Queen Isabella of France lived an extraordinary life. Not only was she considered beautiful, but also incredibly forthright and made no secret of her plans to dethrone her own husband who was constantly unfaithful, with a man. Referred to as the "She-Wolf' of France, this was a queen that was not always liked, but she was no one's pushover. Here all about the queen who tried to rule them all.
The She-Wolf's Family
Isabella of France was born in Paris in 1295. She had six siblings but was the only living daughter by the time she was six. Both her parents were considered ambitious, but her father was the cold one who some referred to as 'The Iron King'.
King Philip, Isabella's father, was obsessed with gathering wealth and land, but he was also a notoriously cruel man who had Jewish people banished and Templars executed on the grounds of sodomy and heresy.
Her Marriage Was Arranged
When Isabella was still a toddler, her father King Philip was already scouring the royal lines for a suitable future husband for Isabella. He eventually came upon the then 14-year-old Prince Edward II of England. The plan was completely strategic as both families wanted this marriage to bring England and France together.
Despite the new plan to bring the two countries together in matrimony, Isabella's future father-in-law, King Edward I, was still not satisfied. England and France continued to fight one another, and her father-in-law tried on several occasions to cancel the impending marriage. Sadly he died before he could succeed.
Her Mother's Tragic End
When Isabella was only ten years old her mother, Queen Joan, passed away. There are several stories as to how she died, and it seems that historians can't seem to tell which one is the truth. In one story she is meant to have died giving birth to one of Isabella's siblings.
Another story involves the queen's enemy, Bishop Guichard, who is said to have used dark magic on the queen by pricking a voodoo doll likeness of her with a pin. The most tragic rumor of all is that King Philip himself murdered his wife, but this has never been proven.
Edward's Wild Lifestyle
Isabella's future husband was good-looking and athletic, but that seems to be where the positive attributes stopped. He was also cowardly, frivolous with money, and spent all of his time attending parties and drinking heavily. He was also in love with someone else.
King Edward had been in love with the same person since he was a teenager, and this person was also a man. Piers Gaveston was the love of his life, and while his bride was getting ready for their wedding, Edward was appointing Gaveston the Duke of Cornwall in order to keep him close.
Isabella's Disastrous Wedding To Edward
It was very clear that King Edward was not interested in women, but despite that, he married the 12-year-old Isabella on January 25, 1308. Isabella was complimented on her beauty on the day, but her new husband refused to even sit next to her at their own wedding!
Edward spent very little time with his new bride and instead chose to spend the bulk of the time with his not-so-secret lover Piers Gaveston. Isabella was furious, and in 1308 she wrote to her father complaining that her new husband was not performing his duties. Edward was forced to exile his lover to Ireland.
The King And Queen Went To War
After Gaveston was banished, Isabella and Edward settled down for a little while. In 1311, Gaveston returned to the kingdom and that same year the young royals went to war with Scotland. They promptly lost. They then went to war with the Barons who threatened the life of King Edward's lover Gaveston.
During some of the most violent battles, King Edward abandoned his wife to stand at the side of his lover. His cowardice however was eternal, and even Gaveston found himself alone and unprotected when King Edward left him to be killed by the Barons.
She Had Four Children
During her marriage to King Edward, Queen Isabella gave birth to four children: Edward III born in 1312, John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall born in 1316, Eleanor of Woodstock born in 1318, and Joan born in 1321. Edward became the next in line to the throne.
In the midst of having children, Queen Isabella and King Edward were far from happy. In 1318, Hugh Despenser the Younger appeared on the scene, and he and the king immediately became lovers, under the guise of being the royal family's 'close advisor'.
Causes A Major Scandal
In 1313 Edward and Isabella went to France in order to rally up support for their war against the Barons, and whilst they were there the queen brought gifts of exquisite purses for her brother's wives. Months later she found the purses in the hands of some knights and realized that the wives were involved in affairs.
Isabella shared her assumptions with her father, and soon enough the nobleman and the knights were caught participating in some extra-marital affairs. All parties involves suffered terrible consequences, with the knights being castrated, then drawn and quartered, whilst the noblewomen's heads were shaved and they were sent to prison. Isabella's involvement in this scandal made her a lot of enemies.
The Claim of John Deydras
Isabella was not having a very good time when a man named John Deydras arrived claiming to be the real King Edward. He told everyone that he and the king has been switched at birth, and the frightening thing is that a lot of the people believed him.
The people of England hated Isabella, and also blamed her for the death of her own father, King Philip, who died not long after the scandal of the purses - referred to as 'The Tour de Nesle'. Whilst all this was going on there were attempts by the Scots to kidnap Queen Isabella, and her husband was too busy with the Barons to notice.
She Began To Take Control
The queen's location was known, and this could only mean that there was a traitor among them. The king believed it to be his cousin Lancaster, but that turned out to be false and a knight was arrested instead, and though he confessed Isabella was convinced that the true culprit was actually her husband's new lover, Despenser.
This was the final act that truly made the queen change her strategies. She no longer believed that her husband was capable of ruling the country, and began to make more decisions herself. She attended official meetings and took control over that which had been under King Edward's jurisdiction.
