… and so to the dark green volume in Kathryn Warner‘s series about Edward II, his family, his associates and his era. This one details the lives of three sisters with seven husbands between them and a lot of interesting descendants, including Richard III (and siblings), his wife and his sisters-in-law.
The eldest, Eleanor de Clare appears to be a little more interesting than Margaret and Elizabeth, her sisters, in that she had much better relations with Edward II up to his official death and was conversely treated much worse, as Hugh Despenser the Younger‘s instantaneous widow, by the Isabella-Mortimer regime. She is the only one of the trio to be the ancestress of her namesake, Lady Eleanor Talbot, whose death occurred exactly 131 years after hers.
The trio, daughters of Joan of Acre, became heiresses after their brother Gilbert’s death at Bannockburn. They were born, respectively, in Wales, Ireland (probably) and England and were associated with Clare Priory (and Castle), where their mother is buried.
As with many other history series, the author’s research is cumulative and I look forward to learning more.
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