Isabella of France
Isabella of France | |
---|---|
Regent of England | |
Regency | 1327–1330 |
Monarch | Edward III |
Born | c. 1295 Paris, France |
Died | 22 August 1358 (aged 62–63) Hertford Castle, England[1] |
Burial | 27 November 1358 at Newgate |
Spouse | |
Issue | |
House | Capet |
Father | Philip IV of France |
Mother | Joan I of Navarre |
Isabella of France (c. 1295 – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (
Isabella arrived in England at age 12
Travelling to France on a diplomatic mission, Isabella may have begun an affair with
In 1330, aged 18, Isabella's son,
Early life and marriage: 1295–1308
Isabella was born in
Isabella was born into a royal family that ruled the most powerful state in Western Europe. Her father, King Philip, known as "le Bel" (the Fair) because of his alleged good looks, was a strangely unemotional man; one contemporary described him as "neither a man nor a beast, but a statue";[8] modern historians have noted that he "cultivated a reputation for Christian kingship and showed few weaknesses of the flesh".[9] Philip built up centralised royal power in France, engaging in a sequence of conflicts to expand or consolidate French authority across the region, but remained chronically short of money throughout his reign. Indeed, he appeared almost obsessed about building up wealth and lands, something that his daughter was also accused of in later life.[10] Isabella's mother died when Isabella was still quite young; some contemporaries suspected Philip IV of her murder, albeit probably incorrectly.[11]
Isabella was brought up in and around the Louvre Palace and the Palais de la Cité in Paris.[12] Isabella was cared for by Théophania de Saint-Pierre, her nurse, given a good education and taught to read, developing a love of books.[12] As was customary for the period, all of Philip's children were married young for political benefit. Isabella was promised in marriage by her father to Edward, the son of King Edward I of England, with the intention to resolve the conflicts between France and England over the latter's continental possession of Gascony and claims to Anjou, Normandy and Aquitaine.[13] Pope Boniface VIII had urged the marriage as early as 1298 but it was delayed by wrangling over the terms of the marriage contract. The renewal of the Anglo-French truce in 1299 led to the marriage of Edward I to Philip's sister Margaret, further anticipating the marriage of Isabella to Edward II.[14] In 1303, Edward I may have considered a Castilian bride for Edward II instead of Isabella and even increased her dowry before the wedding.[14] Edward I attempted to break the engagement several times for political advantage, and only after he died in 1307 did the wedding proceed.[citation needed]
Isabella and Edward II were finally married at Boulogne-sur-Mer on 25 January 1308. Isabella's wardrobe gives some indications of her wealth and style—she had dresses of baudekyn, velvet, taffeta and cloth, along with numerous furs; she had over 72 headdresses and coifs; she brought with her two gold crowns, gold and silver dinnerware and 419 yards of linen.[15] At the time of her marriage, Isabella was probably about twelve and was described by Geoffrey of Paris as "the beauty of beauties... in the kingdom if not in all Europe." This description was probably not simply flattery by a chronicler, since both Isabella's father and brothers were considered very handsome men by contemporaries, and her husband was to nickname her "Isabella the Fair".[15] Isabella was said to resemble her father, and not her mother, queen regnant of Navarre, a plump, plain woman.[16] This indicates that Isabella was slender and pale-skinned, although the fashion at the time was for blonde, slightly full-faced women, and Isabella may well have followed this stereotype instead.[17] Throughout her career, Isabella was noted as charming and diplomatic, with a particular skill at convincing people to follow her courses of action.[18] Unusual for the medieval period, contemporaries also commented on her high intelligence.[19]
Queenship
As queen, the young Isabella faced numerous challenges. Edward was handsome, but also to have possibly formed close romantic attachments first to
Fall of Gaveston: 1308–1312
Edward was an unusual character by medieval standards. Edward looked the part of a
When Isabella first arrived in England following her marriage, her husband was already involved with Piers Gaveston, an "arrogant, ostentatious" soldier, with a "reckless and headstrong" personality that appealed to Edward.[24] Isabella, then aged twelve, was effectively sidelined by the pair. Edward chose to sit with Gaveston rather than Isabella at their wedding celebration,[25] causing grave offence to her uncles Louis, Count of Évreux, and Charles, Count of Valois,[22] and then refused to grant her either her own lands or her own household.[26] Edward also gave Gaveston Isabella's own jewelry, which he wore publicly.[27] Isabella complained to her father that Gaveston took her place next to Edward II, she received insufficient funds and Edward visited Gaveston's bed more than hers.[14] It took the intervention of Isabella's father, Philip IV, before Edward began to provide for her more appropriately.[26]
