Another lovely book from Kathryn Warner. It is in part a list of who married whom, but there's a lot more than that. Two of John of Gaunt's daughters married royals in Spain and Portugal, and established successful dynasties which lasted for decades, even centuries. Among their descendants were Isabella and Ferdinand, Henry the Navigator and Phillip II. In this way, they fulfilled Gaunt's ambition gaining a crown.

There were a few surprises here as well. Edward III’s beloved eldest daughter, Isabella did not marry until her 30s to a Frenchman, Enguerrand de Courcy. Although her daughter grew up in France, she was an ancestor of Emperor Charles V as well as Charles II and the Stuart monarchs. Isabella Plantagenet was thus the ancestor of most of the monarchs of England from 1600 onwards.
Joan Beaufort, one of my personal favourites was the maternal grandmother of the Yorkist Kings Edward IV and Richard III. So much for the idea of “pure” Yorkist blood untainted by Beaufort illegitimacy: they were grandsons of one of the original 4 Beaufort siblings!

Warner once again reveals how women could wield power through not just their marriage and children but through the bequests of land and their relationships with the church. A woman choosing her own husband though, could be a potent force. Most studies on the children of Edward III focus on his sons and their descendants, this much needed study reorientates the focus on his many daughters and granddaughters. Women whom he loved and honoured: even those who were born after his death understood the legacy of their royal power and blood.

NetGalley, Joanna Arman

An informative and interesting read based on characters of history I otherwise would not of been aware of.

Always refreshing to read a study dedicated to a woman or women in their own right, not as a foot note to their husband / father /other male relatives story.

NetGalley, Clare Willmott

Informatively enriched for the reader with the inclusion of a section of black/white illustrations, three pages of Family Trees genealogies, a one page listing of Abbreviations, forty pages of Notes, a ten page Bibliography, and a five page Index, "The Granddaughters of Edward III" is an extraordinary history of the life, times, and importance of nine women during and after the reign of Edward III. A thorough work of meticulous and painstaking scholarship, "The Granddaughters of Edward III" will appeal to both academia and the general public with an interest in British Royal History/Biographies. While fully recommended for community, college, and university library English Royal History and Women's Biography collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Granddaughters of Edward III" is also available in a digital book format.

Read the full review here

Midwest Book Review

Everyone is related to Edward III. Seriously hasn’t that been proven? That there is an outstanding amount of persons in England and other royal families in other countries that can trace their heritage back to Edward III? It blows my mind! He sounds magnificent, like the ultimate in leadership, a role model for the masses.
I was impressed by how the author used a repetitive pattern to not alienate an avid reader, but instead, captivate the reader to continue to the next chapters almost like an onion. I did not feel aggravated by this feature, it was masterfully done. I especially liked the epilogue that continued the family tree, as well as how it sharpened my understanding of the ancestors’ associations to future nobility. Well done!

NetGalley, Brenda McKinley

If you are a fan of the medieval period or Edward III, you will most certainly enjoy this book and get quite a bit out of it.

Read the Full Review Here

The History Fella

Edward III was a famously successful king in terms of monarchical reign and length, he was also the grandsire of royalty and nobility across Europe. In this book Warner considers the influence of this monarch in terms of the lives of his nine granddaughters. I found this incredibly fascinating and learnt a lot more about the lives of a number of powerful women. Surprising to me was the huge influence that these women had in Spain and Portugal through their founding of dynasties.

NetGalley, Jo-anne Atkinson

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Granddaughters of Edward III" by Kathryn Warner, which provides a glimpse into the lives of the four women who are the focus of the book: Philippa, Elizabeth, Mary, and Isabella. Through her writing, the author brings these women to life, making them seem like real people rather than just names in a history book.

What I particularly appreciated about this book was how it shed light on the experiences of women during the medieval period. The granddaughters of Edward III lived in a world that was dominated by men, and yet they managed to carve out their own paths and leave their own mark on history. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in medieval history or women's history.

NetGalley, June Lee

I am always wanting books about women in history, especially in the medieval time frame! This is no run-of-the-mill biography about Plantagenets, this book does a great job of telling the stories of lives that aren't really covered much in history. This book is well-researched, written extremely well and so, so interesting! The medieval history of these women is juicy! I would love this book be made into a documentary on these women, as well.

There is so much information about women and the families of Edward III's granddaughters that I did not know, pretty much the whole book! The Granddaughters of Edward III is a really good read and I'd recommend to women's history fans, European history fans, and medieval history fans.