Getting Rid Of Her Husband's Lover
Isabella was absolutely fed up with Hugh Despenser. Piers Gaveston she could still deal with on a civil level, but Despenser she considered an 'intruder' in her marriage, and she wanted him gone.
Isabella was also tired of all the other affairs that Edward had been having. She was aware of Despenser, and Gaveston, but there were plenty of commoners he had supposedly shacked up with, including Hugh Despender's wife! Her husband's lifestyle was simply getting out of hand.
Isabella Begged The King
Isabella was determined to get rid of the whole Despenser clan. In 1421 a group of nobles called the Marcher Lords arrived in London in order to fight the Despensers whom they hated. In order to avoid a civil war, Queen Isabella got down on her knees in front of everyone and begged the king to exile the Despensers from England.
King Edward had no choice but to send his lover and the rest of the Despenser clan away. It didn't take him long to hatch another plan to bring them back though, and this time he used his wife to do it. He sent her to his enemies in Kent knowing they wouldn't allow her in and ensuring him a way to bring the Despensers back.
Making Enemies Of The Queen
Her husband managed to find a way to bring his lover back to the kingdom, and in the meantime, Isabella was making new enemies at Leeds Castle. She had been denied access by Margaret Badlesmere in the most humiliating and violent way possible - Badlesmere had archers shoot at the queen.
Badlesmere had a previous grievance with the queen, and because of that, she ordered the archers to shoot at Isabella as she tried to enter the castle. This would ultimately be her downfall because Isabella had no intention of forgiving Margaret and had her imprisoned in the Tower of London - the first female to do so.
The Tyrade Of Despenser
When King Edward's lover Hugh Despenser returned to England, he was determined to make everyone suffer. Despenser and Edward went on a rampage and took away people's land, and put many in jail.
This would unfortunately not be the worst that would happen. Queen Isabella was obviously on very bad terms with the Despensers and in 1326 she accused Despenser of dishonoring her "by every possible means". Historically this would have meant that she had suffered sexual assault.
Isabella And Edward Separated
The king and queen had begun to hate each other even more after the debacle with the Despensers, and Hugh's treatment of the queen and the people of England. Edward refused to grant Isabella any land or riches that he had managed to obtain through his victories, and this had the queen fuming.
King Edward was more interested in keeping up appearances with his very unpopular allies the Despensers, and Queen Isabella couldn't stand to be in the same room as her husband and his lover. They made the controversial decision to separate. This was not a common practice during Medieval times.
She Was Trapped In Her Own Home
In 1322, Queen Isabella and her husband went their separate ways in order to survive a possible invasion. Isabella went north to a stronghold, and King Edward went south to get his troops together. Isabella was terrified that the Scots would find her so she begged her husband to send help.
Edward sent the Despensers whom Isabella absolutely hated, and even though she was in danger she refused their help, and her castle was quickly surrounded by Scots. Trapped in her own home she made her knights fight off anyone who approached, and some were sent off to steal a boat so they could escape. In the escape, the queen survived, but some of her servants died in the process.
To England And Back Again
After the disastrous attack of the Scots, Isabella was heartbroken. Edward blamed the tragedy on one of her closest allies, which made her react by embarking on a trip around England for a full year.
When she returned from her trip the queen made the very controversial decision to publicly 'break' from her marriage to King Edward. The king was furious and demanded that she pledge allegiance to the Despensers, a request she utterly refused.
Her Children Were Taken Away
King Edward's relationship with Hugh Despenser was so involved that when Despenser began to talk about the possibilities of a French invasion, the king listened. His wife had ties with France, and so he took away her lands and had Despenser's own wife placed as her housekeeper to spy on Isabella's movements.
The king took away her children and sent them to the Despensers, her sworn enemies. Isabella's brother, King Charles IV of France, was not happy with his brother-in-law's behavior and had his lands seized. Isabella was then sent to her brother to negotiate a peace treaty, but the siblings teamed up instead.
She Had An Affair
Her relationship with her husband had been on the rocks since day one, and his extra-marital affairs were no secret, so it was not surprising that Isabella herself eventually took a lover. She had an affair with a knight named Roger Mortimer who hated King Edward and the Despensers.
Unfortunately, Mortimer was also married, and he also had a whopping 12 children! This clearly didn't deter Isabella whose relationship with Mortimer became the stuff of legends. There were even rumors that when Roger was locked up in the Tower of London during the Despenser War she dressed as a knight in order to rescue him. This heroic act was never proven.
Isabella Campaigned Against Edward
Whilst spending some time in France, Isabella walked the streets dressed in mourners clothes and announced that her husband was as good as dead. She claimed that as long as the Desepensers remained in power she would continue to dress as a widow.
Back in England, the people were also fed up with the king, and there were countless assassination and dethroning attempts. The queen in the meanwhile was gathering up an army of knights to oppose the king.
Her Brother's Greatest Dilemma
King Edward began demanding that his wife return to England. Her brother King Charles was having none of it and declared in no uncertain terms that Queen Isabella could remain in France for as long as she saw fit.
