Katherine Swynford’s Decendents

While reading a new book I picked up, Royal Affairs by Leslie Carroll, I came across a woman by the name of Katherine Swynford.  Katherine  was famously known as John of Gaunt’s Mistress, whom  he eventually married after the death of his second wife. This caused a fuss among the aristocracy of their time.  But why is Katherine a important figure in history?  Well from Katherine, considered a commoner, is descended every English monarch from 1461 on.  Her descendants also include Winston Churchill, Diana Princess of Wales, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Franklin D. Roosevelt and George W Bush.   An amazing feat for someone considered a commoner wouldn’t you say?

For more reading:

Katherine Swynford: how a Duke’s Mistress became the ancestor of royalty
http://katherineswynford.blogspot.com/
http://royalaffairs.blogspot.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Swynford