num_pages: 500
description: This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed history—that of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family. Set in the vibrant 14th century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and the magnificent Plantagenets—Edward III, the Black Prince, and Richard II—who ruled despotically over a court rotten with intrigue. Within this era of danger and romance, John of Gaunt, the king’s son, falls passionately in love with the already married Katherine. Their well-documented affair and love persist through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption. This epic novel of conflict, cruelty, and untamable love has become a classic since its first publication in 1954.
language: English
title: Katherine
titlecomplete: Katherine
characters: Blanche of Lancaster, Edward III of England, Alice Perrers, Katherine Swynford, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
genres: Audiobook, Historical, Historical Fiction, Medieval, 14th Century, Classics, British Literature, Historical Romance, Romance, Fiction
ratings_count: 32995
places: England
publisher: Chicago Review Press