Edward II’s Nieces, The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown

The de Clare sisters—Eleanor, Margaret, and Elizabeth—were born in the 1290s as the eldest granddaughters of King Edward I of England and his Spanish queen Eleanor of Castile, and were the daughters of the greatest nobleman in England, Gilbert "the Red" de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. They grew to adulthood during the turbulent reign of their uncle Edward II, and all three of them were married to men involved in intense, controversial relationships with their uncle. When their elder brother Gilbert de Clare was killed at the catastrophic battle of Bannockburn in June 1314, the three sisters inherited and shared his vast wealth across England, Wales, and Ireland. Because of their immense fortunes and noble royal blood, they became prime targets for political maneuvering, forced abductions, and dangerous alliances during the violent upheavals of the 1320s. Historian Kathryn Warner brings to life the extraordinary, gripping stories of three medieval sisters who survived royal captivity, personal tragedy, and civil war to leave an indelible mark on English history.