If you’re a fan of British royal history and you DON’T know the name Katherine Swynford… then hold on. You’re about to be shook.
Born into absolute obscurity as the daughter of a minor knight, somehow her family lucked out and she got to be raised at the court of Edward III and his super-generous queen, Philippa of Hinault. Here she made lots of advantageous connections and even gained a now world famous brother-in-law (that tenth grade English teachers everywhere probably really dread teaching).
Eventually, she’d embark upon a scandalous affair with a very senior royal and produce a brood of Beauforts. Yes, those Beauforts.
Katherine Swynford’s famous descendants include:
- Edward IV of England, Richard III of England, Elizabeth of York ( all through her daughter Joan whose son-in-law was the Duke of York)
- Margaret Beaufort (through her son John)
- The Tudor dynasty: Henry VII of England, Henry VIII of England, Mary I of England, Elizabeth I of England (fun fact: Henry VIII would actually be double descendant of Katherine’s since both Elizabeth of York and Henry VII are Katherine’s descendants. Isn’t that… fun? 🙃)
- Mary Queen of Scots, James VI of Scotland/ I of England (through her son John…twice. Once via his daughter Joan and again via the Tudors)
- Katherine Parr (through her daughter Joan)
And, honestly probably a lot more behind the scenes Super Important People in the British monarchy from then to… well, now!
Katherine and her royal lover, John of Gaunt, lived happily for a while until the peasant’s decided that was enough of that, and revolted. HARD. (To be fair, they were pretty justified) The peasant’s revolt of the 14th century changed Katherine’s life drastically and the next decade would be spent way more on the down low. Funny how an angry mob wanting to un-alive you and your family might have that effect.
After a life of scandal, and a twist that not a lot saw coming, Katherine would eventually become a the Duchess of Lancaster which is HUGE. She was outranked only by the queen (who was 7 years old #babiesdontneedjobs #babiesdontneedhusbands tell your mom) and lived a life of luxury.
Not too shabby in the end for the daughter of an obscure knight! Katherine’s life is a bit of a mystery since nothing really survives from her own words, but we did our best to try to get to know this duchess who has been such an influential figure in history.
Some cool sources: