Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess Book

Producing an accurate biography of a figure from the 14th century was always going to be difficult, especially when the party in question left no written records or correspondence, but Alison Weir is a historian of such high calibre that she has managed to investigate every original source available concerning Katherine Swynford and is able to make educated guesses wherever necessary. Born in 1350, Katherine de Roet married Hugh Swynford, an English knight, in 1366 and went on to have three children with him. Katherine was employed in the household of the infamous John of Gaunt as the governess to his two daughters and, at some point before 1373, Katherine became John"s official mistress. Despite having Katherine as his mistress, John of Gaunt still took Constance of Castile as his second wife and it was only in 1396, two years after Constance"s death, that he married Katherine. The relationship between Katherine and John of Gaunt was of huge political importance during their lifetimes but also hugely influential on British history as a whole. The York, Tudor and Stuart dynasties all descend from their children, as do such important figures as Winston Churchill and Bertrand Russell. There"s even a link of George W. Bush. Alison Weir is often described as writing popular history and, while it is true that her books are almost always bestsellers, their popularity is due to the excellent historical detail that Weir always provides as much as it is because of her wonderfully approachable writing style. Weir has once again succeeded in producing a wonderful biography; more can now be known about Katherine Swynford than was ever possible before.

Katherine Swynford was first the mistress and later the wife of John of Gaunt the Duke of Lancaster. Her charismatic lover was one of the most powerful princes of the fourteenth century and Katherine was renowned for her beauty and regarded as enigmatic intriguing and even dangerous by some of her contemporaries. In her impressive new book Alison Weir has triumphantly rescued Katherine from the footnotes of history highlighting her key dynastic position within the English monarchy. She was the mother of the Beaufort then the ancestress of the Yorkist kings the Tudors the Stuarts and every other sovereign since - a prodigious legacy that has shaped the history of Britain.

Katherine Swynford : Paperback : Vintage Publishing : 9780712641975 : : 29 Jun 2011 : Katherine Swynford was first the mistress, and later the wife, of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. This book rescues Katherine from the footnotes of history, highlighting her key dynastic position within the English monarchy.