Isabella, Countess of Gloucester
| Isabella | |
|---|---|
| Countess of Gloucester and Essex | |
| Born | 1173/74 |
| Died | 14 October 1217 (aged c. 43) |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | Hubert de Burgh (m. 1217) |
| Father | William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester |
| Mother | Hawise de Beaumont |
Isabella, Countess of Gloucester (1173/74 – 14 October 1217), was an English noblewoman who was married to King John prior to his accession.
Lineage
Isabella was the daughter of
Royal marriage and annulment
On 28 September 1176,
On 29 August 1189, John and Isabella were married at
Shortly after John acceded to the throne in 1199, and before the end of August, he obtained an annulment of the marriage. The annulment was granted on the grounds of consanguinity, by the bishops of Lisieux, Bayeux, and Avranches, sitting in Normandy.[4] John, however, kept her lands, and Isabella did not contest the annulment.[4]
Earldom of Gloucester
After the annulment, John granted the title of Earl of Gloucester to Isabella's nephew Amaury, count of Évreux. This compensated Amaury for the loss of his French title, which was surrendered in the Treaty of Le Goulet. Upon his death without issue in 1213, Isabella once again became Countess of Gloucester.[2]
Later marriages
Isabel later married
Death and burial
Isabella died just a month after her third marriage, probably at Keynsham Abbey in Somerset, which was founded by her father, and was interred in Canterbury Cathedral.[2]
Fictional portrayals
- A very fanciful depiction of her as a historical novel by Philip Lindsay, where she is called Hadwisa. In his introduction, Lindsay acknowledged that he had no evidence that she was a witch, but for the purposes of his plot, he needed to provide a link between John and witchcraft.[5]
- She appears as the character Hadwisa in Robin of Sherwood, played by Patricia Hodge.
- She appears as character Avice in The Adventures of Robin Hood episode "Isabella" played by Helen Cherry.
- Jessica Raine plays her in the 2010 film Robin Hood.
- Featured briefly as Avisa in Virginia Henley's The Falcon and the Flower.
- Appears as Isobel in Roberta Gellis' historical romance novel Roselynde.
- Appears in Maureen Peters' historical novel Lackland's Bride.
- Appears as Avisa in Sharon Kay Penman's historical novel Here Be Dragons.
- Appears as Avisa in Erica Laine's historical novel Isabella of Angouleme: the Tangled Queen Part One
References
- ISBN 0-345-43487-0
- ^ a b c d e f Robert B. Patterson, ‘Isabella, suo jure countess of Gloucester (c.1160–1217)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2005 accessed 24 Nov 2006
- ^ a b Weir, p. 252
- ^ a b Weir, p. 319
- ^ Lindsay, Philip Introduction to The Devil and King John