{"product_id":"mistress-of-the-monarchy-the-life-of-katherine-swynford-duchess-of-lancaster-9780345453242","title":"Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster","description":"\u003cb\u003eA stunning portrait of Katherine Swynford, a royal mistress who became one of the most crucial figures in the history of Great Britain, from the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author hailed as \"the finest historian of English monarchical succession writing\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Weir brings alive the brilliant beauty whose descendants would sit on the British throne.\"--\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBorn in the mid-fourteenth century, Katherine de Ro?t was only twelve when she married Hugh Swynford, an impoverished knight. But her story had truly begun two years earlier, when she was appointed governess to the household of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and fourth son of King Edward III. Widowed at twenty-one, Katherine became John's mistress and then, after many twists of fortune, his bride in a scandalous marriage. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on rare documentation, \u003ci\u003eMistress of the Monarchy\u003c\/i\u003e reveals a woman ahead of her time--making her own choices, flouting convention, and taking control of her own destiny. Indeed, without Katherine Swynford, the course of English history, perhaps even the world, would have been very different.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlison Weir is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of the novels\u003cb\u003e Innocent Traitor\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eThe Lady Elizabeth\u003c\/b\u003e and several historical biographies, including \u003cb\u003eMistress of the Monarchy, Queen Isabella, Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Life of Elizabeth I\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003eThe Six Wives of Henry VIII\u003c\/b\u003e. She lives in Surrey, England with her husband and two children.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51259958165778,"sku":"9780345453242","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d1e25c03-5c5e-461f-a16b-6325cbea8326.jpg?v=1746633309","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/mistress-of-the-monarchy-the-life-of-katherine-swynford-duchess-of-lancaster-9780345453242","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}