Books by Kathryn Warner

Sex and Sexuality in Medieval England allows the reader a peek beneath the bedsheets of our medieval ancestors, in an informative and fascinating look at sex and sexuality in England from 1250 to 1450. It examines the prevailing attitudes towards male and female sexual behaviour, and the ways in which these attitudes were often determined by those in positions of power and authority. It also explores our ancestors' ingenious, surprising, bizarre and often entertaining solutions to the challenges associated with maintaining a healthy sex life. This book will look at marriage, pre-marital sex, adultery and fornication, pregnancy and fertility, illegitimacy, prostitution, consent, same-sex relationships, gender roles and much more, to shed new light on the private lives of our medieval predecessors.

The (in)famous reigns of England's three Edwards were not only defined by war and the political triumphs and failures of men, but also by the women intimately associated with the Plantagenet dynasty. This narrative examines the lives and stories of some of England's forgotten royal women.

Philippa of Hainault: Mother of the English Nation. The first biography of a remarkable and influential English queen.

This is the first book on the Despenser family ever written .

Traditionally, the Wars of the Roses - one of the bloodiest conflicts on English soil - began in 1455, when the Duke of York attacked King Henry VI's army in the narrow streets of St Albans. But this conflict did not spring up overnight.Blood Roses traces it back to the beginning.Starting in 1245 with the founding of the House of Lancaster, Kathryn Warner follows a twisted path of political intrigue, bloody war and fascinating characters for 200 years. From the Barons Wars to the overthrowing of Edward II, Eleanor of Castile to Isabella of France, and true love to Loveday, this is a new look at an infamous era. The first book to look at the origins of both houses, Blood Roses reframes some of the biggest events of the medieval era; not as stand-alone conflicts, but as part of a long-running family feud that would have drastic consequences.

A unique addition to the increasingly popular trend of looking at the ordinary lives of people. Provides an important perspective from the ground up' on the subjects of travel, trade, commerce, religion, culture and politics that is lacking in popular medieval histories.

In Long Live the King, medieval historian Kathryn Warner explores in detail Edward's downfall and forced abdication in 1326/27, the role played in it by his wife Isabella of France, the wide variation in chronicle accounts of his murder at Berkeley Castle, and the fascinating possibility that Edward lived on in Italy.

First biography of 'the greatest villain of the fourteenth century' - Hugh Despenser.

A new biography re-examining the complex and fascinating king, whose very humanity saw him deposed from his divine role.

Isabella of France married Edward II in January 1308, and afterwards became one of the most notorious women in English history. In 1325, she was sent to her homeland to negotiate a peace settlement between her husband and her brother Charles IV, king of France. She refused to return. Instead, she began a relationship with her husband's deadliest enemy, the English baron Roger Mortimer. With the king's son and heir, the future Edward III, under their control, the pair led an invasion of England which ultimately resulted in Edward II's forced abdication in January 1327. Isabella and Mortimer ruled England during Edward III's minority until he overthrew them in October 1330. A rebel against her own husband and king, and regent for her son, Isabella was a powerful, capable and intelligent woman. She forced the first ever abdication of a king in England, and thus changed the course of English history. Examining Isabella's life with particular focus on her revolutionary actions in the 1320s, this book corrects the many myths surrounding her and provides a vivid account of this most fascinating and influential of women.