If you've done genealogical research and the family tree connects up with British royalty, chances are you've run across Joan of Kent. Her descendants are plenty. She lived at a time when family lined up to fight family -- her father was executed for treason when he rebelled against forces led by her grandmother's cousin, as just one example -- and at a time when marrying without permission could be considered treason. She married without permission twice! Less well-known: her protection of the religious reformers, the Lollards, and raising an army to protect Aquitaine. Learn more about this renowned medieval beauty:
- Joan of Kent - biography
- Joan of Kent - Her Descendants
- Joan of Kent - image
Comments
she wasn’t known for anything other than her relationships with men?
did this seem to be the only thing that most famous women in that time were famous for?
just wondering
History forgets her military leadership in a time of crisis, and remembers mainly her marriages — and even in saying it was about her relationships, history tends to forget that she was independent enough to marry without official permission, twice.
If you are interested in Joan of Kent, read Karen Harper’s The First Princess of Wales. I just finished and I absolutely loved it. And although it spends a great deal of time talking about her love for Edward, it also discusses her intelligence and clear thinking that got her through more than her share of rough times.