Seize Lady Of The Sun: The Life And Times Of Alice Perrers Formulated By F. George Kay Conveyed As Physical Book

was a fascinating book about a sometimes elusive historical figure the much maligned mistress of Edward III, Alice Perrers, Perrers has been misrepresented by history as a lower class, avaricious, grasping woman who had Edward III firmly wrapped in her serpentine coils, rising to impossible heights before falling in disgrace, stripped of her property, lands and dignity by powerful men who deeply resented the power she wielded and what she came to represent a corrupt court.
Yet, this apparently lowlyborn woman rose from being one of Queen Phillipas maidens to become, not only the kings lover and a mover and shaker of the times, but one of the wealthiest landowners in England at the time.


Casting doubt on previous contemporary accounts of the muchloathed Perrers and applying logic to what is known about her through deeds, court transcripts and letters among other things Kay critiques the way history has painted her.
Starting with the notion she was lowly born, he suggests she at least must have been of middleclass origins to be able to read, possibly write and speak other languages just to communicate with the king, she must have had a good grasp of French, even if she wasnt fluent in these skills.
Considering French would have only been spoken among the middle and upper classes, this is one clue, as is her name and possible familial relations, Explaining where other historians have perhaps made incorrect assumptions about Perrers upbringing, Kay seeks to put this right but without being dogmatic, Rather, he puts forward alternate ideas and evidence and lets the reader decide, Kay also points out that Perrers business acumen must have also been exceptional to have acquired the property she did, never mind the fact she had the respect and allegiance of some of the finest businessmen albeit somewhat shonky in London and abroad men who later paid a high price for their professional relationship with the woman.
If nothing else, Perrers was one smart operator but dont expect her contemporaries to have acknowledged that or the mostly male historians who came later either, Rather, they repeated and emphasised all the negative qualities those seeking to malign and scapegoat her in the aftermath of Edward IIIs reign, making any alternate reading of the woman difficult if not impossible.


What is fascinating about Kays account and which I suspect the author, Vanora Bennet, used when writing her marvellous The Peoples Queen, is that Kay places Perrers at the heart of many events that occurred in not only Edwards reign, but even his successors, the hapless and spoiled Richard IIs.
Whether it was

championing various businessmen, nobles, bishops and seeking their favour with the king, or somehow getting involved with the Peasants Revolt of, Kay presents a persuasive argument for Perrers being, if not central, then likely a key figure.
Theres little doubt she would have known Chaucer though he fails to obviously mention her, though Kay feels a physical description of her exists in The Canterbury Tales, not as the Wife of Bath, as some other historians have posited, but rather as the Millers wife in that tale.


Rather than following traditional notions of Perrers as a greedy, selfish woman who would stop at nothing to acquire what she could while she could though Kay acknowledges she likely did that as well, he also admires her as a woman of the times who used the resources available to her her wit, mind and charm to advance herself in ways that werent otherwise available to women, let alone a woman of her birth.


Overall, I found this book really interesting and the connections and analysis convincing, The era comes alive as well as Perrers, and while she might have been wiped from history in the immediate aftermath of her fall, theres no doubt that she nevertheless left enough of an impression for many historians and writers to wish to uncover what made her tick and bring her back to life I am certainly glad Kay did.

This is a scholarly work but certainly not dry, With little evidence of Alice Perrers the author does focus heavily on "the times", I liked how he wove it all in seamlessly, Some of the facts are a little off, but it was written in!
Enjoyed it though : Alice Perrers was the controversial mistress of Edward III of England in theth century.
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