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Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster by Alison Weir
rjvrtiska's review
4.0
A thick, exactingly-researched reconstruction of an historically important life. Weir does an excellent balancing act between reporting facts, filling in details with reasonable assumptions, and presenting contrary theories. More pictures or drawings of architecture and maps would have been helpful. The geneology charts were essential.
chrissireads's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this book was very interesting. It's a perfect example of how it can be so difficult for historians to learn and write about medieval women. Even though Katherine Swynford is well known in history, there is little information in the surviving records. This meant that Alison Weir had to fill in gaps with her logic and using a bit of her imagination! At times, this book felt a little repetitive, probably due to the lack of information, some parts were also very mundane. However, the book is intriguing, easy to read and informative about the medieval woman Katherine Swynford who is too interesting a woman in history to forget.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
I so wanted to give this book 5 stars - I loved Mary, Queen of Scots and Eleanor of Aquitaine but, well, the dearth of contemporary evidence about Katherine's life leads to too many uses of "perhaps" and "we can assume" (among other phrases) for this to rate more than a 3. YMMV, of course.
It was fascinating to learn about life during the 1300s, and the vibrancy with which Ms. Weir describes the daily doings, royal and otherwise, is why she's one of my favorite historical writers. Why I'd never heard of Katherine de Roet Swynford, mistress and later wife of John of Gaunt is a mystery to me; perhaps I wasn't paying enough attention to those royal family trees. I'd also never heard of Hainault, a principality in what is now Belgium (and it apparently has nothing to do with the area of London). There were times when I felt that non-British readers might be a little at sea reading this, but most of the time it was clear who was doing what and why.
It was fascinating to learn about life during the 1300s, and the vibrancy with which Ms. Weir describes the daily doings, royal and otherwise, is why she's one of my favorite historical writers. Why I'd never heard of Katherine de Roet Swynford, mistress and later wife of John of Gaunt is a mystery to me; perhaps I wasn't paying enough attention to those royal family trees. I'd also never heard of Hainault, a principality in what is now Belgium (and it apparently has nothing to do with the area of London). There were times when I felt that non-British readers might be a little at sea reading this, but most of the time it was clear who was doing what and why.
sujata's review against another edition
3.0
Love Alison Weir and this was good and learned a lot more, BUT sometimes a little too much information!
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
Written very well but it is a shame so little is known about this fascinating woman. Looking forward to reading more of Weir's work and the famous novel Katherine by Anya Seton, I am intrigued!
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
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.
kahale's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good book although it got a little long with the description of all the financial rewards that were given to all these pople throughout the years. It is interesting all the people that Katherine is related to through her affair and marriage through John of Gaunt including Geoffrey Chaucer, 6 presidents, current royalty, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and numerous others.
mrsmarch's review against another edition
5.0
I am a huge fan of Alison Weir. Her writing style is engaging and friendly, and it is obvious she knows her way around the contemporary historical texts concerning her subjects. However, this biography of Katherine Swynford, née de Roët, Duchess of Lancaster, shows without a doubt Weir's talents as a historical researcher, assiduously checking and cross-checking everything available to her in order to get as close to the truth as possible.
Much about Katherine's life must be construed from a tiny handful of documents, and without a vast knowledge of the customs and mores of the period, a biographer would be totally at sea. Weir's conclusions are carefully outlined and logical, and she takes pains to address (and refute, if necessary) the conclusions come to by other, earlier chroniclers. Katherine sits at the root of a large genealogical tree, and the influence of her relationship with John of Gaunt had ramifications on late 14th century English culture and continues to influence Anglo-American culture, literature, and politics today. But so little is known of her. Her will does not survive (but we know she made one), no letters in her hand survive (but we know she was highly educated and most likely incredibly literate for her day), and there are no contemporary likenesses of her left to us. Her children, those legitimate from her first marriage and those made legitimate after her marriage to their father, the Duke of Lancaster, played enormous roles in shaping 14th, 15th, and 16th century England, with her blood continuing to run in the veins of the present English monarchs. John of Gaunt has been called the "grandfather of Europe," for the descendants of his three wives married in to practically every ruling house in Europe, from Portugal --- England's oldest standing alliance, thank you John of Gaunt --- to Germany. Ever heard of Geoffrey Chaucer? Say thank you to Katherine: he was her brother-in-law, and attained much of his fame through oblique preferment by John and other members of the royal family who held Katherine in high esteem and sought her favor or the Duke's by promoting her relatives.
