Scotland's Medieval Queens

In Scotland's Medieval Queens, Sharon Bennett Connolly examines the lives of the Queens of Scotland from Saint Margaret (1045 - 1093) to Margaret of Denmark (1456 - 1486). The author provides a study of part of Scotland's history through the lives of the women who held positions of power, usually in a time of turbulence and often violence

This was a time when there were conflicts between the Scots and the Vikings as well as frequent disputes with the kings of England. The French were also interested in what was going on in Scotland. 

Much of the book explores the role of the Scottish queens in the running of the country, especially when their husbands were involved in battles. The lives of members of the royal families, especially the women, were often in danger if they were captured and used as hostages.  

This work examines an important period in the history of Scotland as it strived for independence. 

Katherine Swynford: the story of John of Gaunt and his scandalous duchess

Katherine de Roet (1350-1403) became the third wife of John of Gaunt (1340-1399), a son of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. Initially Katherine had married Sir Hugh Swynford who died in 1371. She became the mistress of John of Gaunt and they had four children. When John of Gaunt's second wife died he married Katherine and insisted that their children should be recognised as part of his family. Alison Weir has proved us with a dramatic account of this period of English history.

 

In her historical study, Katherine Swynford, Alison Weir sets out to provide an account of Katherine's life from the scant records available. The interest in the life of Katherine and John of Gaunt has increased over the years especially since the publication of the novel, Katherine, by Anna Seton which was published in 1954. Detailed notes plus a select bibliography, notes, index and family trees are provided.

 

NB: This book was published in the United States with the title Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster by Alison Weir

 

Katherine Swynford - Alison Weir  

She-Wolves: the women who ruled England before Elizabeth

In 2010 historian, Helen Castor, had published the book, She-Wolves: the women who ruled England before Elizabeth. In 2012 a three part television series with the same name was made. A She-wolf was a derogatory term suggesting that a female leader, by nature, would have to have serious character defects. During the medieval period there were many women who held positions of power but were not allowed to be queens in their own right in England.

The women who are the focus in Helen Castor's study are Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France and Margaret of Anjou. These women lived during a period in history when only men had the official power to govern a country or territory but women were used as a means of increasing that power or gaining more land or riches. In reality these women made an impact on life in England during often difficult times and often were regents when the official ruler was fighting in France or on crusade. This did not necessarily make them popular with some of the barons and church hierarchy who wanted to increase their power.

She-wolves - Historical Association 

Medieval she-wolves (part one) - History - the interesting bits

 Medieval she-wolves (part two) - History - the interesting bits

The Mystery of King John's Treasure

The story goes that in October 1216 King John's treasure disappeared in the fens in East Anglia near Lynn (now Kings Lynn). In The Mystery of King John's Treasure, Shirley Charters investigates the various stories surrounding this mystery as well as recounting the last few weeks of King John's life. 

The book also provides the history of significant events in King John's reign. Themes discussed include King John's conflict with the Church, the need to raise money to cover the costs of wars with France plus his brother's earlier involvement with Crusades and of course the on-going disagreements with his barons leading to civil war.  King John's relationship with the Knights Templar is also discussed. The Mystery of King John's Treasure presents an interesting account of the world of the Plantagenets in the early thirteenth century.

King and emperor

King and emperor: a new life of Charlemagne is a detailed study by Janet L Nelson of the life of Charles the Great, King of the Franks. In this scholarly study of the life of Charlemagne, the author attempts to dispel many of the myths that surround his life and investigates the available resources to explore the life of a man who made and ruled a great European empire. After Charles' death this empire was dismantled by his sons.

Living from 748-814 during the period referred to as the Dark Ages many of the records that may have existed about the life of Charlemagne and his empire have disappeared. However the author has made a detailed study of the records that she has been able to locate and quotes from many of the documents to help record her story.  Each chapter consists of quoted material from documents followed by the author's account. The Carolingian Empire or Holy Roman Empire covered most of Western and Central Europe. Throughout his reign there were many battles and campaigns to expand and protect the borders.

This story of Charlemagne's life consists of 493 pages followed by another 173 pages of notes, bibliography and index. Consequently this book would be an essential guide for anyone researching this period of European history. This is a book that I will need to refer to again when time permits.

England's Queens: the biography

Elizabeth Norton provides a chronological record of the queens of England from Boudicia to Elizabeth II.

The titles of the chapters are: Early and Mythical Queens; Anglo-Saxon Queens; Norman Queens; Plantagenet Queens; Lancastrian Queens; Yorkist Queens; Six Wives of Henry VII; Tudor Queen Regnants; House of Stuart; Hanoverian Queens; From the House of Hanover to the House of Windsor. The book is illustrated, has a collection of genealogical tables plus a list of sources and bibliography.

As many of their husbands spent time fighting wars for long periods of time it was often left to the early queens to look after their husband's interests while they were away, often giving the women considerable power. This book provides an interesting account of the history of England through the lives of women who were queens.

The last days of Richard III and the fate of his DNA

This is the second edition of the book written by John Ashdown-Hill, originally published by History Press in 2010. After the publication of the first edition of the book, excavation of a carpark in Leicester resulted in the discovery and identification of the body of Richard III. This edition was published in 2013 as was the e-book which is the copy I read.

The first section of the book outlines the known details about the last five months of the life of Richard III covering the period from Friday 25 March 1485 until Monday 22 August 1485 when Richard died. Obviously there are gaps in the material available but the author contends that an examination of the known facts dispels many of the myths that surround later accounts of the personality and supposed deeds of the king. The stories about the treatment of Richard's body after his death plus the burial of Richard's body in Leicester are also examined.

The second part of the book deals with the DNA search to prove that the bones found belonged to Richard III. Males do not pass on the mitochondrial DNA but as a mother passes the same mitochondrial DNA to all her children the challenge was to follow a direct female line from the females in the family of Richard III to the present day so that the two sets of DNA could be tested. The author describes how a direct female line was discovered from Catherine (Katherine) de Roet, Duchess of Lancaster (1348-1403), via her daughter, Joan Beaufort, then her grand-daughter, Cecily Neville, the mother of Richard III, to Anne of York (Richards's sister) until finally, sixteen generations later, to Joy Ibsen (1926-2008).

During the writing of the book the author provides many details and explanations which at times do not make easy reading but generally this is an interesting study of an era in British history as well as an account of how new scientific approaches can help verify historical data.

The University of Leicester website - The search for Richard III - contains further information about the discovery of the body of Richard III.