Rise and Fall of a Medieval Family: The Despensers

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The Rise and Fall of a Medieval Family: The Despensers

By Kathryn Warner

The Despensers were a baronial English family who rose to great prominence in the reign of Edward II (1307-27) when Hugh Despenser the Younger became the king's chamberlain, favorite, and perhaps lover.

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Book Information

Publisher: Pen and Sword History
Publish Date: 03/30/2025
Pages: 272
ISBN-13: 9781399016032
ISBN-10: 1399016032
Language: English

Full Description

The great rise and great fall of the family offers plenty of drama and intrigue. Companion title to 'Hugh Despenser the Younger' (Pen & Sword, 2018).

The Despensers were a baronial English family who rose to great prominence in the reign of Edward II (1307-27) when Hugh Despenser the Younger became the king's chamberlain, favorite and perhaps lover. He and his father Hugh the Elder wielded great influence, and Hugh the Younger's greed and tyranny brought down a king for the first time in English history and almost destroyed his own family. Rise and Fall of a Medieval Family tells the story of the ups and downs of this fascinating family from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, when three Despenser lords were beheaded and two fell in battle. We begin with Hugh the justiciar, who died rebelling against King Henry III and his son in 1265, and end with Thomas Despenser, summarily beheaded in 1400 after attempting to free a deposed Richard II, and Thomas's posthumous daughter Isabella, a countess twice over and the grandmother of Richard III's queen.

From the medieval version of Prime Ministers to the (possible) lovers of monarchs, the aristocratic Despenser family wielded great power in medieval England. Drawing on the popular intrigue and infamy of the Despenser clan, Kathryn Warner's book traces the lives of the most notorious, powerful and influential members of this patrician family over a 200-year span.

About the Author

Kathryn Warner has been a recognised expert on the reign of Edward II (1307-27) for more than ten years. She works part-time as an English teacher, and carries out historical research on the fourteenth century.

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