 2024
It's taken me 6 years after my history degree to get back in to reading historical biographies (nothing like compulsory reading to take the funny away).
This book has been on my shelf for a while but I'm so glad I finally picked it up. Alison Weir has always been one of my favourite historians as she takes what could seem like a dry subject and weaves it into a wonderful and engaging read.
This is no exception. Despite being an avid studier of Tudor history for many years (with a dabble in late Plantagenats), I had no idea about this fascinating woman and this was a vivid exploration. Definitely recommend!
This book has been on my shelf for a while but I'm so glad I finally picked it up. Alison Weir has always been one of my favourite historians as she takes what could seem like a dry subject and weaves it into a wonderful and engaging read.
This is no exception. Despite being an avid studier of Tudor history for many years (with a dabble in late Plantagenats), I had no idea about this fascinating woman and this was a vivid exploration. Definitely recommend!
June 9, 2016
I really enjoyed reading this book but the `history' is frequently very dubious. Weir isn't just uncritical in her use of sources (Chaucer's poetry, for example, taken literally and biographically), but sometimes appears wilfully biased. For example, she happily uses Froissart liberally and freely throughout her work but only as long as she agrees with him - the moment he says something about John of Gaunt that she dislikes, she dismisses him by saying that he wrote 100 years later and didn't know any better. She also admits that there is centuries worth of negative writing about John but rather than confronting it and, perhaps, easing through to a more balanced reading, she simply sweeps it away by saying it's untrue: well, yes, it might be, but she certainly hasn't convinced me of that after reading her book.
At heart Weir is completely in thrall to Anya Seton's fictionalised Katherine and refuses to entertain anything that might mar that portrayal of devoted and passionate `true' love. In her afterword, she ironically castigates Seton for her depiction of a Katherine who `believes that a marriage based on love is a normal aim for any woman, a concept quite foreign to the fourteenth-century mind' (p.280), and then in her own work asserts that `she [Katherine] must have come to believe that she was an accepted and permanent part of his [John's] life, the love of his heart and the sole focus of his desire' (p.168)... hmmm, a case of the kettle etc?
On a smaller scale, some of her analysis is very suspect: having a child a year is evidence, for her, of John's `happy sex life' with his first wife Blanche - possibly, but in a time before contraception when to prevent pregnancy was a religious crime, this was the norm for women. Equally, she reads gifts to Katherine from church and other pensioners as evidence of personal affection, when they are more likely to be requests for patronage from the woman who was mistress to the richest and most powerful man in the country.
This is, inevitably, a book more about John than Katherine, but what little Weir does give us is also very contradictory: she says that Katherine was probably able to read but possibly not to write, and then spends the rest of the book telling us how cultured, intelligent and fitting she was to be governess to the royal girl children. She's also frequently described as `pious': but everyone in the C14th was what we would call religious, it wasn't really an option not to be, and the fact is, that as a life-long adulteress, Katherine must have believed she was committing a serious sin against her so called piety.
Some may disagree or consider these things unimportant and that's a personal choice. But overall I would have been far happier if this book had called itself honestly what it is, a mix of fiction and fact pulled together by the author's imagination. So, for me, a great and enjoyable read, but really dodgy history.
At heart Weir is completely in thrall to Anya Seton's fictionalised Katherine and refuses to entertain anything that might mar that portrayal of devoted and passionate `true' love. In her afterword, she ironically castigates Seton for her depiction of a Katherine who `believes that a marriage based on love is a normal aim for any woman, a concept quite foreign to the fourteenth-century mind' (p.280), and then in her own work asserts that `she [Katherine] must have come to believe that she was an accepted and permanent part of his [John's] life, the love of his heart and the sole focus of his desire' (p.168)... hmmm, a case of the kettle etc?
On a smaller scale, some of her analysis is very suspect: having a child a year is evidence, for her, of John's `happy sex life' with his first wife Blanche - possibly, but in a time before contraception when to prevent pregnancy was a religious crime, this was the norm for women. Equally, she reads gifts to Katherine from church and other pensioners as evidence of personal affection, when they are more likely to be requests for patronage from the woman who was mistress to the richest and most powerful man in the country.