Isabella's relationship with Gaveston was complex. For a time, her dislike of him was widely known, and she was said to be in contact with her father, the pope and cardinals in order to have him exiled.[14] Baronial opposition to Gaveston, championed by Thomas of Lancaster, increased; and Philip IV began to covertly fund this grouping, using Isabella and her household as intermediaries.[28] Edward was forced to exile Gaveston to Ireland for a period and began to show Isabella much greater respect, assigning her lands and patronage. In turn, Philip ceased his support for the barons. Gaveston eventually returned from Ireland, and by 1309–11, the three seemed to be co-existing together relatively comfortably.[29] Indeed, Gaveston's key enemy, Edward and Isabella's uncle Thomas of Lancaster, considered her to be an ally of Gaveston.[29][30] Isabella had begun to build up her own supporters at court, principally the Beaumont family, itself opposed to the Lancastrians. Similarly originating from France, the senior member of the Beaumont family, Isabella de Beaumont, had been a close confidant of Edward's mother Eleanor of Castile, supported by her brother Henry de Beaumont.[citation needed]
In 1311, Edward conducted a failed campaign against the Scots, during which he and Isabella barely escaped capture. In the aftermath, the barons rose up, signing the
Tensions grow: 1312–1321
Tensions mounted steadily over the decade. In 1312, Isabella gave birth to the future
In 1313, Isabella travelled to Paris with Edward to garner further French support, which resulted in the
In the north, however, the situation was becoming worse. Edward attempted to quash the Scots in a fresh campaign in 1314, resulting in the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn. Edward was blamed by the barons for the catastrophic failure of the campaign. Thomas of Lancaster reacted to the defeats in Scotland by taking increased power in England and turning against Isabella, cutting off funds and harassing her household.[39] To make matters worse, the "Great Famine" descended on England during 1315–17, causing widespread loss of life and financial problems.[40]
Despite Isabella giving birth to her second son,
Meanwhile, Hugh de Despenser the Younger became an increasing favourite of Isabella's husband, and was believed by some to have begun a sexual relationship with him around this time.
Return of the Despensers, 1321–1326
Despite the momentary respite delivered by Isabella, by the autumn of 1321, the tensions between the two factions of Edward, Isabella and the Despenser, opposing the baronial opposition led by Thomas of Lancaster, were extremely high, with forces still mobilised across the country.
Hugh Despenser the Younger was now firmly ensconced as Edward's new favourite and together over the next four years Edward and the Despensers imposed a harsh rule over England, a "sweeping revenge"[55] characterised by land confiscation, large-scale imprisonment, executions and the punishment of extended family members, including women and the elderly.[56] This was condemned by contemporary chroniclers, and is felt to have caused concern to Isabella as well;[57] some of those widows being persecuted included her friends.[58] Isabella's relationship with Despenser the Younger continued to deteriorate; the Despensers refused to pay her monies owed to her, or return her castles at Marlborough and Devizes.[59] Indeed, various authors have suggested that there is evidence that Hugh Despenser the Younger attempted to assault Isabella herself in some fashion.[60] Certainly, immediately after the Battle of Boroughbridge, Edward began to be markedly less generous in his gifts towards Isabella, and none of the spoils of the war were awarded to her.[61] Worse still, later in the year Isabella was caught up in the failure of another of Edward's campaigns in Scotland, in a way that permanently poisoned her relationship with both Edward and the Despensers.[citation needed]
Isabella and Edward had travelled north together at the start of the autumn campaign. Before the disastrous
Isabella effectively separated from Edward from here onwards, leaving him to live with Hugh Despenser. At the end of 1322, Isabella left the court on a ten-month-long pilgrimage around England by herself.[65] On her return in 1323, she visited Edward briefly, but was removed from the process of granting royal patronage.[65] At the end of 1324, as tensions grew with France, Edward and the Despensers confiscated all of Isabella's lands, took over the running of her household and arrested and imprisoned all of her French staff. Isabella's youngest children were removed from her and placed into the custody of the Despensers.[66] At this point, Isabella appeared to have realised that any hope of working with Edward was effectively over and begun to consider radical solutions.[citation needed]
Invasion of England