And yet Katherine was practically expunged from the rolls of history within a generation of her death, and she is almost a total unknown today. We've all heard of Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon, Elizabeth the First, Mary Queen of Scots, and Isabella of Castile who commissioned Christopher Columbus to sail west from Europe in search of a new route to the Indies; many are familiar with the suspicious death of Richard II, with Henry the Navigator and the Wars of the Roses, or know the significance of the marriage of Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York. But very, very few can name the man and the woman from whom all of this sprang.
It is about time, and I think the culture is right, for such an excellent biography of Katherine Swynford to be brought forward. She was the daughter of a humble Hainaultier knight, but she rose to be the second lady in the land, second only to the Queen of England, and her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to the nth degrees became towering figures of English history, continuing to shape the modern world. The story of her love affair with the powerful Duke of Lancaster is almost exactly the story of another royal love affair, a modern day one, and like Weir I will gracefully avoid pointing fingers, but as Weir does I shall quote the late Queen Mum: Men of title and privilege simply do not marry their mistresses. Such a marriage as John and Katherine had, one made for love after the end of a marriage made for political and dynastic reasons, especially when the groom was such a powerful, wealthy, influential man and a good catch, and the bride relatively low-born though extremely well-bred --- "Even in our own time such marriage would cause comment" if such a man married such a woman, his long-time mistress, for love.
Much about Katherine's life must be construed from a tiny handful of documents, and without a vast knowledge of the customs and mores of the period, a biographer would be totally at sea. Weir's conclusions are carefully outlined and logical, and she takes pains to address (and refute, if necessary) the conclusions come to by other, earlier chroniclers. Katherine sits at the root of a large genealogical tree, and the influence of her relationship with John of Gaunt had ramifications on late 14th century English culture and continues to influence Anglo-American culture, literature, and politics today. But so little is known of her. Her will does not survive (but we know she made one), no letters in her hand survive (but we know she was highly educated and most likely incredibly literate for her day), and there are no contemporary likenesses of her left to us. Her children, those legitimate from her first marriage and those made legitimate after her marriage to their father, the Duke of Lancaster, played enormous roles in shaping 14th, 15th, and 16th century England, with her blood continuing to run in the veins of the present English monarchs. John of Gaunt has been called the "grandfather of Europe," for the descendants of his three wives married in to practically every ruling house in Europe, from Portugal --- England's oldest standing alliance, thank you John of Gaunt --- to Germany. Ever heard of Geoffrey Chaucer? Say thank you to Katherine: he was her brother-in-law, and attained much of his fame through oblique preferment by John and other members of the royal family who held Katherine in high esteem and sought her favor or the Duke's by promoting her relatives.
And yet Katherine was practically expunged from the rolls of history within a generation of her death, and she is almost a total unknown today. We've all heard of Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon, Elizabeth the First, Mary Queen of Scots, and Isabella of Castile who commissioned Christopher Columbus to sail west from Europe in search of a new route to the Indies; many are familiar with the suspicious death of Richard II, with Henry the Navigator and the Wars of the Roses, or know the significance of the marriage of Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York. But very, very few can name the man and the woman from whom all of this sprang.
It is about time, and I think the culture is right, for such an excellent biography of Katherine Swynford to be brought forward. She was the daughter of a humble Hainaultier knight, but she rose to be the second lady in the land, second only to the Queen of England, and her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to the nth degrees became towering figures of English history, continuing to shape the modern world. The story of her love affair with the powerful Duke of Lancaster is almost exactly the story of another royal love affair, a modern day one, and like Weir I will gracefully avoid pointing fingers, but as Weir does I shall quote the late Queen Mum: Men of title and privilege simply do not marry their mistresses. Such a marriage as John and Katherine had, one made for love after the end of a marriage made for political and dynastic reasons, especially when the groom was such a powerful, wealthy, influential man and a good catch, and the bride relatively low-born though extremely well-bred --- "Even in our own time such marriage would cause comment" if such a man married such a woman, his long-time mistress, for love.
lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition
4.0
It only took me 2.5 years to read this book, but it was worth it! Katherine Swynford is the great-grandmother of Henry VII, and directly related to many other royals. I like Alison Weir's writing. This was the first historical biography that I've read by her; all of the others have been historical fiction. But it's clear that she does extensive research and is very invested in her heroines. I particularly like when her opinions come through. It was a little confusing at the end, what with all of the Henrys, Thomases, Edwards and Phillipas.
laileanah's review against another edition
informative
3.0
Meh.
I'm much less impressed with this on my reread.
It's dry but detailed.
Katherine is barely in it but the politics of the era are covered in great detail.
I'm much less impressed with this on my reread.
It's dry but detailed.
Katherine is barely in it but the politics of the era are covered in great detail.