Anya Seton's Katherine is a historical novel based largely on facts. It tells the story of the historically-important love affair between the titular Katherine and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and son of King Edward III. The novel begins with Katherine's arrival at court after years of a convent education and ends shortly after her marriage to the Duke in 1396. Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 (although the year is often misstated to be 1906 or 1916) - November 8, 1990) was an American author of historical romances. ... A historical novel is a novel in which the story is set among historical events, or more generally, in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the author. ... Coat of arms designed for Katherine Swynford: three gold Catherine wheels (roet means wheel) on a red background. ... John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 - February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, gained his name because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ... There were several Dukes of Lancaster in the 14th and early 15th Centuries. ... This article is about the King of England. ... Events September 25 - Bayazid I defeats Sigismund of Hungary and John of Nevers at the Battle of Nicopolis. ...

The novel is well written and carefully researched and diverges comparatively little from known history, though it does contain some necessary conjectures. It provides the reader with an excellent view of medieval England, life at court, and the lives of women in the 14th century. Katherine was included in the BBC's Big Read survey of 2003 and is currently number 95 on the survey's 100 best-loved novels. It is regarded as one of the best examples of the historical novel. Mediæval Britain is a term used to suggest that there is a unity to the history of Great Britain from the 5th centurys withdrawal of Roman forces and Germanic invasions until the 16th century Reformations in Scotland and England. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... The Big Read was a 2003 survey carried out by the BBC, with the goal of finding the Nations Best-loved Book by way of a viewer vote via the Web, SMS and telephone. ...

Katherine tells the true story of a woman who was born the daughter of a minor French herald, later knight, and who has no obvious prospects, except that her sister is a waiting-woman to the queen of King Edward III. By virtue of this court connection, she meets and marries Sir Hugh Swynford of Lincolnshire and gives birth to two children. After his death, Katherine DeRoet Swynford becomes the mistress of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and bears him four children out of wedlock. Lady Swynford was also appointed official governess to the Duke's three eldest children, including the future King Henry IV. Henry Edgar Paston-Bedingfeld, Her Majestys York Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms. ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ... Edward III King of England Edward III (13 November 1312–21 June 1377) was one of the most successful English Kings of medieval times. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. ... Henry IV can refer to Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV of England Henry IV of France Henry IV of Castile Henry IV, Duke of Breslau or plays by William Shakespeare: Henry IV, part 1 Henry IV, part 2 This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which...

Although the novel offers a fascinating look at life in 14th-century England (including several glimpses of Geoffrey Chaucer, Katherine's brother-in-law), it is also considered one of the greatest love stories ever written. In a poll conducted in the 1990s by Ladies Home Journal the novel Katherine ranked in the top 10 all time best love stories. Chaucer: Illustration from Cassells History of England, circa 1902 Chanticleer the rooster from an outdoor production of Chanticleer and the Fox at Ashby_de_la_Zouch castle Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. ... A cover of Ladies Home Journal from 1906 Ladies Home Journal is a magazine first published February 16, 1883 as a womens supplement to the Tribune and Farmer. ...

Although Katherine deRoet is today a little-known figure, she is quite important to English history, since she is the direct ancestress of all members of the British royal family since Edward IV, who was her 4th great-grandson. Edward IV (April 28, 1442 – April 9, 1483) was King of England from March 4, 1461 to April 9, 1483, with a break of a few months in the period 1470–1471. ...