The Scandalous Duchess

AUTHOR NOTE

Katherine Swynford is a name known to every reader of historical fiction as the mistress of John, Duke of Lancaster, known to history as John of Gaunt. Other than that, historically, we know very little about her or their life together. We have no portraits, no descriptions of Katherine. She left no letters or useful diary records. Although the Duke recorded the gifts he made to members of his household in his detailed registers, Katherine’s name rarely appears.

So what do we know about her?

History provides us with a skeleton of Katherine’s life. Katherine de Roet, a young woman in the household of Blanche of Lancaster, was married to Sir Hugh Swynford and was widowed when Hugh died in Aquitaine. Katherine became mistress of John of Lancaster for twenty-five years, before he married her and made her Duchess of Lancaster. She had children with both her husbands. Her sister Philippa was wife to Geoffrey Chaucer. Katherine died in 1403 in Lincoln.

Other than that, the detail of Katherine’s life is sketchy, even the exact year in which she was born is open to debate, as is the year in which she began her liaison with the Duke. We know that she was magistra to the Lancaster children and as such must have spent considerable time in the ducal household, but her movements during her years as John’s mistress are not always clear. It is not even on record where Katherine took refuge during the terrible months of the Peasants Revolt; all we know is that she disappeared from the turbulent scene for a short time. We cannot even pinpoint the year in which the couple renewed their relationship after the issue of the quitclaim.

For a writer of an historical novel, this is both frustrating and at the same time fascinating. It is a matter of obtaining a ‘best fit’ picture of their life together from the facts that we have, making use of what was—and equally what was not—recorded about the scandalous affair.

Once again, it is a task of reading between the lines and joining the dots. Thus my novel of Katherine Swynford is firmly based on factual evidence. Where we simply ‘don’t know’ I have, unapologetically, used historical licence. Where we do know, I have used the events to dramatic effect to create in The Scandalous Duchess a credible and awe-inspiring account of Katherine’s place in history.

I am always delighted to keep in touch with my readers who are interested in my writing, both the process and the content. I enjoy receiving feedback and readers’ thoughts and insights into my heroines.

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I also have my own blog, where I write about history in general and what I am investigating in particular. Or anything historical that takes my interest. I will certainly be blogging about the world of Katherine Swynford and John of Lancaster. www.anneobrienbooks.com/blog.