Side Trip

After hours of internet obsessing I at last filled in all of the years between Eleanor and Isabella.  And I added Isabella I of Castile’s daughter, Catherine of Aragon, the first and longest lasting wife of Henry VIII of England.  The final link between Joanna Queen of Naples and Isabella I of Castile is Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal. 

            I must admit that while I recognized the name of this man, I actually knew nothing about him prior to skimming a few brief online biographies to make sure he fit the number one criteria.  Yes, he is descended from Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, successively Queen of France, then England, etc.  Also, I have not yet read a biography of anyone from Portugal.  Henry the Navigator’s mother was Phillipa of Lancaster, the daughter of John of Gaunt and the great-granddaughter of Edward II of England and his wife, Isabella of France, both of whom were descended from Eleanor; to make it more interesting, John of Gaunt was also descended from Eleanor through his mother, Phillippa of Hainault.   Phillippa of Lancaster’s mother Blanche also descended from Eleanor.  Henry the Navigator’s father Joao I of Portugal was also descended from Eleanor through both of his paternal grandparents.  Ok so it would have been easier to say that Henry the Navigator descended from Eleanor through multiple lines in his twisty family tree.      

            While waiting for Henry the Navigator to ship I finished Isabella of France.  I was bookless, so off I went to my favorite place for a coffee and a book, Housing Works.  There I spotted a hardback biography (at $6.00 instead of the cover price) of Katherine Swynford, mistress then Duchess to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.  I’d had my eye on Mistress of the Monarchy by my old friend Alison Weir for quite some time before descent from Eleanor became the key qualifier.  After I came to that rule, I eliminated her.  Of course I still sat with her on our table one morning when I met Kristen for coffee, quiche and browsing.  I talked myself out of buying based on sticking to my rules.  That said, the second I became bookless through poor timing of orders on my part I ran back to Housing Works and there she was, sitting sadly on a shelf next to her great-great-great-grandson Henry VIII.  How could I leave a damsel in such distress? (And I was bookless!)

            It took me all of three seconds to convince myself to break my rule.  I went with the close enough theory.  There is a chance she was related to the ruling house of Hainault, some of which descended from Eleanor.  Her lover turned husband was definitely descended from Eleanor.  John of Gaunt was the grandson of Isabella of France and Edward II.  Also the years of her life overlap with Isabella of France, Joanna of Naples and Henry the Navigator.  So I am not leaving any time line holes by adding her into the line up.  Finally, any biography of a woman of the late fourteenth century would largely be about the man in her life.

            Plus I just really wanted to read her biography.  Like Weir, I first discovered the story of Katherine and John through Anya Seton’s 1954 novel Katherine.  Seton was known for extensively researching the facts for her historical novels.  Images from Seton’s book often drift into my head, adding color to a story already fascinating even on facts alone.  My mother introduced me to Seton through Green Darkness, the novel she read while in the hospital after I was born; I still have her copy of that book!

            Now I am halfway through Mistress of the Monarchy.  Henry the Navigator is on the shelf patiently waiting.  Isabella I of Castile is on her way and her daughter, Catherine of Aragon is waiting next to the Navigator.  And when not reading, I am searching the internet for the next person.  It would be so easy to complete this mission using only biographies of English royals, but that is such a narrow field. I know, the beginning of this list is heavy on the English and French, but I really am branching out.  I’ll admit it’s hard.  Have any of you tried to find a biography of a Danish King in English? Or even a Holy Roman Emperor?  Skipping forward a couple hundred years, I am looking at Abigail Adams and farther forward Czar Nicholas II.  Maybe even his Mother, Dagmar of Denmark who became Czarina upon her marriage.  But for now I am stuck at 1600.  Any non-English, French or Spanish recommendations will be gladly taken and double checked for eligibility.             

Read:

Weir, Alison.  Eleanor of Aquitaine, 1999 (1122-1204) France/England

Warren, W.L.  King John, 1961 (1166-1216) England

Pernoud, Regine.  Blanche of Castile, 1972 (1188-1252) France

Weir, Alison.  Queen Isabella, 2005 (1295-1358) France/England

Goldstone, Nancy.  The Lady Queen, 2009 (1326-1382)  Italy           

Weir, Alison, Mistress of the Monarchy, 2007 (1350-1403) England           

Next:

Henry the Navigator 1394-1460 Portugal

Isabella la Catolica 1451-1504 Spain

Catherine of Aragon 1485-1536 Spain/England

Phillip II of Spain 1527-1598 Spain

Maybe:

Catherine the Great of Russia 1729-1796

Abigail Adams 1744-1818