Katherine

A glimpse into medieval times. It’s a sumptuous tale of passion and danger.

Katherine comes to the court of Edward III aged fifteen and turns the head of the King’s favourite son, John of Gaunt.  But their paths in life pull them apart until their love forces them back together. This is a wonderful book by a writer who manages to make you experience life as it was then, but without trying to teach you, and asks, ‘how much would you give up for love?’

Katherine is one of the first historical novels I read and one I go back to time and again. It tells the story of Katherine de Roet, daughter of a humble herald who captures the heart of a prince and becomes the ancestress of the Tudor kings of England. The love story of Katherine and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, third son of Edward III, is dramatic, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. It conveys a real sense of time and place and of a woman's position in the medieval world and the difficult choices faced by Katherine. Would I have… show more.

I prefer books about fictional rather than real historical figures, but this is an exception – only fair as Katherine Swynford (Chaucer’s sister-in-law), the mistress and then wife of John of Gaunt, was obviously an exceptional woman. I am willing to forgive the occasional “Prithee buxom wench, I trow” phrases, because the depiction of the time, in all its itching, seeping, nauseating grubbiness, is thoroughly convincing, and because, despite being a love story, marriage amongst the landed is present as what it was: a purely business arrangement, having nothing to do with love or personal preference – unless you… show more.

This is a classical historical fiction novel that never grows old. It is about Katherine Swynford, daughter of a minor knight, who captures the attention of the powerful and determined John of Gaunt, son of Edward III. She becomes his long-term mistress and has many children with him, but at one point, under pressure they part. However, he goes back to her and does something that rarely happened with royal mistresses of the time—he married her. Their children, surnamed Beaufort, were legitimised and became the ancestors of both the Yorkist Kings and the Tudor dynasty.

Rich, lush, and wonderfully written, Katherine is a book that grabbed a hold of me from page one and didn’t let go. Even after I finished the book I couldn’t get it out of my head. If you love historical fiction, this is a book that will carry you away. 

Written in 1954 by American author, Anya Seton, this is the story of Katherine Swynford, long-time mistress and eventual wife of John of Gaunt. John of Gaunt was one of the sons of Edward III and although they lived in a time slightly earlier than my usual period of interest, for the study of a female protagonist, this book is still one of the best. I love Katherine’s story; from the minute I started this book I was captivated by a woman who went against society to stand by the man she loved. And whether you approve of her life… show more.

I work on early modern history and the rest of my recommendations are from that era, but I couldn’t resist starting with a classic and the novel that got me hooked on biofictions. Published in 1954, this book will show its age to new readers, but Seton tells the story of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (1350-1403) in a wonderfully engaging way. It gives a colourful account of life in medieval England. I first read this book as a young teenager and have returned to it over the years.

Katherine was born the daughter of a minor Flemish herald and… show more.