Edward II's Nieces, The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown
“A great book to introduce you to three fascinating sisters whose marriages during the reign of the infamous Edward II transformed England.” —Adventures of a Tudor Nerd

The de Clare sisters Eleanor, Margaret and Elizabeth were born in the 1290s as the eldest granddaughters of King Edward I of England and his Spanish queen Eleanor of Castile, and were the daughters of the greatest nobleman in England, Gilbert “the Red” de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. They grew to adulthood during the turbulent reign of their uncle Edward II, and all three of them were married to men involved in intense, probably romantic or sexual, relationships with their uncle.

When their elder brother Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, was killed during their uncle’s catastrophic defeat at the battle of Bannockburn in June 1314, the three sisters inherited and shared his vast wealth and lands in three countries, but their inheritance proved a poisoned chalice. Eleanor and Elizabeth, and Margaret’s daughter and heir, were all abducted and forcibly married by men desperate for a share of their riches, and all three sisters were imprisoned at some point either by their uncle Edward II or his queen Isabella of France during the tumultuous decade of the 1320s. Elizabeth was widowed for the third time at twenty-six, lived as a widow for just under forty years, and founded Clare College at the University of Cambridge.

“Another enjoyable read on women in history that don’t always get the limelight that they deserve. Kathryn Warner has done it once again by providing a well-written, well-researched, informative and engaging read.” —Where There’s Ink There’s Paper
"1132759331"
Edward II's Nieces, The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown
“A great book to introduce you to three fascinating sisters whose marriages during the reign of the infamous Edward II transformed England.” —Adventures of a Tudor Nerd

The de Clare sisters Eleanor, Margaret and Elizabeth were born in the 1290s as the eldest granddaughters of King Edward I of England and his Spanish queen Eleanor of Castile, and were the daughters of the greatest nobleman in England, Gilbert “the Red” de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. They grew to adulthood during the turbulent reign of their uncle Edward II, and all three of them were married to men involved in intense, probably romantic or sexual, relationships with their uncle.

When their elder brother Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, was killed during their uncle’s catastrophic defeat at the battle of Bannockburn in June 1314, the three sisters inherited and shared his vast wealth and lands in three countries, but their inheritance proved a poisoned chalice. Eleanor and Elizabeth, and Margaret’s daughter and heir, were all abducted and forcibly married by men desperate for a share of their riches, and all three sisters were imprisoned at some point either by their uncle Edward II or his queen Isabella of France during the tumultuous decade of the 1320s. Elizabeth was widowed for the third time at twenty-six, lived as a widow for just under forty years, and founded Clare College at the University of Cambridge.

“Another enjoyable read on women in history that don’t always get the limelight that they deserve. Kathryn Warner has done it once again by providing a well-written, well-researched, informative and engaging read.” —Where There’s Ink There’s Paper
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Edward II's Nieces, The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown

Edward II's Nieces, The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown

by Kathryn Warner
Edward II's Nieces, The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown

Edward II's Nieces, The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown

by Kathryn Warner

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Overview

“A great book to introduce you to three fascinating sisters whose marriages during the reign of the infamous Edward II transformed England.” —Adventures of a Tudor Nerd

The de Clare sisters Eleanor, Margaret and Elizabeth were born in the 1290s as the eldest granddaughters of King Edward I of England and his Spanish queen Eleanor of Castile, and were the daughters of the greatest nobleman in England, Gilbert “the Red” de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. They grew to adulthood during the turbulent reign of their uncle Edward II, and all three of them were married to men involved in intense, probably romantic or sexual, relationships with their uncle.

When their elder brother Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, was killed during their uncle’s catastrophic defeat at the battle of Bannockburn in June 1314, the three sisters inherited and shared his vast wealth and lands in three countries, but their inheritance proved a poisoned chalice. Eleanor and Elizabeth, and Margaret’s daughter and heir, were all abducted and forcibly married by men desperate for a share of their riches, and all three sisters were imprisoned at some point either by their uncle Edward II or his queen Isabella of France during the tumultuous decade of the 1320s. Elizabeth was widowed for the third time at twenty-six, lived as a widow for just under forty years, and founded Clare College at the University of Cambridge.

“Another enjoyable read on women in history that don’t always get the limelight that they deserve. Kathryn Warner has done it once again by providing a well-written, well-researched, informative and engaging read.” —Where There’s Ink There’s Paper

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781526715593
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date: 04/01/2021
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 264
Sales rank: 271,165
File size: 6 MB

About the Author

Kathryn Warner holds a BA and an MA with Distinction in medieval history and literature from the University of Manchester, and is the author of biographies about Edward II and his queen Isabella. Kathryn has had work published in the English Historical Review, has given a paper at the International Medieval Congress, and appeared in a BBC documentary. She runs a popular blog on Edward II and is an expert on Edward II, Isabelle of Castille and Richard II.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Chapter 1 The Clare Sisters 1

Chapter 2 The New King 13

Chapter 3 Journeys to Ireland 21

Chapter 4 Two Young Widows 30

Chapter 5 The Earl of Gloucester's Heirs 38

Chapter 6 The First Abduction 43

Chapter 7 Widowed Again 49

Chapter 8 Two Favourites, Two Weddings 54

Chapter 9 A Rich Inheritance 61

Chapter 10 The New Favourite 67

Chapter 11 The Despenser War 76

Chapter 12 Contrariants 83

Chapter 13 In the King's Favour 91

Chapter 14 Unequal Treatment 99

Chapter 15 A Secret Lover 108

Chapter 16 Intruder and Pharisee 119

Chapter 17 A Protest Against the Regime 126

Chapter 18 The End of Hugh Despenser 131

Chapter 19 Deposition 141

Chapter 20 Rebellion and Abduction 149

Chapter 21 The King Lives 156

Chapter 22 A Belated Funeral 161

Chapter 23 Death of an Earl 167

Chapter 24 A Third Abduction and a Death 171

Chapter 25 The Young Generation 176

Chapter 26 The Last Sister 184

Chapter 27 The Final Years 192

Appendix 1 Brief Biographical Details of the Clare Sisters 202

Appendix 2 The Sisters' Children 203

Appendix 3 The Descent of the Sisters' Inheritances 205

Abbreviations 208

Endnotes 209

Bibliography 242

Index 249

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