Dr Chloë R. Mckenzie: Dynastic Marriage: Mortimer’s Greatest Legacy
The successes of Roger Mortimer, first earl of March (1287–1330), were fundamentally underpinned by effective and strategic dynastic marriage, including his own to Joan de Geneville (1286–1356). The Geneville marriage brought Mortimer control of the family’s vast inheritance, allowing him to consolidate his territorial power, along with twelve children. This talk will consider the marriages Mortimer made for his sons and daughters in the years 1316–1328, and how these marriages allowed him to provide for his children, reinforce his power, and establish a dynasty that would come to dominate political life in England for the rest of the fourteenth century and beyond. Dr Chloë R. McKenzie is Assistant Professor in Medieval History at Northeastern University – London (formerly New College of the Humanities) and Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Culture at the University of Southampton. Her research focuses on fourteenth century elite women, court politics, and medieval dress. Chloë’s forthcoming monograph The Ladies of the Garter, which is based on her doctoral research, will be published by Boydell and Brewer in early 2024.
The successes of Roger Mortimer, first earl of March (1287–1330), were fundamentally underpinned by effective and strategic dynastic marriage, including his own to Joan de Geneville (1286–1356). The Geneville marriage brought Mortimer control of the family’s vast inheritance, allowing him to consolidate his territorial power, along with twelve children. This talk will consider the marriages Mortimer made for his sons and daughters in the years 1316–1328, and how these marriages allowed him to provide for his children, reinforce his power, and establish a dynasty that would come to dominate political life in England for the rest of the fourteenth century and beyond. Dr Chloë R. McKenzie is Assistant Professor in Medieval History at Northeastern University – London (formerly New College of the Humanities) and Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Culture at the University of Southampton. Her research focuses on fourteenth century elite women, court politics, and medieval dress. Chloë’s forthcoming monograph The Ladies of the Garter, which is based on her doctoral research, will be published by Boydell and Brewer in early 2024.