Tag: Geoffrey Chaucer

Book Review: “Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster” by Alison Weir

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If you have been studying the Tudors for any length of time, you probably know the origins of the dynasty. The young Henry Tudor, son of Margaret Beaufort, defeats King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field to become King Henry VII. While the story of the Tudors is a fascinating one, there is a second story that does not get enough attention, and that is how the Beaufort family was founded. It all starts with a love story between John of Gaunt, the son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, and his long-time mistress and sister-in-law to Geoffrey Chaucer, Katherine Swynford. Katherine has always been seen as a side character in history, until now. Alison Weir tells Katherine’s story in her biography, “Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster” by Alison Weir. 

I have heard about this book for years, but I had not read it until now. I found this book in a used bookstore and finally decided to give it a shot. I have read novels that have featured John and Katherine’s love story, but this is the first time I have read a biography about Katherine herself, so I was excited to learn more. 

Katherine Swynford started life as Katherine de Roet, the daughter of Sir Paon de Roet, a family that had connections to Philippa of Hainault in France. Her sister, Philippa, would marry Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of The Canterbury Tales and an ally of John of Gaunt. Katherine was destined to marry Sir Hugh Swynford, and they had four children: Margaret, Blanche, Sir Thomas Swynford, and Dorothy. While Katherine was married to Hugh Swynford, she would help John of Gaunt and his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster, raise their children, including the future King Henry IV, Elizabeth Lancaster, and Philippa Lancaster, who would become Queen of Portugal. 

Katherine and John each had successful first marriages, but things changed when both Blanche and Hugh died. Katherine remained a widow in John’s household, whereas John remarried Constance of Castile and began a fight for the Castilian throne. During this time, John and Katherine fell in love and had children of their own, who would be known as the Beauforts: John, Jean, Henry, and Thomas. While John and Katherine tried to keep their relationship on the down low, England was changing with the death of King Edward III and the rise of Richard II, the Black Prince’s son and heir. Katherine and John had to navigate the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 and Richard II vs. the Lords Appellant, which included young Henry Bolingbroke, the future Henry IV. Katherine and John shocked England when, after Constance died, John married Katherine, and their Beaufort children were considered legitimate. Weir follows Katherine after John’s death and shows how the Beaufort children continue their legacy, becoming part of the Tudor dynasty and changing English history forever.

Overall, I found this an extremely enjoyable biography that brought a woman who was rather obscure to light. It cemented for me that John of Gaunt truly loved Katherine Swynford. If you want to read a biography about a romance that changed English history, I recommend you read “Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster” by Alison Weir.

Book Review: “Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives” by Alice Loxton

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Becoming an adult is an important stage in the life of anyone. Usually, the age at which a young person becomes an adult is seen as eighteen. It is a time when you leave your childhood behind for a bigger adventure. What was life like for some of the most famous people who lived in Britain throughout the centuries? Did they know when they were eighteen what great things they would do? What advice can they offer to a newer generation of young adults? Alice Loxton explores the lives of eighteen extraordinary figures of British history when they became adults in her book “Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives.”

I have followed Alice Loxton on Instagram for a while now, as I have thoroughly enjoyed her videos. When I saw the cover of this book and read the description, it felt so fresh and innovative that I knew I wanted to read it.

Loxton explains in her introduction how this concept of hitting the age of maturity has changed over the centuries. Each person mentioned in this book is at a different stage of life, but we are able to see their hopes and ambitions for the future. She also notes that some stories were harder to research than others, especially when it comes to their childhood, because of a lack of records about their lives. So, how does Loxton connect these figures who lived in different centuries and had different paths in life into one book? Why, with a hypothetical dinner party, of course, which is such an ingenious and delightful idea. It allows the audience to see how historical figures might interact with each other in a modern setting.

So the question remains, who is coming to dinner? Each chapter focuses on a different guest and a mini-biography about them. We begin with the author, the Venerable Bede, who was just a monk wanting to survive a plague, followed by Empress Matilda, who will fight for her birthright, the throne of England. We get to meet a young Geoffrey Chaucer before he writes his famous work, The Canterbury Tales. In the Tudor age, we meet an African diver named Jacques Francis, who is on a mission to salvage The Mary Rose, as well as Princess Elizabeth Tudor, who just wants to survive the tumultuous court. With the Stuarts, we meet Jeffrey Hudson, whose small stature makes him a sensation at the court of two queens, and Fionnghal Nic Dhomhnaill, who discovers that one moment can change a person’s fate. We are introduced to the young Horace Nelson before he becomes a war hero, the remarkable art of Sarah Biffin, who paints with no hands or feet, and the fossil hunter Mary Anning. There is the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the surgeon and suffragist Elsie Inglis, and the garden designer Vita Sackville- West.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, we are introduced to Jack Lewis, before he began to write The Chronicles of Narnia; Rosalind Franklin, an aspiring chemist who took a photo that changed the world; the actor Richard Burton, before he became famous; and the fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, when she was struggling to figure out her path in life. Finally, we are introduced to the mysterious Rae DeDarre.