NetGalley, Vanessa Stoner

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

We can read in the annotation that this book is a joint biography of the granddaughters of Edward III and his wife Philippa. We'll get a lot more. Thanks to the author's style, I consider this book the best book I've ever read.

She did have to deal with an overload of names. 11 granddaughters, more than 11 corresponding husbands, plus the children and their partners. The fact that the author always repeats who is who and their previous fates makes it impossible to get lost in the book.

The book is also a fitting prequel to the War of the Roses and the later Tudor power struggles. The ties to the royal family of most families were forged during this time.

The various biographies are also set in the (legal) context of the time. Beyond that, I appreciate the brief mentions of the Portuguese rulers. Their fates are juicier than the marital escapades of Henry VIII.

NetGalley, Magdalena Šejdová

I think that anyone doing any research on Edward III or the royal family will enjoy this very much.

NetGalley, Michelle Champion

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This non-fiction book is so good! Whenever I picked up "The Granddaughters of Edward III", I was whisked back in time, and learned something new each and every time I read this book.

Kathryn Warner is such an amazing author, and she brilliantly makes history jump right off of the page before the reader's eyes. I can only begin to imagine the amount of research she must have done for this book, as I was so immersed in the history being told.

Throughout this book, It was so intriguing to see how things connected, how each woman was an important part of history and how they impacted it for future generations, and I plan to do more research on my own as well.

If you enjoy learning about the Late Middle Ages, I highly recommend this book! It kept me turning the pages, and I look forward to reading what Ms. Warner writes next.

NetGalley, Ashley Maimes

Kathryn Warner’s latest book, is a fascinating look at the 11 granddaughters of King Edward III and Queen Philippa of Hainault. While I knew a little about Edward III and his sons, I did not know very much about his granddaughters. Two granddaughters (Philippa and Catalina of Lancaster) became the much beloved Queens of Portugal and Castile & Leon, others married into the nobility and one became a nun. All had to weather changes of fortune during the turbulent years after the death of Edward III, when first Richard II and then Henry IV took the throne. Thanks to this very readable and skilfully woven together account, these 11 women can take their places in the spotlight.

NetGalley, Tamise Hills

'The Granddaughters of Edward III' is a highly detailed, thoroughly researched, and meticulously referenced book. Kathryn Warner's work provides a great secondary source not only for those history lovers of this period but also those who appreciate the revealing dynastic, political landscape created through carefully crafted betrothals, marriages, and property. Spanning the United Kingdom, Iberia and France, Edward III's legacy as a powerful European authority. The complexity of the family tree means that some readers might find it useful to begin the book with some knowledge of England's royal history, although plenty of family trees and references are included. Very informative.

NetGalley, Christy Howl

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Kathryn Warner brings the granddaughters of Edward III, King of England, and Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England, to life in this particular book. Many of these granddaughters share their grandmother’s name, and all of these remarkable medieval women shape European culture and politics with their dynastic marriages across Europe. Warner introduces the reader to Philippa of Clarence, Philippa of Lancaster, Elizabeth of Lancaster, Catalina of Lancaster, Joan Beaufort, Constance of York, Anne of Gloucester, Joan of Gloucester, Isabel of Gloucester, Marie de Coucy, and Philippa de Coucy. These women are the ancestresses of the Tudor, Lancaster, and York dynasties of England, monarchs of the Iberian peninsula (Castile, Aragon, Leon, and Portugal), and matriarchs of ruling families in France and the Low Countries. Warner successfully distinguishes the many Philippas from each other and demonstrates the ties between the granddaughters and their descendants, reflecting how important these English noblewomen were to the medieval period. Warner’s familiarity with her subjects and her clarity of naming and dating allows the reader to easily track these eleven women in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and her prose draws the reader into the book and the lives of these fascinating royal granddaughters.

NetGalley, Lily Amidon

As always, Kathryn has thoroughly researched this book, and shows expert knowledge.

NetGalley, Lisa Sanderson

This book is a mine of invaluable data on some extraordinary characters and anecdotes, and on the complex web of connections between the royal and aristocratic families who shaped the future of England and of Western Europe.

Kathryn Warner collates the data from dry administrative records, threads together the sparse details of individual lives, and teases out implications and stories. Too much history has been written while considering only half of the population, so readers already interested in the history of England in the late 14th and early 15th century are likely to find the information here a useful complement to what they already know. Many people interested in their family histories will find that they have ancestors discussed here, as the descendants of Edward III were so numerous and influential (and sometimes, of course, combative: here lie the roots of the Wars of the Roses and subsequent Tudor history, as well as Portugal's Illustrious Generation).