By 1325, Isabella was facing increasing pressure from Hugh Despenser the Younger, Edward's new royal favourite. With her lands in England seized, her children taken away from her and her household staff arrested, Isabella began to pursue other options. When her brother, King Charles IV of France, seized Edward's French possessions in 1325, she returned to France, initially as a delegate of the King charged with negotiating a peace treaty between the two nations. However, her presence in France became a focal point for the many nobles opposed to Edward's reign. Isabella gathered an army to oppose Edward, in alliance with Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, whom she may have taken as a lover. Isabella and Mortimer returned to England with a mercenary army, seizing the country in a lightning campaign. The Despensers were executed and Edward was forced to abdicate—his eventual fate and possible murder remains a matter of considerable historical debate. Isabella ruled as regent until 1330 when her son Edward deposed Mortimer and began to rule directly in his own right.[3]
Tensions in Gascony, 1323–1325
Isabella's husband Edward, as the Duke of Aquitaine, owed homage to the King of France for his lands in Gascony.[68] Isabella's three brothers each had only short reigns, and Edward had successfully avoided paying homage to Louis X, and had paid homage to Philip V only under great pressure. Once Charles IV took up the throne, Edward had attempted to avoid doing so again, increasing tensions between the two.[68] One of the elements in the disputes was the border province of Agenais, part of Gascony and in turn part of Aquitaine. Tensions rose in November 1323 after the construction of a bastide, a type of fortified town, in Saint-Sardos, part of the Agenais, by a French vassal.[69] Gascon forces destroyed the bastide, and in turn Charles attacked the English-held Montpezat. The assault was unsuccessful,[70] but in the subsequent War of Saint-Sardos, Isabella's uncle, Charles of Valois, successfully wrested Aquitaine from English control.[71] By 1324, Charles declared Edward's lands forfeit and occupied the entirety of Aquitaine apart from the coastal areas.[72]
Edward was still unwilling to travel to France to give homage due to England's precarious condition. Criminal gangs were occupying most of the country and there had been an assassination plot against Edward and Hugh Despenser in 1324, with the famous magician John of Nottingham being hired to kill the pair using necromancy.[73] Edward was deeply concerned that, should he leave England, even for a short while, the barons would take the chance to rise up and take their revenge on the Despensers. Charles sent a message through Pope John XXII to Edward, suggesting that he was willing to reverse the forfeiture of the lands if Edward ceded the Agenais and paid homage for the rest of the lands.[74] The Pope proposed Isabella as an ambassador, and Isabella saw this as a perfect opportunity to resolve her situation with Edward and the Despensers.[citation needed]
Having promised to return to England by the summer, Isabella reached Paris in March 1325 and rapidly agreed to a truce in Gascony, under which Prince Edward, then thirteen years old, would come to France to give homage on his father's behalf.[75] Prince Edward arrived in France, and gave homage in September. At this point, however, rather than returning, Isabella remained firmly in France with her son. Edward began to send urgent messages to the Pope and to Charles IV, expressing his concern about his wife's absence, but to no avail.[75] Edward instructed Isabella to come home in September, but she expressed concern the young Despenser would try to kill her upon her arrival, or the Earl of Richmond.[14] She also feared her own husband might attempt to have her killed.[14] For his part, Charles replied that the, "queen has come of her own will and may freely return if she wishes. But if she prefers to remain here, she is my sister and I refuse to expel her." Charles went on to refuse to return the lands in Aquitaine to Edward, resulting in a provisional agreement under which Edward resumed administration of the remaining English territories in early 1326 whilst France continued to occupy the rest.[76]
Meanwhile, the messages brought back by Edward's agent
Roger Mortimer, 1325–1326
Roger Mortimer was a powerful Marcher lord, married to the wealthy heiress
Isabella was reintroduced to Mortimer in Paris by her cousin, Joan, Countess of Hainault, who appears to have approached Isabella suggesting a marital alliance between their two families, marrying Prince Edward to Joan's daughter, Philippa.[79] Mortimer and Isabella may have begun a physical relationship from December 1325 onwards. If so, both Isabella and Mortimer were taking a huge risk in doing so. Female infidelity was a very serious offence in medieval Europe, as shown during the Tour de Nesle Affair. Both of Isabella's former French sisters-in-law had died by 1326 as a result of their imprisonment for charges of adultery,[80] and their alleged lovers had been brutally executed.[81] As a result, Isabella's motivation has been the subject of discussion by historians. Some believe that there was a strong sexual attraction between the two, that they shared an interest in the Arthurian legends, and that they both enjoyed fine art and high living.[82] One historian has described their relationship as one of the "great romances of the Middle Ages" in spite of the fact that they are reputed to have murdered her husband.[83] They also shared a common enemy: the regime of Edward II and the Despensers.[citation needed]
