“Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I” [Review]

This is the book I’ve been waiting for! “Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I” is akin to the perfectly faceted jewel affixed to the perfectly crafted ring: it is mesmerizing from afar yet intricately complex upon microscopic adoration.

Author Kelcey Wilson-Lee examines the lives of the children of, in my opinion, England’s greatest king: Edward I (1239-1307), son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. Edward I was given the monikers “Longshanks” because of his height and “The Hammer of the Scots” for his successful wars against the Scottish nobles. Read my full review below.

STAR RATINGS:

“DAUGHTERS OF CHIVALRY” BOOK STATS:

• Published 2019
• 364 total pages
• 305 pages of text
• 18 chapters
• List of 35 illustrations
• Two 4-page color picture insets
• 1 Notes section
• 1 Bibliography
• 1 Index section
• Hardcover only

“DAUGHTERS OF CHIVALRY” BOOK REVIEW:

Kelcey Wilson-Lee’s new book “Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I” is the exact biography that I have been hoping for. As an ardent fan of Edward I, I hardly knew anything about his offspring save the partative treatment given to them by other historians.

Most Edward I biographies (most notably “A Great and Terrible King” by Marc Morris and “Edward I” by Micheal Prestwich) are by nature focused on ‘ole Longshanks himself and his wayward son Edward II. However, as the title implies, this is NOT an implicit Edward I biography.

This wonderful book is about his kids, their upbringing, their marriages, conflicts, interrelationships, as well as their offspring. Edward I had NINE children by his first wife, the majestic Eleanor of Castile. He also sired THREE children by his second marriage to Marguerite of France. All stated, Edward I had 12 children.

At a time in medieval Europe when offspring meant the realization of political marriages across boarders, often with rival kings, younger sons and daughters were literally political pawns for the future hopes of any reigning king.

For example, Edward’s fourth daughter Joanna was wed to Gilbert de Clare in hopes that the king could reign in one of his most powerful Marcher lords. This plan somewhat backfired, yet in the end proved a masterful stroke by England’s greatest king. Joanna, while outspoken and equally resolute, was a fascinating person to get to know through author Kelcey Wilson-Lee’s exquisite writing.

A master of both fact and narrative, the author has compiled one of the best family biographies I have just about ever read! If ever there was a book I couldn’t put down, this one might just be near the top of my list.

Another daughter that I was intensely focused on was his youngest daughter Elizabeth, also known to history as “Elizabeth of Rhuddlan” or “Elizabeth Plantagenet.”

Elizabeth’s life revolved around the later years of Edward’s reign as she was born in 1282. When she so gracefully came into this world many of her other sisters and brothers were already wed and living abroad. Her only real companion was the young prince Edward, later to be crowned Edward II of England.

Elizabeth marries the powerful Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford in 1302. Although sparsely mentioned in this book, theirs is a royal line that continues through many descendants today.

What I like most about this book is that it is not the predictable ‘one chapter per child type’ of layout as one might expect. Not quite, this family history is really woven upon a timeline of the entire family, elucidating who was where at each point, how each of the children felt about the others during the major events of their lives, as well as the roles of their spouses and children.

In the same vein as recent publications like “Queens of the Conquest” by Alison Weir, “Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I” is all-in-all an indispensable read for any medieval buff or family historian with royal ancestors. Wilson-Lee’s writing style cannot be praised high enough for me, it intelligently brings to life characters that lived over 700 years ago with comprehensive flair, and dare I say, panache.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Wilson-Lee, Kelcey. 2019. Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I. London: Picador.
• ISBN-13: 978-1509847891
• Amazon Link.