Royal Daughters and Diplomacy at the Court of Edward I

This chapter focuses on King Edward I's relationship with his five daughters by Eleanor of Castile - Eleanor of Bar, Joan of Acre, Margaret of Brabant, Mary, a nun of Amesbury, and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan - all of whom have been neglected by Edward I's biographers. It argues that these women were, in fact, important figures and agents at Edward I’s court, within their father’s kingdom, and within his continental possessions. By keeping his daughters near him, by immersing them in court ceremony, by bestowing his favour upon them, and by empowering them to serve as intercessors, King Edward enhanced the dignity of his dynasty, and ensured that, in a patriarchal age, he presided over an impressive and, for the most part, remarkably robust family firm.