Taking Prince Edward with them, Isabella and Mortimer left the French court in summer 1326 and travelled north to
Seizure of power, 1326
Having evaded Edward's fleet, which had been sent to intercept them,[89] Isabella and Mortimer landed at Orwell on the east coast of England on 24 September with a small force; estimates of Isabella's army vary from between 300 and around 2,000 soldiers, with 1,500 being a popular middle figure.[90] After a short period of confusion during which they attempted to work out where they had actually landed, Isabella moved quickly inland, dressed in her widow's clothes.[91] The local levies mobilised to stop them immediately changed sides, and by the following day Isabella was in Bury St Edmunds and shortly afterwards had swept inland to Cambridge.[89] Thomas, Earl of Norfolk, joined Isabella's forces and Henry of Lancaster – the brother of the late Thomas, and Isabella's uncle – also announced he was joining Isabella's faction, marching south to join her.[89]
By the 27th, word of the invasion had reached the King and the Despensers in London.[89] Edward issued orders to local sheriffs to mobilise opposition to Isabella and Mortimer, but London itself was becoming unsafe because of local unrest and Edward made plans to leave.[89] Isabella struck west again, reaching Oxford on 2 October where she was "greeted as a saviour" – Adam Orleton, the Bishop of Hereford, emerged from hiding to give a lecture to the university on the evils of the Despensers.[92] Edward fled London on the same day, heading west towards Wales.[93] Isabella and Mortimer now had an effective alliance with the Lancastrian opposition to Edward, bringing all of his opponents into a single coalition.[94]
Isabella now marched south towards London, pausing at
Hugh Despenser the Elder continued to hold
The retribution began immediately. Hugh Despenser the Elder had been captured at Bristol, and despite some attempts by Isabella to protect him, was promptly executed by his Lancastrian enemies – his body was hacked to pieces and fed to the local dogs.
Death of Edward, 1327
As an interim measure, Edward II was held in the custody of Henry of Lancaster, who surrendered Edward's Great Seal to Isabella.[106] The situation remained tense, however; Isabella was clearly concerned about Edward's supporters staging a counter-coup, and in November she seized the Tower of London, appointed one of her supporters as mayor and convened a council of nobles and churchmen in Wallingford to discuss the fate of Edward.[107] The council concluded that Edward would be legally deposed and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life. This was then confirmed at the next parliament, dominated by Isabella and Mortimer's followers. The session was held in January 1327, with Isabella's case being led by her supporter Adam Orleton, Bishop of Hereford. Isabella's son, Prince Edward, was confirmed as Edward III of England, with his mother appointed regent.[108] Isabella's position was still precarious, as the legal basis for deposing Edward was doubtful and many lawyers of the day maintained that Edward II was still the rightful king, regardless of the declaration of the Parliament. The situation could be reversed at any moment and Edward II was known to be a vengeful ruler.[citation needed]
Edward II's subsequent fate, and Isabella's role in it, remains hotly contested by historians. The minimally agreed version of events is that Isabella and Mortimer had Edward moved from Kenilworth Castle in the Midlands to the safer location of Berkeley Castle in the Welsh borders, where he was put into the custody of Lord Berkeley. On 23 September, Isabella and Edward III were informed by messenger that Edward had died whilst imprisoned at the castle, because of a "fatal accident". Edward's body was apparently buried at Gloucester Cathedral, with his heart being given in a casket to Isabella. After the funeral, there were rumours for many years that Edward had survived and was really alive somewhere in Europe, some of which were captured in the famous Fieschi Letter written in the 1340s, although no concrete evidence ever emerged to support the allegations. There are, however, various historical interpretations of the events surrounding this basic sequence of events.[citation needed]
According to legend, Isabella and Mortimer famously plotted to murder Edward in such a way as not to draw blame on themselves, sending a famous order (in
Three recent historians, however, have offered an alternative interpretation of events.
