Rosamond Clifford, better known as Fair Rosamond, is one of those names that lingers on the edges of

English history. If you've heard of her, it's probably as the tragic mistress hidden in a

labyrinth, discovered by a jealous queen and forced to drink poison. It's a story that sounds more like

a medieval romance than a chronicle of real life.

And indeed, most of the famous details, such as the labyrinth, Eleanor's pursuit, and the

poisoned cup only appear in chronicles and ballads centuries later.

Rosamond was a real person in the 12th century, the daughter of a marcher lord from Herefordshire,

who became the mistress of Henry II.

But the bare facts of her life are thin.

What survives of her memory is less about who she actually was,

and more about what later generations, particularly our tutor friends, wanted her to represent.

By the 16th century, Rosamond's story had been woven into chronicles like those of Richard Grafton,

Raphael Hollinshead, and John Stowe.

She had been reborn in Elizabethan poetry, most famously in Samuel Daniels,

complaint of Rosamond, and her legend was sung in ballads sold in the streets. To the tutors,

Rosamond Clifford was not just a medieval mistress. She was a romantic heroine, a moral warning, and a symbol of the dangerous

power of beauty. So today we are going to talk about Rosamond Clifford, yes, but also how the

tutors saw Rosamond and how they created the image that we still have of her.

Hi, friend.

Welcome back to the Renaissance English History podcast, the original Tudor History Podcast telling stories of Tudor England since

2009. I am your host, Heather, of course, and I am, as always, delighted that you are here

with me today to talk about Rosamond Clifford. Let's dig in. Most people who know the name of Rosamond

...