Isabella of France

Isabella of France (1292 – 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. Until 1325, she was a traditional queen consort. She then had one of the worst reputations of any English queen.

 Early life 
She was the daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre.Elizabeth Norton, She Wolves: The Notorious Queens of England (Stroud, Gloucestershire: History Press, 2009), p. 127 As the daughter of two monarchs, she was destined to be a queen. While France and England had a common culture, political relations between them were tense. To ease the situation Pope Boniface VIII arranged two marriages. This double alliance was between Edward I of England and Margeret of France and between the infant Edward II marrying Isabella of France. In 1299, the marriage between Edward I and Margeret took place.Michael Prestwich, EdwardI (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), p. 129 The marriage between Edward II and Isabella would wait until she was old enough. They were married in 1308 at Boulogne-sur-Mer, in France.Fourteenth Century England VIII, ed. J. S. Hamilton (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2014), p. 21

 Young queen 
At age 12, the young bride was already considered a great beauty.H. Eugene Lehman, Lives of England's Reigning and Consort Queens (Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2011), p. 138 Since his father's death a year earlier, the 24-year-old Edward II was now king, but he showed very little interest in Isabella. His first act as king was to recall the exiled Piers Gaveston.Alison Weir, Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England (New York: Ballantine Books, 2005), p. 20 One chronicler wrote, "He had home his greatest love".

Whatever their relationship was exactly, Edward II regarded Gaveston with great affection.Roy Martin Haines, King Edward II: His Life, His Reign, and Its Aftermath, 1284-1330 (Montreal, Quebec; London: McGill-Queens University Press 2003), p. 43 From the beginning of his marriage to Isabella, their relationship was not good. Edward had no romantic interest in Isabella. who soon found that her husband was not giving her any money.Alison Weir, Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England (New York: Ballantine Books, 2005), p. 28–29 She wrote to her father to say that she was living in poverty. Philip IV quickly wrote back and demanded Edward provide for his wife and any children they might have. Edward stalled by giving excuses.

Meanwhile, Isabella discovered that Gaveston had been given many of the jewels that her father had given her as part of her dowry. Isabella was furious. Her uncles warned that  Edward they would not attend their coronation unless he got rid of Gaveston, but Edward's barons had already made the same threats. Edward promised he would take care of everything when Parliament met in March. When Gaveston was put in charge of the coronation, one thing after another went wrong. At the banquet table honoring the king and queen, Gaveston, instead of Isabella, sat next to the king.Alison Weir, Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England (New York: Ballantine Books, 2005), p. 35 Gaveston even displayed his coat of arms next to the king's, instead of Isabella's.

The barons and Isabella's kinsmen were angry over those insults to their new queen, but it was only in 1311 that the barons drew up a list of ordinances that te king had to follow. The first was to get rid of Gaveston. However, by 1312 Gaveston came back to England. The same year, Isabella was pregnant with their first child.Elizabeth Norton, She Wolves: The Notorious Queens of England (Stroud, Gloucestershire: History Press, 2009), pp. 129–130 To escape the barons, Edward and Gaveston fled north taking Isabella with them. They left her unprotected at York while Edward and Gaveston escaped on a ship, but the barons were not upset with Isabella.

Gaveston was captured and murdered in the summer of 1312. That did not end Isabella's troubles, as Edward found a new favourite in Hugh le Despenser. In November, their first child was born, the future Edward III of England, but Despenser hated Isabella more than Gaveston had. By 1321, she was virtually a prisoner.Cathy Hartley, Historical Dictionary of British Women (London; New York: Europa Publications, 2003), p. 239 By 1324, Edward had given all her lands to Despenser.

 Sent to France 
In 1325, Edward convinced Isabella to go to France. Her brother Charles IV of France was now king. Edward wanted her to negotiate for him over Gascony. That was Isabella's chance for freedom. She even convinced her husband to send their son, Edward, to join her. Edward soon realised his mistake and demanded her and his son's return. Isabella ignored his demands and remained in France. 

The anger that she must have felt over the years of mistreatment in England finally gave her a chance to rebel against her husband.Elizabeth Norton, She Wolves: The Notorious Queens of England (Stroud, Gloucestershire: History Press, 2009), p. 135 She had their son, the future King of England, with her, and Edward could do nothing. She was then joined by Roger Mortimer an English exile. Another who came to her aid was Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, Edward II's half-brother. A number of Englishmen in France joined her cause.Alison Weir, Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England (New York: Ballantine Books, 2005), p. 184 Many were upset with Edward II and the Despensers. 

 Hainaut 
However, Isabella was short of funds. She and her followers went north to Hainaut to find more support. In turn for their support, she negotiated a marriage for her son Edward to Philippa of Hainaut. She also gave up any claims she had to the French crown. She now had an army from Hainaut with many Englishmen backing her. While living in Hainaut, she and Roger Mortimer had become lovers.H. Eugene Lehman, Lives of England's Reigning and Consort Queens'' (Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2011), p. 141

 Return to England  
In 1326, Isabella and her army landed at Suffolk. Neither Edward II or the Despensers could mount an army against her. Edward was captured and lost his throne. His son Edward III was made king in his place, with his mother as regent. 

In 1321, when she was denied access to Leeds Castle, she made her escort try to force their way in through the gate, and after they failed, she made thirteen of her escort hang immediately. Edward II marries Isabella of France: January 25th, 1308 History Today January 2008 Biography in Context 2/27/13She had four children and at least three miscarriages. When she later died, she was buried in her wedding dress.World History: Ancient and Medieval (ABC-Clio)

 References 

Category:1290 births
Category:1358 deaths
Category:French princesses
Category:Kings and Queens consort of England