[103] All that was left now was the question of Edward II, still officially Isabella's legal husband and lawful king. [90] 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. The daughter of Philip IV the Fair of France, Isabella was married to Edward on January 25, 1308, at Boulogne. [22], When Isabella first arrived in England following her marriage, her husband was already in the midst of a relationship with Piers Gaveston, an "arrogant, ostentatious" soldier, with a "reckless and headstrong" personality that clearly appealed to Edward. "[141] Lancastrian troops rapidly took the rest of the castle, leaving Edward in control of his own government for the first time. Edward IIIs first child a son, Edward of Woodstock was born on 15 June 1330 when he was 17, and the king was already chafing under the tutelage of his mother and her despised favourite Mortimer. [26] 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. Live. [36] Isabella concluded that the pair must have been carrying on an illicit affair, and appears to have informed her father of this during her next visit to France in 1314. The journey was a pleasant one, with many festivities, although Isabella was injured when her tent burned down. 22 August 1358. [93], Isabella now marched south towards London, pausing at Dunstable, outside the city on 7 October. 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. views 2,554,274 updated Isabella of France (1296-1358) Queen consort of England who is most famous for her leadership of the rebellion against her husband Edward II (1325-27) and for her short period of power (1327-30) when she and her lover, Roger Mortimer, ruled England in the name of her young son, Edward III. Isabella of France married King Edward II of England in Boulogne, northern France, on 25 January 1308 when she was 12 and he was 23. [99] With Bristol secure, Isabella moved her base of operations up to the border town of Hereford, from where she ordered Henry of Lancaster to locate and arrest her husband. [35] During the visit her brothers Louis and Charles put on a satirical puppet show for their guests, and after this Isabella had given new embroidered purses both to her brothers and to their wives. Since the early 1300s, Edward II had been infatuated with a young nobleman of Barn in southern France called Piers Gaveston, whom he made Earl of Cornwall and married to his royal niece Margaret de Clare in 1307. Edward chose to sit with Gaveston rather than Isabella at their wedding celebration,[24] causing grave offence to her uncles Louis, Count of vreux, and Charles, Count of Valois,[21] and then refused to grant her either her own lands or her own household. Feast Day - February 23. She began some kind of relationship with an English baron named Roger Mortimer, who had been imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1322 after taking part in a baronial rebellion against the king and his favourite but escaped in 1323. Queen Isabella of England first reported the rumours of adultery by her sisters-in-law to her father in Paris The royal scandal occurred at the end of the difficult reign of Philip IV, known as "le Bel" (the Fair) because of his good looks. Isabella of France ( c. 1295 - 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France ( French: Louve de France ), was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, and regent of England from 1327 until 1330. [157], 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. Originating, like her, in 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. [68] Gascon forces destroyed the bastide, and in turn Charles attacked the English-held Montpezat: the assault was unsuccessful,[69] but in the subsequent War of Saint-Sardos Isabella's uncle, Charles of Valois, successfully wrested Aquitaine from English control;[70] by 1324, Charles had declared Edward's lands forfeit and had occupied the whole of Aquitaine apart from the coastal areas.[71]. After her short period of detention she was allowed to go free and some years later was restored to her pre-1324 income of 4,500. Isabella of France, (born 1292died August 23, 1358), queen consort of Edward II of England, who played a principal part in the deposition of the king in 1327. Died. By 1325, Isabella was facing increasing pressure from Hugh Despenser the Younger, Edward's new royal favourite. 1289 for the alternative perspective. [17] Unusual for the medieval period, contemporaries also commented on her high intelligence. Daughter of King Philip IV of France and of Jeanne of Navarre, Isabella was married to Edward II in 1308 after years of negotiations. Isabella of France (1295 - 22 August 1358) was the Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England.She was also Regent of England for her son Edward III of England when he was too young to rule. This article was first published in the February 2017 issue of BBC History Magazine, LAST CHANCE to claim your book of choice + FREE access to HistoryExtra.com when you subscribe to BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Mortimer was executed, Isabella's regency was ended and she was imprisoned,[3] but soon released. Queen Isabella, now 16 or 17, was already pregnant with her first child when her husband's beloved Piers Gaveston was killed, and her son was born at Windsor Castle on Monday 13 November 1312. For a summary of this period, see Weir 2006, chapters 26; Mortimer, 2006, chapter 1; Doherty, chapters 13. "Even her own uncle Lancaster came to regard her as an enemy." 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. When Edward went to war with Isabellas brother Charles IV of France in 1324, he began to treat Isabella as an enemy alien and confiscated her lands. Isabella threw herself at Edward's feet, famously crying "Fair son, have pity on gentle Mortimer! Isabella responded by marching swiftly west herself in an attempt to cut him off, reaching Gloucester a week after Edward, who slipped across the border into Wales the same day.