Isabella of Angoulême
Isabella | |
---|---|
Countess consort of La Marche | |
Tenure | 10 May 1220 – 4 June 1246 |
Born | c. 1186 / c. 1188 |
Died | 4 June 1246 (aged about 58 or 60) Fontevraud Abbey, France |
Burial | Fontevraud Abbey |
Spouses | |
Issue more... |
|
Taillefer | |
Father | Aymer, Count of Angoulême |
Mother | Alice of Courtenay |
Isabella (
Isabella had five children by King John, including his heir, later Henry III. In 1220, Isabella married Hugh X of Lusignan, Count of La Marche, by whom she had another nine children.
Some of Isabella's contemporaries, as well as later writers, claim that she formed a conspiracy against King Louis IX of France in 1241, after being publicly snubbed by his mother, Blanche of Castile, for whom she harbored a deep-seated hatred.[3] In 1244, after the plot had failed, Isabella was accused of attempting to poison the king. To avoid arrest, she sought refuge in Fontevraud Abbey, where she died two years later, but none of this can be confirmed.
Queen consort of England
Isabella was the only daughter and heir of Aymer Taillefer, Count of Angoulême, by Alice of Courtenay,[4] who was a sister of Peter II of Courtenay, Latin Emperor of Constantinople. Alice and Peter II were grandchildren of King Louis VI of France through their father Peter I of Courtenay.
Isabella became Countess of
At the time of her marriage to John, the blonde-haired blue-eyed Isabella was already renowned by some for her beauty[7] and has sometimes been called the Helen of the Middle Ages by historians.[8] Isabella was much younger than her husband and possessed a volatile temper similar to his own. King John was infatuated with his young, beautiful wife; however, his acquisition of her had at least as much to do with spiting his enemies as romantic love. She was already engaged to Hugh IX le Brun when she was taken by John. It was said that he neglected his state affairs to spend time with Isabella, often remaining in bed with her until noon. However, these were rumors spread by John's enemies to discredit him as a weak and grossly irresponsible ruler, given that at the time John was engaging in a desperate war against King Philip II of France to hold on to the remaining Plantagenet duchies. The common people began to term her a "siren" or "Messalina" for her allure.[9] Her mother-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, readily accepted her as John's wife.[10]
On 1 October 1207, at Winchester Castle, Isabella gave birth to a son and heir, the future King Henry III of England, who was named after his grandfather King Henry II. He was quickly followed by another son, Richard, and three daughters: Joan, Isabella and Eleanor. All five children survived into adulthood and made illustrious marriages; all but Joan produced offspring of their own.
Second marriage
When King John died in October 1216, Isabella's first act was to arrange the speedy coronation of her nine-year-old son at the city of Gloucester on 28 October. As the royal crown had recently been lost in the Wash, along with the rest of King John's treasure, she supplied her own golden circlet to be used in lieu of a crown.[11] The following July, less than a year after his crowning as King Henry III of England, she left him in the care of his regent, William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and returned to France to assume control of her inheritance of Angoulême.
In the spring of 1220, Isabella married Hugh X of Lusignan, "le Brun", Seigneur de Luisignan, Count of La Marche, the son of her former fiancé, Hugh IX, to whom she had been betrothed before her marriage to King John. It had been previously arranged that her eldest daughter Joan should marry Hugh, and the little girl was being brought up at the Lusignan court in preparation for her marriage. Hugh, however, upon seeing Isabella, whose beauty had not diminished,[12] preferred the girl's mother. Joan was provided with another husband, King Alexander II of Scotland, whom she wed in 1221.
Isabella married Hugh without the consent of the king's council in England, as was required of a
Isabella had nine more children by Hugh X. Their eldest son
Isabella's children from her royal marriage did not join her in Angoulême, remaining in England with their eldest brother Henry III.
Rebellion and death
Described by some contemporaries as "vain, capricious and troublesome,"
In 1244, after the confederacy had failed and Hugh had made peace with King Louis, two royal cooks were arrested for attempting to poison the king; upon questioning they confessed to having been in Isabella's pay.[14] Before Isabella could be taken into custody, she fled to Fontevraud Abbey, where she died on 4 June 1246.[17]
By Isabella's own prior arrangement, she was first buried in the abbey's churchyard as an act of repentance for her many misdeeds. On a visit to
Issue
- With King John of England, five children, all of whom survived into adulthood:
- King Henry III of England (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272). Married Eleanor of Provence, by whom he had issue, including his heir, King Edward I of England.
- Richard, Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272). Married firstly, Isabel Marshal, secondly, Sanchia of Provence, and thirdly, Beatrice of Falkenburg. Had issue.
- Joan (22 July 1210 – 1238), the wife of King Alexander II of Scotland. Her marriage was childless.
- Emperor Frederick II, by whom she had issue.