Later years
Isabella and Mortimer ruled together for four years, with Isabella's period as regent marked by the acquisition of huge sums of money and land. When their political alliance with the Lancastrians began to disintegrate, Isabella continued to support Mortimer. Isabella fell from power when her son, Edward III deposed Mortimer in a coup, taking back royal authority for himself. Unlike Mortimer, Isabella survived the transition of power, remaining a wealthy and influential member of the English court, albeit never returning directly to active politics.[112]
As regent, 1326–1330
Isabella's regency lasted only four years, before the fragile political alliance that had brought her and Mortimer to power disintegrated. 1328 saw the marriage of Isabella's son, Edward III to Philippa of Hainault, as agreed before the invasion of 1326; the lavish ceremony was held in London to popular acclaim.[113] Isabella and Mortimer had already begun a trend that continued over the next few years, in starting to accumulate huge wealth. With her lands restored to her, Isabella was already exceptionally rich, but she began to accumulate yet more. Within the first few weeks, Isabella had granted herself almost £12,000;[114] finding that Edward's royal treasury contained £60,000, a rapid period of celebratory spending then ensued.[115] Isabella soon awarded herself another £20,000, allegedly to pay off foreign debts.[116] At Edward III's coronation, Isabella then extended her land holdings from a value of £4,400 each year to the huge sum of £13,333, making her one of the largest landowners in the kingdom.[117] Isabella also refused to hand over her dower lands to Philippa after her marriage to Edward III, in contravention of usual custom.[118] Isabella's lavish lifestyle matched her new incomes.[119] Mortimer, in effect her first minister, after a restrained beginning, also began to accumulate lands and titles at a tremendous rate, particularly in the Marcher territories.[120]
The new regime also faced some key foreign policy dilemmas, which Isabella approached from a
Henry, Earl of Lancaster was amongst the first to break with Isabella and Mortimer. By 1327 Lancaster was irritated by Mortimer's behaviour and Isabella responded by beginning to sideline him from her government.[126] Lancaster was furious over the passing of the Treaty of Northampton, and refused to attend court,[127] mobilising support amongst the commoners of London.[128] Isabella responded to the problems by undertaking a wide reform of royal administration and local law enforcement.[129] In a move guaranteed to appeal to domestic opinion, Isabella also decided to pursue Edward III's claim on the French throne, sending her advisers to France to demand official recognition of his claim.[129] The French nobility were unimpressed and, since Isabella lacked the funds to begin any military campaign, she began to court the opinion of France's neighbours, including proposing the marriage of her son John to the Castilian royal family.[130]
By the end of 1328 the situation had descended into near civil war once again, with Lancaster mobilising his army against Isabella and Mortimer.[131] In January 1329 Isabella's forces under Mortimer's command took Lancaster's stronghold of Leicester, followed by Bedford; Isabella—wearing armour, and mounted on a warhorse—and Edward III marched rapidly north, resulting in Lancaster's surrender. He escaped death but was subjected to a colossal fine, effectively crippling his power.[132] Isabella was merciful to those who had aligned themselves with him, although some—such as her old supporter Henry de Beaumont, whose family had split from Isabella over the peace with Scotland, which had lost them huge land holdings in Scotland[133]—fled to France.[134]
Despite Lancaster's defeat, however, discontent continued to grow. Edmund of Kent had sided with Isabella in 1326, but had since begun to question his decision and was edging back towards Edward II, his half-brother. Edmund of Kent was in conversations with other senior nobles questioning Isabella's rule, including Henry de Beaumont and Isabella de Vesci. Edmund was finally involved in a conspiracy in 1330, allegedly to restore Edward II, who, he claimed, was still alive: Isabella and Mortimer broke up the conspiracy, arresting Edmund and other supporters—including Simon Mepeham, Archbishop of Canterbury.[135] Edmund may have expected a pardon, possibly from Edward III, but Isabella was insistent on his execution.[136] The execution itself was a fiasco after the executioner refused to attend and Edmund of Kent had to be killed by a local dung-collector, who had been himself sentenced to death and was pardoned as a bribe to undertake the beheading.[137] Isabella de Vesci escaped punishment, despite having been closely involved in the plot.[citation needed]
Mortimer's fall from power, 1330