[97]. Isabella was committed to bringing this issue to a conclusion by diplomatic means. . Mortimer The Greatest Traitor, pp. His father, Hugh the Elder, had supported Edward and Gaveston a few years previously. Isabella of France was a Princess of France, daughter of King Charles VI and Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. In the north, however, the situation was becoming worse. After nine days her body was exhumed; according to the religious legend, it showed no signs of decay, and many miracles were said to have been wrought at her grave. [139] In the autumn, Mortimer was investigating another plot against him, when he challenged a young noble, William Montagu, during an interrogation. [85] William also provided eight men-of-war ships and various smaller vessels as part of the marriage arrangements. [88], By the 27th, word of the invasion had reached the King and the Despensers in London. Parliament was convened the next month, where Mortimer was put on trial for treason. [13], Roger Mortimer was a powerful Marcher lord, married to the wealthy heiress Joan de Geneville, and the father of twelve children. She became increasingly interested in religion as she grew older, visiting a number of shrines. [b] She is described as born in 1292 in the Annals of Wigmore, and Piers Langtoft agrees, claiming that she was 7 years old in 1299. Isabella sailed for France in 1325 to settle a long-standing dispute over Gascony. Rapidly retreating south with the Despensers, Edward failed to grasp the situation, with the result that Isabella found herself and her household cut off from the south by the Scottish army, with the coastline patrolled by Flemish naval forces allied to the Scots. Isabella deposed Edward, becoming regent on behalf of her young son, Edward III. [20] He rejected most of the traditional pursuits of a king for the periodjousting, hunting and warfareand instead enjoyed music, poetry and many rural crafts. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Isabella of France was born in 1295 and died on August 22, 1358. Isabella was too young to play any role in English politics for a few years, and likewise too young to be Edwards wife in more than name only. four girls and 1 boy. [22] Nonetheless, Isabella bore four children by Edward, leading to an opinion amongst some historians that Edward's affairs with his male favourites were platonic. They were John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, in August 1316; Eleanor of Woodstock, duchess of Guelders, in June 1318; and Joan of the Tower, queen of Scotland, in July 1321. [18], As queen, the young Isabella faced numerous challenges. [134] Edmund may have expected a pardon, possibly from Edward III, but Isabella was insistent on his execution. Isabella of France (c. 1295 - August 22, 1358), later referred to as the She-Wolf of France, was the Queen consort of Edward II of England, mother of Edward III and Queen Regent 1327 to 1330. Isabella of France (1295 - 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen of England as the wife of Edward II. Tensions had risen 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. [117] Isabella's lavish lifestyle matched her new incomes. The barons were led by the wealthy and powerful Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, who was Edward IIs first cousin and Isabellas uncle (the younger half-brother of her mother, Joan I of Navarre). Most of the negative stories often told in modern literature about the couple for example that Edward gave Isabellas jewels or wedding gifts to Piers Gaveston in 1308, that he abandoned her weeping and pregnant in 1312 to save Gaveston, or that he cruelly removed her children from her custody in 1324 are much later fabrications. Isabella was notable in her lifetime for her diplomatic skills, intelligence, and beauty. Known for her beauty, diplomatic skills, and intelligence, she played a crucial role in the dethronement of her husband. 11/09/2015 Sharon Bennett Connolly. A parliament was held in London at the beginning of 1327, which decided that Edward II must be forced to abdicate his throne to his 14-year-old son Edward of Windsor. [100] After a fortnight of evading Isabella's forces in South Wales, Edward and Hugh were finally caught and arrested near Llantrisant on 16 November. The Great Hall of Eltham Palace. In August 1401 she at last sailed for France. ( 1358-08-22) (aged 62-63) Castle Rising, Norfolk, England [1] Spouse (s) Edward II of England. In 1312, Isabella gave birth to the future Edward III, but by the end of the year Edward's court was beginning to change. Isabella, however, saw this as a perfect opportunity to resolve her situation with Edward and the Despensers. Isabella I, byname Isabella the Catholic, Spanish Isabel la Catlica, (born April 22, 1451, Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Castiledied November 26, 1504, Medina del Campo, Spain), queen of Castile (1474-1504) and of Aragon (1479-1504), ruling the two kingdoms jointly from 1479 with her husband, Ferdinand II of Aragon (Ferdinand V of Castile). [149] She was involved in the talks with Charles II of Navarre in 1358. Edward found himself at odds with the barons, too, in particular his first cousin Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, whilst continuing the war against the Scots that he had inherited from Edward I. Three more children were born to the royal couple. [136] Isabella de Vesci escaped punishment, despite having been closely involved in the plot. [33] The Despensers were opposed to both the Lancastrians and their other allies in the Welsh Marches, making an easy alliance with Edward, who sought revenge for the death of Gaveston.