Reign of Edward III

Edward III became king after the deposition of Edward II, but effective power initially remained with his mother Isabella of France and Roger Mortimer. In 1330 Edward seized control of government, arrested Mortimer and began his personal rule.

His reign included major English victories in the Hundred Years’ War, the growth of parliament and the royal court, the Black Death and the increasing political importance of his adult sons. Queen Philippa of Hainault remained a prominent figure until her death in 1369, after which Alice Perrers became the king’s acknowledged mistress.

This context supports fiction about Philippa of Hainault, Alice Perrers, Joan of Kent, Katherine Swynford, John of Gaunt and the political culture of fourteenth-century England.