This is, inevitably, a book more about John than Katherine, but what little Weir does give us is also very contradictory: she says that Katherine was probably able to read but possibly not to write, and then spends the rest of the book telling us how cultured, intelligent and fitting she was to be governess to the royal girl children. She's also frequently described as `pious': but everyone in the C14th was what we would call religious, it wasn't really an option not to be, and the fact is, that as a life-long adulteress, Katherine must have believed she was committing a serious sin against her so called piety.
Some may disagree or consider these things unimportant and that's a personal choice. But overall I would have been far happier if this book had called itself honestly what it is, a mix of fiction and fact pulled together by the author's imagination. So, for me, a great and enjoyable read, but really dodgy history.
November 23, 2009
Apart from her stubborn determination to convict Richard III of murdering his nephews, I love reading Alison Weir!
In her latest non-fictional biography of Katherine Swynford, Weir attempts to paint a picture (using very little available factual paint) of the woman who literally changed the course of the British monarchy, and in my opinion, she does a credible job of it. Throughout the 300+ pages, Weir explores the life and times of Katherine Swynford, the daughter of a lowly knight and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the powerful, uber-wealthy son of a king who began a 20+ year affair in the 1370's that culminated in their 1396 marriage and whose descendents became the foundation of the entire British monarchy to this day (not to mention 6 US American Presidents).
A disclaimer is in order here I think: I'm smitten with John of Gaunt, and have loved the story of John and Katherine's love affair ever since reading Anya Seton's novel, Katherine, so I'm admittedly biased in my rating of this book. But I have also read enough Weir (i.e. every book she's ever written!) to know that this writer can turn dry historic fact and make it compulsively readible.
Another disclaimer: if you're expecting a Phillipa Gregory style of book, and like a little history sprinkled in with alot of artistic license a-la "The Other Boleyn Girl", then this book may not be your cuppa. You may also chafe at all the speculating that Weir had to do as to John and Katherine's actions, motives, thoughts and feelings. Sometimes Weir's speculations seem reasonable. Othertimes (as in the case of Richard III), I think she's dead wrong, so really it's a matter of personal taste, opinion and reading enjoyment level as to whether you will like Weir's latest offering. I'm just waiting for her next book...
In her latest non-fictional biography of Katherine Swynford, Weir attempts to paint a picture (using very little available factual paint) of the woman who literally changed the course of the British monarchy, and in my opinion, she does a credible job of it. Throughout the 300+ pages, Weir explores the life and times of Katherine Swynford, the daughter of a lowly knight and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the powerful, uber-wealthy son of a king who began a 20+ year affair in the 1370's that culminated in their 1396 marriage and whose descendents became the foundation of the entire British monarchy to this day (not to mention 6 US American Presidents).
A disclaimer is in order here I think: I'm smitten with John of Gaunt, and have loved the story of John and Katherine's love affair ever since reading Anya Seton's novel, Katherine, so I'm admittedly biased in my rating of this book. But I have also read enough Weir (i.e. every book she's ever written!) to know that this writer can turn dry historic fact and make it compulsively readible.
Another disclaimer: if you're expecting a Phillipa Gregory style of book, and like a little history sprinkled in with alot of artistic license a-la "The Other Boleyn Girl", then this book may not be your cuppa. You may also chafe at all the speculating that Weir had to do as to John and Katherine's actions, motives, thoughts and feelings. Sometimes Weir's speculations seem reasonable. Othertimes (as in the case of Richard III), I think she's dead wrong, so really it's a matter of personal taste, opinion and reading enjoyment level as to whether you will like Weir's latest offering. I'm just waiting for her next book...
June 23, 2010
Mistress of The Monarchy is the actual title of this book.