[34]. [144], After the coup, Isabella was initially transferred to Berkhamsted Castle,[145] and then held under house arrest at Windsor Castle until 1332, when she then moved back to her own Castle Rising in Norfolk. Within a very short time, their greed and self-interest made them as unpopular as Edward II and Hugh Despenser had been; Isabella had little capacity for learning from her husbands mistakes. Edward I: man of principle or grasping opportunist? King Edward was born on 25 Apr 1274 in Carnarvon Castle . Weir 2006, p. 326, is relatively cautious in this assertion; Mortimer, 2004 pp. She never met her husbands father Edward I (or Longshanks), who had died on 7 July 1307, and she certainly never met William Wallace (as depicted in Braveheart), who had been executed on 23 August 1305. 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. The daughter of Philip IV the Fair of France, Isabella was married to Edward on January 25, 1308, at Boulogne. Simon of Reading, one of the Despensers' supporters, was hanged next to him, on charges of insulting Isabella. The session was held in January 1327, with Isabella's case being led by her supporter Adam Orleton, Bishop of Hereford. [62] The situation was precarious and Isabella was forced to use a group of squires from her personal retinue to hold off the advancing army whilst other of her knights commandeered a ship; the fighting continued as Isabella and her household retreated onto the vessel, resulting in the death of two of her ladies-in-waiting. Despenser was then condemned to hang as a thief, be castrated, and then to be drawn and quartered as a traitor, his quarters to be dispersed throughout England. 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. In this interpretation, a look-alike was buried at Gloucester. [95] London was now in the hands of the mobs, although broadly allied to Isabella. The dowager queen of England died at Hertford Castle on 22 August 1358, aged 62 or 63, and was buried on 27 November at the fashionable Greyfriars church in London. [52] Whilst Edward mobilised his own faction and placed Leeds Castle under siege, Isabella was given the Great Seal and assumed control of the royal Chancery from the Tower of London. [50] At this point, Isabella undertook a pilgrimage to Canterbury, during which she left the traditional route to stop at Leeds Castle in Kent, a fortification held by Bartholomew de Badlesmere, steward of the King's household who had by 1321 joined the ranks of Edward's opponents. [155] 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. [1] Life [ edit] Childhood [ edit] Their itineraries demonstrate that they were together nine months prior to the births of all four surviving offspring. Elisabeth of France or Isabella of Bourbon (22 November 1602 - 6 October 1644) was Queen of Spain from 1621 to her death and Queen of Portugal from 1621 to 1640, as the first spouse of King Philip IV & III. Birthday: 1295 Date of Death: August 22, 1358 Age at Death: 63. [13] She also feared her own husband might attempt to have her killed. Live Death Statistics . [13] In 1303, Edward I may have considered a Castilian bride for Edward II instead of Isabella and even increased her dowry before the wedding. [8] 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. Her father, King Philip, known as "le Bel" (the Fair) because of his good looks, was a strangely unemotional man; one contemporary described him as "neither a man nor a beast, but a statue";[7] modern historians have noted that he "cultivated a reputation for Christian kingship and showed few weaknesses of the flesh". [36] Isabella and Edward then returned to England with new assurances of French support against the English barons. [128] 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. They dragged him from his horse, stripped him, and scrawled Biblical verses against corruption and arrogance on his skin. The idea that her son locked her up in Castle Rising in Norfolk and that she went mad is merely a (much later) fabrication with no basis whatsoever in fact. [98] By now desperate and increasingly deserted by their court, Edward and Hugh Despenser the Younger attempted to sail to Lundy, a small island in the Bristol Channel, but the weather was against them and after several days they were forced to land back in Wales. [74] 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. Three more children were born to the royal couple. In 1330, aged 18, Edward III forcibly asserted his authority. [115] 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. a favorite of Edward II, had been exiled the first time in 1307, and he returned in 1308, the year Isabella and Edward married. Some believe that Isabella then arranged the murder of Edward II. The three brothers were the last kings of the Capetian dynasty that had ruled France since 987. 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. Isabella's reputation in France suffered somewhat as a result of her perceived role in the affair. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isabella-of-France, World History Encyclopedia - Isabella of France, Ancient Origins - The Wild Life of English Queen Isabella, She-Wolf of France aka the Rebel Queen Who Killed the King of England, English Monarchs - Biography of Isabella of France. In the 1320s, however, Edwards new favourites, the Despensers, aroused her antagonism. Edmund Fitzalan, a key supporter of Edward II and who had received many of Mortimer's confiscated lands in 1322, was executed on 17 November. Isabella I ( Spanish: Isabel I; 22 April 1451 - 26 November 1504), [2] also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: Isabel la Catlica ), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504. Isabella became Queen of England in 1308 at the age of 13 following her marriage to King Edward II for political reasons. Isabella of the Royal House of Capet