Overview

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. 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.

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9781399021142

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Reviews

""[H]ighly recommend this book for those interesting in the complex court of King Edward II and Queen Isabella.""-- ""History of Royal Women"" ""I don't know nearly enough about these medieval monarchs and the women who shaped and moulded them. This is a time that Bernard Cornwell's Dark Ages saga pre-dates by about three hundred years, and follows the invasion of William of Normandy, of course. Fascinating, fills in lots of gap in my measly knowledge of this era of British and European history!""-- ""Books Monthly"" ""Overall, I found this book intriguing and complex. By telling the story of Eleanor, Margaret, and Elizabeth de Clare as three biographies in one book, Warner presents a new perspective into the life and reign of Edward II. The Plantagenet family during this time was a closely knit web of power that had to rely on each other to survive or to fall. If you want a great book to introduce you to three fascinating sisters whose marriages during the reign of the infamous Edward II transformed England then, ""Edward II's Nieces The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown"" by Kathryn Warner is a wonderful place to start.""-- ""Adventures of a Tudor Nerd"" ""Warner's book is a great joint biography and provides a valuable resource for historians. She has drawn extensively on the available sources to trace the movements and activities of the sisters, as well as their relationships with their husbands and children.""-- ""The History Lady"" ""[A]nother 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. I love this period of history and love learning about women's roles, power, influences during this time. I would definitely recommend.""-- ""Where There's Ink There's Paper""

Author Information

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.

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