After reading Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession, I decided that I should read one of Alison Weir’s nonfiction books ASAP, before I forget that I wanted to do so (so many books on my TBR list are languishing there because I did not read them ASAP). Katherine Swynford sounded interesting, especially since I know nothing about her.
Katherine Swynford is the mistress turned wife of John of Gaunt, one of the most powerful men in England during his time. Although their affair shocked the court, her grandchildren eventually ended up on the throne of England (although that was after she had passed away). However, due to the scandal of their affair, most of her grandchildren tried to diminish her connection to them. In addition, the lack of contemporary materials (and the complete absence of letters by her) means that it’s extremely hard for us to get a picture of her.
With all that in mind, this biography does its best to give a reasonably good guess of what Katherine Swynford may have been like. Weir uses data from the people surrounding her as well as the socio-economic climate and culture of the time to infer where Katherine may have been and what she might have been doing, gradually building up a picture of her life. It is not a very certain picture, given our lack of facts, but it is a reasonable one that explains how the daughter of a knight could have attracted the attention of one of the most powerful men, and how she might have behaved during and after their affair.
The language in this book is careful, which is something I appreciated. Weir is very clear when she’s making a theory about Katherine (and she makes many guesses) and does her best to explain why she thinks that way, supporting it with evidence from financial rolls and other sources. If you want something dramatic and/or certain, you may not like the way the book is written, but I appreciated the care taken.
The appendix talks about the novel Katherine by Anya Seton and its historical accuracy. It sounds like a fascinating novel and I’m definitely going to have to hunt that down, sometime.
Overall, this is an interesting and engaging book about someone that I knew nothing about. It’s a pity that so little contemporary evidence of Katherine Swynford remains – it would have been fascinating if her letters and diaries survive. But as it is, what we can know of her is that she is a remarkable woman who did her best in a time that was not always kind to people of her class and gender.
Featured Image: Photo from Canva Library