was a French princess by birth and through marriage the Queen Consort of Edward II, and later the regent for her son, Edward III. [1], For other people named Isabella of France, see, "The She-Wolf of France" redirects here. [32], Tensions mounted steadily over the decade. [3], Isabella's husband Edward, as the Duke of Aquitaine, owed homage to the King of France for his lands in Gascony. Queen Isabella of France: Queen Isabella of France was a noblewoman born to King Phillip IV of France in 1295. Gaveston was assassinated in June 1312 by a group of English barons sick of his excessive influence over the king. Isabella was portrayed as an innocent bystander during the proceedings,[142] and no mention of her sexual relationship with Mortimer was made public. With her lands restored to her, Isabella was already exceptionally rich, but she began to accumulate yet more. [82] They also shared a common enemythe regime of Edward II and the Despensers. 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. She successfully formed an alliance with Gaveston, but after his death at the hands of the barons, her position grew increasingly precarious. [55] This was condemned by contemporary chroniclers, and is felt to have caused concern to Isabella as well;[56] some of those widows being persecuted included her friends. [19], Edward was an unusual character by medieval standards. He was tall, athletic, and wildly popular at the beginning of his reign. Edward II had given Eltham to his queen, as a gift and she stayed there often. A papal dispensation by Clement V in November 1305 permitted her immediate marriage by proxy, despite the fact that she was probably only 10 years old. Isabella arrived in England at the age of 12[2] during a period of growing conflict between the king and the powerful baronial factions. Isabella's youngest children were removed from her and placed into the custody of the Despensers. In contrast to the negative depictions, Mel Gibson's film Braveheart (1995) portrays Isabella (played by the French actress Sophie Marceau) more sympathetically. If so both Isabella and Mortimer were taking a huge risk in doing sofemale infidelity was a very serious offence in medieval Europe, as shown during the Tour de Nesle Affairboth Isabella's former French sisters-in-law had died by 1326 as a result of their imprisonment for exactly this offence,[79] and their alleged lovers had been brutally executed. Edward was handsome, but highly unconventional, possibly forming close romantic attachments first to Piers Gaveston and then to Hugh Despenser the Younger. [43], 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. 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. Her mother, the saintly Queen Blance, bore this child special affection because, after the death of her husband, Isabella was the only daughter still living. A daughter, Isabella, was born to King Philip IV of France and Joan of Navarre in Paris. She and Edward II were jointly crowned king and queen of England at Westminster Abbey on 25 February 1308, exactly a month after their wedding. [135] 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. As Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Ponthieu and a peer of the realm of France, he owed homage to Charles IV as his liege lord, but for various reasons was reluctant to leave an England now seething with discontent and rebellion against his and Hugh Despensers greedy and despotic rule. Edward II gave the wedding gifts from Philip IV to his favorite . The Pope died in April 1314. [124] The treaty was not popular in England because of the Agenais clause. 1389 and died on September 13, 1409. He was then dragged into the city, presented to Queen Isabella, Roger Mortimer and the Lancastrians. Isabella gathered an army to oppose Edward, in alliance with Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, whom she may have taken as a lover. 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. After that time she had one of the worst reputations of any English queen. [61] With the Scottish army marching south, Isabella expressed considerable concern about her personal safety and requested assistance from Edward. [104], As an interim measure, Edward II was held in the custody of Henry of Lancaster, who surrendered Edward's Great Seal to Isabella. 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. [128] 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. Indeed, John Deydras, a royal pretender, appeared in Oxford, claiming to have been switched with Edward at birth, and to be the real king of England himself. [156], 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. British author, philosopher, and statesman. Her invasion force arrived in England on 24 September 1326, the first to do so since her great-great-grandfather Louis of France had attempted to wrest the English throne from Edward IIs great-grandfather King John in 1216. Isabella reopened negotiations in Paris, resulting in a peace treaty under which the bulk of Gascony, minus the Agenais, would be returned to England in exchange for a 50,000-mark penalty. Her daughter. [89] 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. She knew she was finished and she resolutely prepared herself for death. Mortimer's uncle, Roger Mortimer de Chirk finally died in prison, but Mortimer managed to escape the Tower in August 1323, making a hole in the stone wall of his cell and then escaping onto the roof, before using rope ladders provided by an accomplice to get down to the River Thames, across the river and then on eventually to safety in France. Lesser nobles were pardoned and the clerks at the heart of the government, mostly appointed by the Despensers and Stapledon, were confirmed in office. 159162. Weir 2006, p. 154; see Mortimer, 2004 pp. [59] 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.