Description:

In the past, the subjects of Alison Weir's biographies have been well known: Mary, Queen of Scots; Henry VIII and his family; Eleanor of Aquitaine. This book, however, grapples with a personality much less known but equally captivating. Though a cipher to New Millennials, Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (1350-1403) moved in the highest circles of British aristocracy. The heirs of her husband, John of Gaunt, included three English monarchs (Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI) and her sister, a member of a royal household, married Geoffrey Chaucer. Weir's Mistress of the Monarchy takes us into the court of kings and kingmakers, and introduces us a fascinating figure in medieval history.