Alison Weir's historical follow up to Anya Seton's 1954 book which introduced us to the mistress/wife of John of Gaunt. Weir is such a brilliant, thorough historian, I have no doubt this will bring to Katherine Swynford her historical due. She was raised at the court of Edward III and became mother of the Beauforts, the seed of generations of English Kings and Queens as well as seven American presidents (the Bush's included-but don't let that put you off).
Three stars, not because it's not a good book; but because it's really a book for historians. This is no historical romance. It's a history that happens to involve a romance. As a history, the attention to details will bore the average reader right to death. Detailed descriptions of great houses and churches might tempt you to want to visit them; too bad, long ago destroyed by: fire, civil war, Cromwell, the dissolution, or general decrepitude. Even the very, very many grants made to John by his father, Edward III and nephew, Richard II, and John's to Katherine are given in such detail as to cross your eyes. Also, Weir will give you all the evidence for an assertion, but then turn around and give almost as many assertions for an entirely different possibility. Great history, boring reading.
Having said that, I really enjoyed this book, mostly because of my eternal love of English history and my lifelong intrigue with John of Gaunt. Katherine may have a long list of historically significant heirs, but John's is longer and wider. He's referred to as the "grandfather of Europe" counting among his descendants Queen Isabella of Spain, 200 years of Portuguese kings and Katherine of Aragon.
Alison Weir's historical follow up to Anya Seton's 1954 book which introduced us to the mistress/wife of John of Gaunt. Weir is such a brilliant, thorough historian, I have no doubt this will bring to Katherine Swynford her historical due. She was raised at the court of Edward III and became mother of the Beauforts, the seed of generations of English Kings and Queens as well as seven American presidents (the Bush's included-but don't let that put you off).
Three stars, not because it's not a good book; but because it's really a book for historians. This is no historical romance. It's a history that happens to involve a romance. As a history, the attention to details will bore the average reader right to death. Detailed descriptions of great houses and churches might tempt you to want to visit them; too bad, long ago destroyed by: fire, civil war, Cromwell, the dissolution, or general decrepitude. Even the very, very many grants made to John by his father, Edward III and nephew, Richard II, and John's to Katherine are given in such detail as to cross your eyes. Also, Weir will give you all the evidence for an assertion, but then turn around and give almost as many assertions for an entirely different possibility. Great history, boring reading.
Having said that, I really enjoyed this book, mostly because of my eternal love of English history and my lifelong intrigue with John of Gaunt. Katherine may have a long list of historically significant heirs, but John's is longer and wider. He's referred to as the "grandfather of Europe" counting among his descendants Queen Isabella of Spain, 200 years of Portuguese kings and Katherine of Aragon.
January 29, 2014
I'm in awe of historians who can take snippets of data from the historical record and extrapolate to give the reader a complete life full of warmth and light. Allison Weir is one of the best of these historians and she did a superior job with the life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster. There is scant official information about women in history and when you're dealing with the fourteenth century, that information is even more rare.
Katherine Swynford was a daughter of a knight from the Low Countries (Hainault)who was fortunate enough to be raised in the court of Queen Philippa, wife of England's Edward III. The friendships and connections that she made as a damoiselle in a noble court carried her far.
After her first husband died, she developed a liaison - a love affair - with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster that resulted in several illegitimate children. This affair persisted through the Duke's second marriage and ultimately resulted in his third marriage with Katherine herself. The pope gave a dispensation for them to marry and even legitimized their bastard children.
Through it all, she and all her children remained friendly enough with the current kings of England to raise her family to nobility.
Ultimately, she was the grandmother and great-grandmother of kings on both sides of the War of the Roses of the early sixteenth century.
This is a fascinating story of a strong woman who persisted through good times and bad, and who was the instrument of high office for all of her progeny for generations.
Katherine Swynford was a daughter of a knight from the Low Countries (Hainault)who was fortunate enough to be raised in the court of Queen Philippa, wife of England's Edward III. The friendships and connections that she made as a damoiselle in a noble court carried her far.
