Kathryn Warner

Recognized as an authority on Edward II, historian Kathryn Warner has written over 20 books on the much misunderstood king, his family and the times in which he lived. ...

Having grown up in the Lake District with parents who were both English teachers, Warner studied medieval history and literature at Manchester University, where she achieved an MA with Distinction. While her studies touched on Edward II it was not until she saw his name on a family tree in a novel in 2004 that she was drawn to investigating the monarch more seriously.

What emerged was a wealth of material dispelling the myths that have surrounded him – including atrocities, the neglect of his wife Isabella, and his death by red hot poker – and revealing instead a generous man who, while disastrous as a leader, had a keen sense of humour and enjoyed the company of his subjects. For Warner, the research soon amounted to enough material to start her now-extensive blog, and grew to inform her 2014 biography Edward II: The Unconventional King.

Now intrigued by Edward II, Warner expanded her studies and, despite a commitment to teaching Business English and splitting her time between Cumbria and Dusseldorf, continues to explore the lives of those he knew. This has led to a string of publications including Hugh Dispenser the Younger (2018) and Daughters of Edward I (2021) and has seen Warner’s blog amass a million readers, attracted no doubt by her drive to set the record straight and ability to convey people and events from centuries past with vivid immediacy.