By mid-1330, Isabella and Mortimer's regime was increasingly insecure, and Isabella's son, Edward III, was growing frustrated at Mortimer's grip on power. Various historians, with different levels of confidence, have also suggested that in late 1329 Isabella became pregnant. A child of Mortimer's with royal blood would have proved both politically inconvenient for Isabella, and challenging to Edward's own position.[138]
Edward quietly assembled a body of support from the Church and selected nobles,[139] whilst Isabella and Mortimer moved into Nottingham Castle for safety, surrounding themselves with loyal troops.[140] In the autumn, Mortimer was investigating another plot against him, when he challenged a young noble, William Montagu, during an interrogation. Mortimer declared that his word had priority over the king's, an alarming statement that Montagu reported back to Edward.[141] Edward was convinced that this was the moment to act, and on 19 October, Montagu led a force of twenty-three armed men into the castle by a secret tunnel. Up in the keep, Isabella, Mortimer and other council members were discussing how to arrest Montagu, when Montagu and his men appeared.[142] Fighting broke out on the stairs and Mortimer was overwhelmed in his chamber. Isabella threw herself at Edward's feet, famously crying "Fair son, have pity on gentle Mortimer!"[142] Lancastrian troops rapidly took the rest of the castle, leaving Edward in control of his own government for the first time.[citation needed]
Parliament was convened the next month, where Mortimer was put on trial for treason. Isabella was portrayed as an innocent bystander during the proceedings,[143] and no mention of her sexual relationship with Mortimer was made public.[144] Mortimer was executed at Tyburn, but Edward III showed leniency and he was not quartered or disembowelled.[145]
In retirement, 1330–1358
After the coup, Isabella was initially transferred to
As the years went by, Isabella became very close to her daughter Joan, especially after Joan left her unfaithful husband, King David II of Scotland, who was imprisoned by her brother in the Tower of London at the time where she visited him once.
Isabella took the nun's habit of the Poor Clares before she died on 22 August 1358 at Hertford Castle, and her body was returned to London for burial at the Franciscan church at Newgate, in a service overseen by Archbishop Simon Islip.[156] She was buried in the mantle she had worn at her wedding and at her request, Edward's heart, placed into a casket thirty years before, was interred with her. Isabella left the bulk of her property, including Castle Rising, to her favourite grandson, the Black Prince, with some personal effects being granted to her daughter Joan.[157]
Cultural depictions
Literature and theatre
Queen Isabella appeared with a major role in Christopher Marlowe's play Edward II (c. 1592) and thereafter has been frequently used as a character in plays, books and films, often portrayed as beautiful but manipulative or wicked. Thomas Gray, the 18th-century poet, combined Marlowe's depiction of Isabella with William Shakespeare's description of Margaret of Anjou (the wife of Henry VI) as the "She-Wolf of France", to produce the anti-French poem The Bard (1757), in which Isabella rips apart the bowels of Edward II with her "unrelenting fangs".[158] The "She-Wolf" epithet stuck, and Bertolt Brecht re-used it in The Life of Edward II of England (1923).[158]
Film
In Derek Jarman's film Edward II (1991), based on Marlowe's play, Isabella is portrayed (by actress Tilda Swinton) as a "femme fatale" whose thwarted love for Edward causes her to turn against him and steal his throne. In contrast to the negative depictions, Mel Gibson's film Braveheart (1995) portrays Isabella (played by the French actress Sophie Marceau) more sympathetically. In the film, an adult Isabella is fictionally depicted as having a romantic affair with the Scottish hero William Wallace. However, in reality, she was nine years old at the time of Wallace's death.[159] Additionally, Wallace is incorrectly suggested to be the father of her son, Edward III, despite Wallace's death being many years before Edward's birth.[160]
Issue
Edward and Isabella had four children, and she suffered at least one miscarriage. Their itineraries demonstrate that they were together nine months prior to the births of all four surviving offspring. Their children were:[161]
- Edward III, born 1312
- John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, born 1316
- Reinoud II of Guelders
- Joan of the Tower, born 1321, married David II of Scotland
Arms
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Ancestry
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Isabella was descended from
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See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b Weir 1999, p. 90.
