Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster

by Alison Weir

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345453239
• ISBN13: 9780345453235
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Katherine Swynford

It is so sad to know people that developed nations to be forgotten. This woman went through in continuous battles to become what she was. But she did learn exactly what she needed to know by her sufferings. Good history.

Love

I love love love love LOVE this book! Beautifully written and I feel it paints an accurate picture of the historic events. No exaggerations or sensationalism. I really like Alison Weir's writing style. This is the first book I've read by her and I'm planning on buying more. This book really sparked my interest in the Medieval Era and I can't wait to learn more! If you love royal history you won't be disappointed in this book!

Genealogy and period interest

This book is very well written, informative, and especially good for those seeking genealogical information associated with the aristocracy of the time. While the main character is the thematic source, she is surrounded by the history and people of the time. I found the book very entertaining as well as a good reference for personal genealogical interests.

Well researched, well written, for the history enthusiast

My entree into the Plantagenet era was Anya Seton's fictional account of Katherine Swynford, Katherine. As a teen, I enjoyed the story of a woman who was first the mistress of a prince of England, mother of five of his children, and eventually, his wife. Remarkably, her lover, John of Gaunt, managed to have their illegitimate children legitimized, and they were powerful forces in during the type of Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI. It is from Katherine Swynford that the Tudor dynasty had a claim to the throne. Katherine Swynford was also sister-in-law to Geoffrey Chaucer. Katherine was well researched and told for a historical novel, but this book goes far deeper. In Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster, Alison Weir tells the true tale of Katherine Swynword. It is beautifully and lovingly researched, and provides a fine level of detail for a period in which there is limited information. Weir, a noted British historian, makes clear that this book was a labor of love, and that shows - I much prefer it to some of her more generic books about the Tudors. For anyone interested in the details of life for the Court of Edward III and Richard II, this is a fine book, which I heartily recommend. It draws strongly from the Court Rolls, administrative grants and the chronicles to describe the actions and activities of John of Gaunt, his wives, Katherine Swynford, and her family, including her extended family of her sister, Phillipa Chaucer, and her brother-in-law Geoffrey Chaucer. However, this is not a "rollicking good tale" for someone who's looking for a casual read, and definitely not for the Phillipa Gregory fans looking for sexual scandal. A very fine piece of historical reporting, Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster

Where does real history end and historical fiction begin

As noted by earlier reviewers, there are quite a lot of "we might imagines", "we could guesses"; and "since so and so was there, Kathryn was probably theres". As a History buff and former teacher of same, this leap of faith type language jarred me every time I read some of it (and there were a lot of jars). Considering the book jacket blurbs about Ms. Weir being a deeply researching writer, I, as a student of British History, would not describe her this way. Her research of it is deep, but her use of it is shaky. It is true that records of medieval times are sparse, but if records are sparse, one doesn't imagine what they might have been. To add to my dismay, is a section, several pages long, "dissing" Anya Seton's book about Kathryn as a ancestor of the bodice slasher romance novels of more recent times as if to distance "Mistress of the Monarchy" from Ms. Seton's book. Ms. Weir is on shaky ground considering her own writing. Having said this, I should add that this is a good read. I own several Weir books and have and will enjoy them all. All in all, I would recommend this book and any other of Ms. Weir's writings as long as you approach them with a grain of salt.

same book I read with a new title

I so enjoyed the first book, but this is ethe same book with a different title.