I did not know what to expect when I first saw this book, but I am so glad I read it. It has been a long time since I have read a book that is both educational and unbelievably fun to read. That is this book. There were some historical figures that I knew or at least knew their names, but there were several who were completely new to me, which was so exciting. I cannot wait to read more books by Alice Loxton and see how she approaches history in the future. This is an ideal book for anyone, whether they are approaching eighteen or those who fondly remember the age of eighteen. If you are a history lover who wants to learn more about the history of Britain in a fun and innovative way, you will thoroughly enjoy “Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives” by Alice Loxton.

Book Review: “The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster” by Helen Carr

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55710502When one studies the history of the English monarchy, we tend to consider those who ruled and those who advised the ruler as significant characters. We rarely study the family members of the monarch who did not win the right to rule the kingdom. Yet, they are often either extremely loyal or they desire the crown with such ferocity that they rebel against their own family. It seems like a rather cruel world, but that was the life of a medieval monarch. True loyalty for one’s family was a rare feat. One man showed the depth of his loyalty to his family, even when the people despised him. He was the son of King Edward III, the brother of the famous Black Prince, the uncle of King Richard II, and the father of Henry Bolingbroke who would become King Henry IV. Gaunt’s reputation and legacy have been marred by his wealth and the role that he played with the Peasants’ Revolt, but was he such a bad person? In Helen Carr’s brilliant debut biography, “The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster”, she looks to uncover the truth about the man behind the throne and why he never desired the crown for himself.

Carr has chosen to call John of Gaunt “The Red Prince”, which makes a lot of sense for someone who understands the significance of his legacy in history. His son by his first wife Blanche of Lancaster, King Henry IV, was the first Lancastrian King of England. Obviously, they were represented by the red rose in the rather poetic sounding Wars of the Roses in the 15th century and their half-siblings, the Beauforts (who were descended from the children of John’s third wife and former mistress Katherine Swynford) would continue the legacy in their own way. There would be no Lancastrian Kings of England or Wars of the Roses or Tudor dynasty without John of Gaunt.

I am getting a little ahead of myself. After all, during John of Gaunt’s lifetime, none of this happened. He was just the son of Edward III and the brother of the Black Prince when he earned the title of the first Duke of Lancaster. He earned his reputation as a loyal soldier fighting alongside his brother and father in the conflict with France that would be known in history as the Hundred Years’ War. His loyalty to his brother and father and his bravery as a knight was legendary. He gained vast amounts of wealth from his marriages to Blanche of Lancaster and Constance of Castile. He was a patron of the arts, especially to Geoffrey Chaucer, and championed those who wanted to challenge the way religion was understood during the 14th century.

He had everything he could ever want until his world came crashing down around him. The Black Prince died of illness and his father King Edward III would soon follow, leaving the throne to his nephew King Richard II. To say things got off to a rocky start would be an understatement as John of Gaunt and other government officials were accused of raising taxes so high that it triggered what we know as the Peasants’ Revolt. On top of all of the problems in England, John of Gaunt decided to become King of Castile with his wife Constance. John of Gaunt led a life full of adventure, risks, and above all, loyalty to his family.

Carr does a magnificent job of bringing Gaunt’s life into focus. So much of his reputation has been tainted over time, but Carr did not shy away from the challenge. This is one of the best biographies that I have read this year so far. John of Gaunt deserved to have his story retold and Helen Carr was the perfect historian to tell his story for a newer generation. Carr’s writing style is engaging with meticulous attention to detail. This is a gorgeous debut biography and I cannot wait to see what Helen Carr will write next. If you want to read a biography about the founder of the Lancastrian dynasty, “The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster” by Helen Carr is a must-read.

Biography: Katherine Swynford

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(Born November  25, 1350 – Died May 10, 1403). Daughter of Payne de Roet. Sister of Philippa Chaucer, the wife of Geoffrey Chaucer. Married to Hugh Swynford and John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. Mother of the Beauforts as well as 3 children with Hugh Swynford.

Katherine was probably born on or around November 25, 1350 to Payne de Roet, a herald and later a knight. We don’t know much about her early life.  Katherine was appointed governess to watch over the children of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster in 1365. In 1367, she married Hugh Swynford, a knight, and they had 3 children; Blanche, Thomas and Margaret Swynford.

Hugh Swynford and Blanche of Lancaster would both die in 1371, the same year that rumors began that Katherine and John were having an affair. John quickly silenced those rumors by marrying Constance of Castile later the same year. In 1372 Katherine’s position in John’s household got better and by 1373, their first child John, was born. They would have 4 children; John, Henry, Thomas and Joan.They would adopt the last name Beaufort in honor of their father’s lost of his lordship of Anjou.

During the 1380’s, Katherine left court so John could repair his reputation after the Peasants’ Revolt. When Constance died in 1394, everything changed for the couple. They were married in 1396 and their children became legitimate, however they were banned from the line of succession for the throne of England. John would die on February 3, 1399, leaving Katherine a widow yet again. Katherine would die on May 10, 1403.

Her children with John of Gaunt, the Beauforts and their children, would change English history forever.