- ^ Castor 2011, p. 227.
- ^ a b Castor 2011, pp. 312–313.
- ^ Warner 2016, p. 11.
- ^ Hamilton 2010, p. 103.
- ^ See Weir 2006, pp. 8–9.
- ^ Warner 2016, p.8
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 11.
- ^ Jones and McKitterick, p. 394.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 12.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 14.
- ^ a b Weir 2006, p. 13.
- ^ Weir 2006, pp. 13–4.
- ^ required.)
- ^ a b Weir 2006, p. 25.
- ^ Costain, p. 82; Weir 2006, p. 12.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 26.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 243.
- ^ Mortimer, 2004, p. 36.
- ^ For a summary of this period, see Weir 2006, chapters 2–6; Mortimer, 2006, chapter 1; Doherty, chapters 1–3.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 39.
- ^ a b Weir 2006, p. 37.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 37.
- ^ Doherty, p. 38.
- ^ Doherty, p. 46.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 47.
- ISBN 978-0-7538-2611-9.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 47–8.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 49.
- ^ "Even her own uncle Lancaster came to regard her as an enemy." Isabella's mother, Joan of Navarre, was Thomas of Lancaster's older half-sister. [1]
- ^ a b Weir 2006, p. 58.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 63.
- ^ Doherty, p. 51.
- ^ Doherty, p. 54.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 68.
- ^ Doherty, p. 56.
- ^ a b Weir 2006, p. 92.
- ^ Weir 2006, pp. 92, 99.
- ^ Doherty, p. 60.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 61.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 60–1.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 61–2.
- ^ Doherty, p. 62.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 64.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 120.
- ^ Doherty, p. 65.
- ^ Doherty, p. 66.
- ^ Doherty, p. 67.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 132.
- ^ Doherty, p. 67; Weir 2006, p. 132.
- ^ Doherty, p. 70.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 70–1; Weir 2006, p. 133.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 71.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 72–3.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 138.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 74–5.
- ^ Doherty, p. 73.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 143.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 144.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 149.
- ^ Doherty, p. 75.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 76–7.
- ^ a b c Doherty, p. 77.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 78.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 79.
- ^ Doherty, p. 80.
- ^ Ainsworth, p. 3.
- ^ a b Holmes, p. 16.
- ^ Neillands, p. 30.
- ^ Neillands, p. 31.
- ^ Holmes, p. 16; Kibler, p. 201.
- ^ Kibler, p. 314.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 80–1.
- ^ Sumption, p. 97.
- ^ a b c Doherty, p. 81.
- ^ Kibler, p. 314; Sumption, p. 98.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 153.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 154; see Mortimer, 2004 pp. 128–9 for the alternative perspective.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 194.
- ^ A point born out by Mortimer, 2004, p. 140.
- ^ Weir 2006, p.100.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 197.
- ^ Mortimer, 2004, p. 141.
- ^ Kibler, p. 477.
- ^ Lord, p. 47.
- ^ a b Weir 2006, p. 221.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 222.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 223.
- ^ a b c d e Doherty, p. 90.
- ^ Mortimer, 2004, pp. 148–9.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 225.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 227.
- ^ Doherty, p. 91.
- ^ Doherty, p. 92
- ^ From Weir 2006, chapter 8; Mortimer, 2006, chapter 2; and Myers's map of Medieval English transport systems, p. 270.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 228.
- ^ Weir 2006, pp. 228–9; p. 232.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 232.
- ^ Doherty, p. 92; Weir 2006, pp. 233–4.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 233.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 236.
- ^ Doherty, p. 93.
- ^ Mortimer The Greatest Traitor, pp. 159–162.
- ^ Doherty, p. 107.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 242.
- ^ Doherty, p. 108.
- ^ Doherty, p. 109.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 114–15.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 213–15.
- ^ Mortimer, 2004, pp. 244–264; Mortimer, 2006, appendix 2.
- ^ See Carpenter 2007a, Carpenter 2007b.
- ^ For a summary of this period, see Weir 2006, chapter 11; Doherty, chapter 8; Mortimer, 2006, chapter 4.
- ^ Doherty, p. 142.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 245.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 248.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 249.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 259.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 303.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 258.
- ^ Doherty, p. 156.
