Meet Constance of York, Lady Despenser, and her magnificently dysfunctional family in the reign of King Henry IV. A tale of medieval treason, tragedy, heartbreak and the personal cost of betrayal. Few families have come down through history with such a questionable reputation, and Constance not the least of them. Treachery, swapping allegiance with unnerving frequency, plotting murder and insurrection, they were a deviously cunning bunch, worthy of a soap opera. How could I not write about such a superb cast of characters?
Constance of York, Lady Despenser, Countess of Gloucester, granddaughter of King Edward III, stands at the centre of this family, the House of York.
Her father Edmund, Duke of York, the most ineffectual and impecunious of the five sons of King Edward III.
Her mother Isabella, a Castilian Princess, with a reputation for easy morals.
Her elder brother Edward, on the surface indolent and pleasure-loving, but driven by hot ambition and with a sly charm to match it.
Her younger brother Richard, damned with the taint of possible illegitimacy, who would ultimately meet his death by the axe for plotting against King Henry V.
Constance’s husband Thomas, Lord Despenser, as able and as self-seeking as the rest.
And Constance? Tradition says that she equalled them in ambition and treachery, involving herself in every twist and turn of the conspiracies. History has damned her as a ‘thoroughly bad lot’. Enjoying recognition at the vivid Court of Richard II, Constance could not accept the fall from grace that came with his death. Thus her life became vicious and unprincipled, devoted to revenge and restitution to the crown of those who might restore her family’s influence.
But was her reputation as black as history paints it? Here is an opportunity to look behind the tapestries and spy into her life more closely. Product of an affectionless family, committed to a loveless marriage, Constance’s life was emotionally barren. No victim, she chose to live in a man’s world and involve herself in her family’s treachery. That is until she fell in love. Here was offered the possibility of change and happiness. Unless Constance threw away her chances of fulfilment. Unless her lover abandoned her.
Here is a tale of thwarted ambitions and betrayed love. It highlights the influence that a woman could use, but also the restrictions on that influence in the medieval world. Constance was a woman of misplaced loyalties but must be admired for her steadfast support of those who demanded her duty. The ultimate betrayal by Constance’s lover brought her heartbreak and loneliness.
How could I possibly resist writing about her, bringing her to life? Constance is not an easy heroine, but she makes for a formidable protagonist in A Tapestry of Treason.