The royal bastards of medieval England

This book examines the nature of the family in medieval society, and why illegitimacy, which was so much condemned in theory, was often ignored in practice. It examines the careers of notable bastards - in particular the use made of bastardy proceedings to bar the sons of Edward IV (the ill-fated Princes in the Tower) from the throne. First published in 1984, The Royal Bastards of Medieval England establishes a list of royal bastards in medieval England, and discusses their roles in the history of the period. The authors describe how gradually the church began to formulate more definite views on sexual and marital customs, with a consequent decline in the status of illegitimate children. By early sixteenth century, however, royal bastards were once again making their way into the peerage. The book charts the lives of these men and women against the background not only of contemporary political developments, but also of changing ideas about morality and family. This book will be of interest to students of history, religion and literature. MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Cover 1 Half Title 3 Title Page 5 Copyright Page 6 Original Title Page 7 Original Copyright Page 8 Dedication 9 Table of Contents 11 List of Illustrations 12 Acknowledgments 13 Part I: Introduction 17 1 The English Royal Family in the Middle Ages 19 2 Marriage and Divorce 36 3 Sex, Love and Illegitimacy 53 Part II: Royal Bastards 1066-1216 71 4 Henry I's Bastards 76 5 Robert of Gloucester 90 6 Gervais of Blois 110 7 Henry II's Bastards 113 8 Geoffrey Plantagenet' 119 9 The Bastards of Richard I and King John 150 Part III: Royal Bastards in Late Medieval England 157 10 Sir John de Southeray 162 11 Sir Roger de Clarendon 167 12 Katherine Swynford and the Beauforts 171 13 Allegations of Bastardy in the Fifteenth-Century Royal Family 178 14 Yorkist Royal Bastards 184 15 Arthur Plantagenet 186 Postscript: The Tudors 198 Appendix: The Bastards of The English Kings 1066—1485 202 Note on Sources 204 Index of Names and Places 206 Subject Index 218 royal,family|medieval,history|bastards|england royal family|medieval history|bastards|england