- ^ a b Weir 2006, p. 261.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 304.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 305, p. 313.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 306.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 261; Neillands, p. 32.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 307.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 314.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 315.
- ^ a b Weir 2006, p. 309.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 310.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 322.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 322; Mortimer, 2004, p. 218.
- ^ Doherty, p. 149.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 333.
- ^ Doherty, p. 151.
- ^ Doherty, p. 152.
- ^ Doherty, p. 153.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 326, is relatively cautious in this assertion; Mortimer, 2004 pp. 221–3 is more confident.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 158–9.
- ^ Doherty, p. 159.
- ^ Doherty, p. 160.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 161.
- ^ Doherty, p. 162.
- ^ Doherty, p. 172.
- ^ Doherty, p. 163.
- ^ Castor 2011, p. 312.
- ^ a b c Doherty, p. 173.
- ^ Castor 2011, p. 313.
- ^ a b Doherty, p. 176.
- ^ Doherty, p. 174.
- ^ a b Mortimer, Ian (2008). The Perfect King The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation. Vintage. p. 332.
- ^ Doherty, p. 175.
- ^ Doherty, pp. 175–6.
- ^ Doherty, p. 177.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 371.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 374.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 373.
- ^ a b Weir 2006, p. 2.
- ^ "The lying art of historical fiction". Guardian News. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Ewan, pp. 1219–21.
- ISBN 978-0-7735-3157-4.
- ^ Boutell, p. 133.
- ^ Willement, Thomas. Regal heraldry; the armorial insignia of the Kings and Queens of England, from coeval authorities, London: W. Wilson; Rodwell and Martin. 1821. pg 14, 25. Regal Heraldry
- ISBN 0-900455-25-X
- ^ a b c d Anselme 1726, pp. 87–88
- ^ a b c d Anselme 1726, pp. 381–382
- ^ a b Anselme 1726, pp. 83–85
- ^ a b Evergates, Theodore (2011). Aristocratic Women in Medieval France. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 80.
Sources
- Ainsworth, Peter. (2006) Representing Royalty: Kings, Queens and Captains in Some Early Fifteenth Century Manuscripts of Froissart's Chroniques. in Kooper (ed) 2006.
- Anselme de Sainte-Marie, Père (1726). Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de France [Genealogical and chronological history of the royal house of France] (in French). Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). Paris: La compagnie des libraires.
- Boutell, Charles. (1863) A Manual of Heraldry, Historical and Popular. London: Winsor & Newton.
- Carpenter, David. (2007a) "What Happened to Edward II?" London Review of Books. Vol. 29, No. 11. 7 June 2007.
- Carpenter, David. (2007b) "Dead or Alive." London Review of Books. Vol. 29, No. 15. 2 August 2007.
- ISBN 978-0571237067.
- ISBN 1-84119-843-9.
- Ewan, Elizabeth. "Braveheart." American Historical Review. Vol. 100, No. 4. October 1995.
- Given-Wilson, Chris. (ed) (2002) Fourteenth Century England. Prestwich: Woodbridge.
- Hamilton, J. S. (2010). The Plantagenets: History of a Dynasty. Bloomsbury.
- Holmes, George. (2000) Europe, Hierarchy and Revolt, 1320–1450, 2nd edition. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Kibler, William W. (1995) Medieval France: an Encyclopedia. London: Routledge.
- Kooper, Erik (ed). (2006) The Medieval Chronicle IV. Amsterdam: Rodopi.
- Lord, Carla. (2002) Queen Isabella at the Court of France. in Given-Wilson (ed) (2002).
- Mortimer, Ian. (2004) The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, Ruler of England 1327–1330. London: Pimlico Press.
- Mortimer, Ian. (2006) The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation. London: Vintage Press. ISBN 978-0-09-952709-1.
- Myers, A. R. (1978) England in the Late Middle Ages. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.
- Neillands, Robin. (2001) The Hundred Years War. London: Routledge.
- Sumption, Jonathan. (1999) The Hundred Years War: Trial by Battle. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania University Press.
- Warner, Kathryn (2016). Isabella of France: The Rebel Queen. Amberley.
- Weir, Alison. (1999) Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy. London: The Bodley Head.
- Weir, Alison. (2006) Queen Isabella: She-Wolf of France, Queen of England. London: Pimlico Books. ISBN 978-0-7126-4194-4.