Unfortunately, Charles was also forced to reevaluate his decisions when The Pope himself came to the king with the rumors of Isabella's affair with Roger Mortimer. This scandal proved too much for her brother, and he had no choice but to kick his sister out.
She Made Some Ambitious Plans
Isabella and Roger Mortimer left France in 1326 but did not immediately return to England. Instead, they made a little stopover in Holland and made a deal with William I, Count of Hainault. The queen traded ships in exchange for her eldest son Edward III to marry the Flemish king's daughter, Philippa of Hainault.
Isabella and Mortimer returned to England with an army of their own supporters. Her husband retaliated by offering a reward for her death, to which she countered with a reward of twice as much money for the death of Hugh Despenser. Clearly, the battle lines had been drawn.
A Cause Against Her Husband
The people of England were finally tired of putting up with a tyrannical king. Edward ordered that 2000 people come forward to defend him, but only about 55 people appeared. It seemed his popularity was waning.
In a final act of betrayal, his own half-brother turned against him, and he was forced to flee London. Both Edward and his lover Hugh Despenser fled the court, and Queen Isabella was finally left to take over the kingdom.
Reunited With Her Children
Queen Isabella finally had the chance to defeat the Despenser clan and force them to leave the court. She had her army attack their home, and when she got to their stronghold she was finally reunited with her daughters, Eleanor and Joan, who had been held captive.
Edward and Hugh Despenser had no choice but to leave England, and they had hopes of reaching Ireland. Unfortunately for them they only got as far as Scotland before they were captured by Isabella's army. By 1327 Edward's reign was over.
Hugh Despenser's Final Days
Isabella finally had her enemy captured, and she was going to make him pay for all her years of humiliation and torment. She planned to make his punishment and subsequent execution as heinous as possible. Despenser knew this and tried to starve himself to death to avoid what he knew to be his fate.
In 1326 Queen Isabella had Hugh Despenser paraded through the London streets naked and with his sins written all over his body. After that, he was partially hanged, and then whilst still conscious removed his genitals, had him disemboweled, and his heart and head removed. His decapitated head was then placed on the gates of London for all to see. Contemporary accounts describe Isabella as stoically watching him be disemboweled as she enjoyed an apple.
King Edward's Final Humiliation
With Hugh Despenser now dead, Isabella had plans for her cheating husband too. The people of England were fully supportive, and so the king was forced to step down and allow his son Edward III to take his place. She then placed her husband through a humiliating trial in which all his faults were laid bare, and he was told if he didn't step down his own son would be disinherited.
King Edward died in September 1327 and there are plenty of rumors about how this all happened. In one story he is said to have died by the administering of a red hot poker into his rectum. It is still unknown whether the queen and her lover Roger Mortimer were involved in the king's rather convenient death.
The Treaty Of Northampton
Isabella and Mortimer did not make themselves popular with the Treaty of Northampton. She tried to end the conflict with Scotland by making her daughter Joan marry the heir to the Scottish throne.
She then told the people that her son, King Edward III would allow Scotland to become a sovereign state, which upset the English people, especially the nobles. The queen and her lover had also helped themselves to a lot of people's land for themselves which made them no better than her deceased husband and the Despensers.
Her Son Started A War
King Edward III completely defied his mother's wishes and undid all the work she had done previously by participating in the Second War of Scottish Independence. Isabella and Mortimer were already on thin ice with the English people, and her son was about to add to the queen's trauma.
The new king captured his mother and Mortimer and had her mother's lover dragged to the Tower of London. Despite Isabella pleading with her son to take pity on Mortimer, her son had other plans and had him sentenced to a hanging. Mortimer's body was left for two days to be viewed by the public.
Queen Isabella Lost Her Mind
Though she was given a fair trial because of her son, Isabella was devastated after Mortimer's death. Her power had been stripped from her, and her lover had been executed. The queen is said to have lost her mind and fallen into fits of extreme madness.
Other stories claim that she actually became calm in her forced retirement and even began studying. She would also apparently entertain new guests at her home and struck up a closer bond with her daughter Joan who was as controversial as her mother - she had divorced a cheating husband too.
A Very Strange Goodbye
Queen Isabella died at the age of 62 on 22 August, 1358. There was absolutely no evidence of her being murdered, or there being any foul play involved. However, her funeral was a different story.
The queen was buried in her wedding dress, and it is said that she had previously requested that she also be buried with her deceased husband's preserved heart next to her. This seems really odd considering the fact that she hated him, and had been the reason for his death in the first place. Sadly, the Greyfriars Church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, rebuilt then destroyed again by bombs in the Second World War, and Isabella’s final resting place is therefore lost.
The Portrayal Of The She-Wolf
Queen Isabella has been depicted in many a play, and in literature. The first example can be found in Thomas Grey's poem "The Bard". The 18th-century poet refers to her as the "she-wolf", because she was capable of "ripping open her husband's bowels with her unrelenting fangs".
She was despised by the Victorians and was often negatively portrayed in history books. The author Agnes Strickland referred to her as "one of the worst women that ever occupied the throne in England." Her affair with Mortimer and her tempestuous relationship with Edward had a lot to do with the Victorians' opinion of her.