Katharine, Countess of Devon, was Edward IV's daughter. Her first proposed marriage would have made her Queen of Spain, but she was declared a bastard on the accession of her uncle Richard III. Legitimated under Henry VII, she eventually married Sir William Courtenay, heir to the earldom of Devon. Her closeness to her sister, Queen Elizabeth of York, did not prevent the sudden arrest of her husband in 1502. Whilst earning the regard of her royal brother-in-law, Henry VII, she walked a knife edge until the accession of her nephew, Henry VIII. As a widow, he granted her the lands of the earldom of Devon for life, making her one of the wealthiest female magnates in England.
Her death in 1527 spared her the tragedies which befell her family in the 1530s. Her son Henry, Marquis of Exeter, was first cousin to Henry VIII, with whom he enjoyed a close relationship until the king’s decision to repudiate his queen changed everything. Henry’s marriage to Gertrude Blount, one of the most neglected women of the Tudor period, was one of affection and respect. During the 1530s, she was at the centre of a group opposed to Henry VIII’s repudiation of Catherine of Aragon, passing on information provided by her husband and a small circle of trusted friends to the imperial ambassador, Chapuys. When her husband was arrested in 1538, he, along with others, was executed; only she survived.
Imprisoned in the Tower with her twelve-year-old son, Edward, she was later released while Edward remained incarcerated until the accession of Mary I. Upon his release, many believed he would marry the queen, but instead, he died in exile from suspected poisoning after surviving several assassination attempts by imperial agents. This study of the Courtenay family follows their lives and fortunes from 1479-1558.
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Let me begin by saying I, personally, consider the title (and cover art) to be misleading (would strongly suggest changing - I can even suggest a few alternates that would actually represent the contents), as it really does a dis-service to the family at the forefront of this tome.
Secondly, whilst the author has demonstrated the wealth of research done, the data dump is frustrating - all your research does not need to be included!! There is the usual P&S author style of writing about others not entirely central to the title or subject at hand (refer data dump above); lots of summations, and rather contradictorily so, lots of detail (again, a good editor should have trimmed this back).
Thirdly, whilst kudos for subject matter, once again let down by presentation style. Initially not overly impressed one third way in. I wearily persevered.
What I did like was primarily the subject matter - the rise and fall of the Courtenays under the Tudors (which is the title I would have gone for). The first part is focused on Katherine Plantagenet - the daughter of King Edward IV, she was a Courtenay by marriage only. Spoiler alert: as her husband died young, there is much focus on Katherine who lived a long life (for folks of her time). Therein point two applies - although there is much to be learned about Katherine and William during the reign of Henry Tudor (her brother-in-law) - who both she and William did manage to outlive.
The second part looks at the exceedingly tumultuous lives of Katherine's son Henry and his wife Gertrude - whom I found the most annoying yet fascinating woman who managed to keep her head during the reign of Henry VIII - how, is a miracle for she was a headstrong, scheming woman! However, she did manage to find herself confined to the Tower, as did her son for her sins.
The son, Edward, is the subject of part three - a young man, heavily influenced by others, who paid a heavy price for his father's loyalty to his friends - imprisonment during his youth. Upon his release, he made up for lost time - a bit like the child popstars of today who are keen to shake off the kiddie-pop image for a more adult one. Unfortunately for Edward, this was his undoing and led to his exile.
There is much to be learned about this family, primarily the English / Devon branch of the family. There are many branches (or tentacles) that sprouted from this illustrious family tree, and they had their historical and political moments, which should have been summarised not detailed.
I have not come across another biography of this family prior to now so have nothing really to compare it to. It is not for the feint hearted as there is - as I mentioned - a lot of detail. Whilst I was initially not overly impressed, I did come away with a deeper appreciation of the Courtenay family and their place in Tudor history (though I still say less is best!).
If Tudor history is your penchant, then you will definitely want to include this one to your reading list - but take your time - do not rush through it - and probably ditch the audio and e-book versions for a physical copy.
Following this, I did a bit of a google search for any further histories on this family - see below:
- The Shadow of the White Rose: Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, 1526-1556 by James D. Taylor
- Boconnoc: The History of a Cornish Estate by Catherine Lorigan
- Memorials of the West, Historical and Descriptive, Volume 44 by W. H. Hamilton Rogers
- Children of England: The Heirs of King Henry VIII 1547-1558 by Alison Weir (for Edward Courtenay)
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