After her first husband died, she developed a liaison - a love affair - with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster that resulted in several illegitimate children. This affair persisted through the Duke's second marriage and ultimately resulted in his third marriage with Katherine herself. The pope gave a dispensation for them to marry and even legitimized their bastard children.
Through it all, she and all her children remained friendly enough with the current kings of England to raise her family to nobility.
Ultimately, she was the grandmother and great-grandmother of kings on both sides of the War of the Roses of the early sixteenth century.
This is a fascinating story of a strong woman who persisted through good times and bad, and who was the instrument of high office for all of her progeny for generations.
October 6, 2021
Meticulously researched, non-fiction biography of poor, orphaned commoner Katherine Swynford, who loved John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, had that love returned (while he was very much married to Constance, Queen of Castile), and through their eventually legitimized children became the mother of both the Tudor and Stuart.
As a commoner and a women not much is recorded about Katherine, thus nearly all of the known facts come from John of Gaunt's registers. Unlike Seaton's Katherine, Weir makes few assumptions about Katherine - was she demure or outspoken with her lover? Did she have strong views on the political questions of the day? So you don't come away exactly knowing what was going on in her mind or what was important to her (other than her children.)
However, the footnotes and sources are fabulous. I loved that Weir stated her hypothesis, gave her evidence and then let the reader choose. I think some of her hypothesizes are wrong, but Weir does give you the information to make your own decisions. I also felt this work gives an excellent overview of the life of John of Gaunt.
I liked this more than Seaton's Katherine because I absolutely love the data points.
As a commoner and a women not much is recorded about Katherine, thus nearly all of the known facts come from John of Gaunt's registers. Unlike Seaton's Katherine, Weir makes few assumptions about Katherine - was she demure or outspoken with her lover? Did she have strong views on the political questions of the day? So you don't come away exactly knowing what was going on in her mind or what was important to her (other than her children.)
However, the footnotes and sources are fabulous. I loved that Weir stated her hypothesis, gave her evidence and then let the reader choose. I think some of her hypothesizes are wrong, but Weir does give you the information to make your own decisions. I also felt this work gives an excellent overview of the life of John of Gaunt.
I liked this more than Seaton's Katherine because I absolutely love the data points.
March 9, 2009
probably, perhaps, the evidence suggests, it is likely that, it is suggested that, the likelihood is, apparently, there is unlikely to have been, it is possible that, it is credible, this may explain why,
this suggests, given that fact that, we might conclude....
We might conclude, based on the text, that there is not, in fact, enough source material to justify a full-length biography of Katherine Swynford. However, because so many people have read Anya Seton's "Katherine" and would buy a book that purports to be the true story of Katherine Swynford's life, Alison Weir, who resorts to fiction when she does not want to do the research, wrote this.
this suggests, given that fact that, we might conclude....
We might conclude, based on the text, that there is not, in fact, enough source material to justify a full-length biography of Katherine Swynford. However, because so many people have read Anya Seton's "Katherine" and would buy a book that purports to be the true story of Katherine Swynford's life, Alison Weir, who resorts to fiction when she does not want to do the research, wrote this.
February 16, 2016
I enjoyed this because I have read Katherine by Anya Seton many times and I loved getting more information about one of my favorite heroines and the ancestress of my beloved Tudors. However, for a casual reader the information was rather dry and the author seemed almost combative where her research differed from Seton's. Actually I'm not a big fan of Weir's work although I do end up picking up most of her titles. Her opinions differ from mine, especially regarding Richard 3 and the Princes in the Tower. Overall, an interesting selection for those obsessed with Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt. I did enjoy the illustrations showing tombs and effigies of the main players.
June 26, 2009
Katherine Swynford: longtime mistress and third wife of John of Gaunt, third son of Edward III and probably the most powerful private citizen England has ever had. Katherine is the subject of a famous historical fiction book of the same name by Anya Seton, and here she's the subject of a scholarly biography. She's a thin subject for a biography, since nothing written by her has come to us through history, but Alison Weir turns it into a "Katherine and the England she lived in" kind of book, and it's well done. For a more fully imagined story, try the Seton novel.
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