The book is also rich in remarkable characters and anecdotes to provide an abundance of material to writers of historical novels and dramas.

NetGalley, Claire Barnes

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

When we think about the legacy of Edward III, we often think about a warrior king who became king after his father, Edward II’s disastrous fall from grace. We know about his sons that he had with his beloved wife, Philippa of Hainault: Edward the Black Prince, Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. Famously, we get the 15th-century conflict known as the Wars of the Roses through the descendants of Edward III. However, the male descendants only tell half the story of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault’s legacy in England and throughout Europe. In her latest book, “The Granddaughters of Edward III,” Kathryn Warner examines the lives of Edward III’s female descendants to better appreciate the strength of this group of branches of the Plantagenet family tree.

Thank you, Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley, for sending me a copy of this book. I am always looking for more books about the Plantagenets, and I know a bit about Edward III’s sons but not much about his granddaughters.

Warner has chosen to take a joint biography approach to this book by focusing on nine out of eleven of Edward III’s granddaughters. These eleven granddaughters were the daughters of Lionel Antwerp, John of Gaunt, Isabella Woodstock, Edmund of Langley, and Thomas of Woodstock. The eleven granddaughters of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault were: Philippa of Clarence, Philippa of Lancaster, Elizabeth of Lancaster, Marie de Coucy, Philippa de Coucy, Catalina of Lancaster, Constance of York, Joan Beaufort, Anne of Gloucester, Joan of Gloucester, and Isabel of Gloucester.

These women were not just great ladies in England, but in the case of Philippa of Lancaster and Catalina of Lancaster, they were Queens of Portugal and Castile, respectively. Philippa of Lancaster ushered in the Illustrious Generation in the history of the royal family of Portugal. Catalina married her mother’s mortal enemy to create a stronger connection between England and Castile. Back in England, the remaining granddaughters had to deal with rebellions against King Henry IV, resulting in husbands and sons being beheaded. One had married her former brother-in-law when her husband died, and another had an affair with the king’s half-brother, resulting in the birth of an illegitimate daughter. A granddaughter had her marriage annulled when her husband decided to marry a lady-in-waiting. One began her life as an illegitimate child and would end up being the grandmother to two Kings of England.

Warner has been able to take the stories of these eleven women who shared a grandfather and show how their tales transformed England, Castile, and Portugal forever. The amount of love and attention she dedicated to this book is admirable. I appreciate how Warner could give readers who only understood the English side of these tales a better understanding of the political situations in Castile and Portugal. If you want a book with brand new medieval heroines with a connection to the Plantagenet dynasty, I highly recommend you read “The Granddaughters of Edward III” by Kathryn Warner.

NetGalley, Heidi Malagisi

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

If you really enjoy royal genealogies this wonderful book will be right up your alley.

With the granddaughters of Edward III, Kathryn Warner offers us the opportunity to discover the lives of some very impressive medieval women and the role of their various descendants during the tumultuous one hundred years stretching from 1377 to the dawn of the first Tudor monarch.

I personally loved this book because it allowed me to know more about John of Gaunt's two daughters who became respectively Queen consort of Castille and Queen consort of Portugal.
But I must confess that some readers may find the sheer abundance of genealogical informations a bit daunting...

Highly recommended for anyone interested by English medieval history.

NetGalley, jean luc estrella

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book really should be titled ‘Grandchildren of Edward III’ as it does provide some focus on two of Edward’s grandsons, the famous Richard II and Henry IV. But it is nonetheless entertaining and informative, and in fact I enjoyed this book more for the peeks at Richard and Henry as much as the story of the lives of the Phillippas, Elizabeths, and Marys. It put the lives of these women in context with the larger family, almost a clan that the women lived in.

NetGalley, Caroline Palmer

Well researched with some new information that I wasn't aware of made this interesting. Not drawn out or dry - a must read for any monarchy fan!

NetGalley, Christine Cazeneuve

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I really didn't know a lot about Edward III or his line, and this book filled that out a lot. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and was invested in the history going on. Kathryn Warner has a great style in this type of book and I could tell the research around this book. I can't wait to read more from the author.

"Richard II ordered Thomas Mowbray to be held captive in the royal wardrobe, a building near the Blackfriars’ house in London, and later in Windsor Castle; the duke spent much of 1398 under arrest.8 Henry of Lancaster, by contrast, was allowed to remain at liberty, and spent some of the year at court and much of the rest with his father."

NetGalley, Kathryn McLeer