- Eleanor (1215–1275), who would marry, firstly, William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, and secondly, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, by whom she had issue.
- With Count of La Marche: nine children, all of whom survived into adulthood:
- Yolande de Dreux, Countess of Penthièvre and of Porhoet, by whom he had issue.
- Aymer of Lusignan (1222–1260), Bishop of Winchester
- Agnès de Lusignan (1223–1269). Married William II de Chauvigny (d. 1270), and had issue.
- Alice of Lusignan (1224 – 9 February 1256). Married John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, by whom she had issue.
- Guy of Lusignan (c. 1225 – 1264), killed at the Battle of Lewes. (Tufton Beamish maintains that he escaped to France after the Battle of Lewes and died there in 1269.)
- Geoffrey of Lusignan (c. 1226 – 1274). Married in 1259 Jeanne, Viscountess of Châtellerault, by whom he had issue.
- Maurice IV, Seigneur de Craon (1224–1250),[19] by whom she had issue; she married, secondly, Geoffrey de Rancon.[20]
- William of Lusignan (c. 1228 – 1296). First earl of Pembroke. Married Joan de Munchensi, by whom he had issue.
- Marguerite de Lusignan (c. 1229 – 1288). Married, firstly, in 1243 Viscount of Thouarsand had issue.
In popular culture
She was played by actress Zena Walker in the TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood episode "Isabella" (1956), before her marriage to John, but not as a 12-year-old.[21] She was portrayed by actress Victoria Abril in the 1976 film Robin and Marian.[22] She was played by actress Lynsey Baxter in the 1979 TV mini-series "The Devil's Crown". She was played by actress Cory Pulman in the episode "The Pretender" (1986) of the TV series Robin of Sherwood. She was portrayed by actress Léa Seydoux in the 2010 film Robin Hood.[23]
References
- ^ Barrière 2006, p. 384.
- ^ Evergates 2007, p. 226.
- ^ Costain 1959, pp. 144–145.
- ^ Vincent 1999, p. 171.
- ^ Church 2015, p. 69.
- ^ Vincent 1999, pp. 171, 177.
- ^ Costain 1962, pp. 251–252.
- ^ Costain 1962, p. 306.
- ^ Costain 1962, pp. 253–254.
- ^ Costain 1962, p. 246.
- ^ Costain 1959, p. 11.
- ^ Costain 1962, p. 341.
- ^ a b Costain 1959, pp. 38–39.
- ^ a b Costain 1959, p. 149.
- ^ Costain 1959, p. 144.
- ^ Costain 1959, pp. 145–146.
- ^ Vincent 2004, p. online edition.
- ISBN 978-1-68177-133-5.
- ^ Tout 2009, p. 395.
- ^ Jobson 2012, p. xxv.
- ^ Sussex 1969, p. 96.
- ^ Dumont 2017, p. 212.
- ^ Lopez 2013, p. ?.
Sources
- Barrière, Bernadette (2006). Limousin médiéval: le temps des créations. Presses Universitaires de Limoges.
- Church, Stephen (2015). King John: And the Road to Magna Carta. Basic Books. ISBN 9780465040704. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- Costain, Thomas B. (1962). The Conquering Family. Doubleday and Company, Inc. ISBN 9780385040884.
- Costain, Thomas B. (1959). The Magnificent Century. Doubleday and Company, Inc.
- Dumont, Hervé (2017). Moyen Age et Renaissance au cinéma: L'Angleterre (in French). Books on Demand. p. 212. ISBN 9782322101405.
- Evergates, Theodore (2007). The Aristocracy in the County of Champagne, 1100–1300. University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Jobson, Adrian (2012). The First English Revolution: Simon de Montfort, Henry III and the Barons' War. Bloomsbury Academic.
- Lopez, John (2013). "How to Train Your Villain with *Robin Hood'*s Oscar Isaac". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- Sussex, Elizabeth (1969). Lindsay Anderson. MacKibbon & Kee. ISBN 9780289797372.
- Tout, Thomas Frederick (2009). The Place of the Reign of Edward II in English History. Manchester University Press.
- Vincent, Nicholas (1999). "Isabella of Angouleme:John's Jezebel". In Church, S.D. (ed.). King John: New Interpretations. Boydell Press.
- Vincent, Nicholas (2004). "Isabella , suo jure countess of Angoulême (c. 1188–1246)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. online edition. Oxford University Press.
Further reading
- Castaigne, Jean François. Isabelle d'Angoulême, Comtesse-Reine, Angoulême, 1836.
- Richardson, H.G. The Marriage and Coronation of Isabelle of Angoulême, in The English Historical Review, September 1946.
- Snellgrove, Harold. The Lusignans in England, 1247–1258, in University of New Mexico Publications in History, #2, 1950.