She Wolves (16 page)

In England, news of Isabella’s death was met with a brief display of mourning. It is, however, unlikely that Isabella’s English children felt real grief although Henry did extend a warm welcome to some of Isabella’s children by Hugh who arrived in England in 1247.
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The eight children Isabella bore Hugh de Lusignan proved a major source of tension in England during the reign of their half-brother Henry III and it is as their mother that Isabella is now primarily remembered.
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Isabella’s children by Hugh also seem to have been born with Isabella’s gift for political intrigue, which Henry III failed to inherit, and they were to prove to be major political rivals to Henry’s own queen, Eleanor of Provence.

Isabella of Angouleme is not the most ill-famed of English queens but she is remembered as among the worst. Bad King John and Isabella of Angouleme were described in the sources as a well-matched couple – both were portrayed as devious and self-interested figures. Isabella of Angouleme’s legacy is so disreputable that it is now difficult to see the real woman behind this characterisation. There is no doubt that Isabella often acted in a self-interested way, sometimes at the expense of her own children, but she was born into a difficult political situation in Europe. She had to fight to maintain her position throughout her lifetime, a situation likely to incline most people towards selfishness. Until she arrived in Angouleme in 1217, Isabella was essentially powerless in every aspect of her life. She had no say in her first marriage, no say in the upbringing of her children and she had no say in the government of her husband’s kingdom or her own lands. It is therefore not surprising that she grasped her freedom eagerly. She proved her capacity for effective ruling in Angouleme. It is also possible to see Isabella attempting to help her eldest son in her later life, even if these attempts, such as encouraging Henry’s ill-fated campaign and trying to murder the King of France, were ultimately harmful. When the facts of Isabella’s life are analysed she can, perhaps, be said to have been an unsuccessful queen, rather than a wicked one. Presumably recognising her failure in the role in 1217, she resolved to build a life for herself even if it further damaged her reputation. There is no doubt that Isabella was hated and whatever the truth of her life, to the chroniclers and later writers she had few of the redeeming features of her daughter-in-law, Eleanor of Provence, who although notorious, is noted for her devotion to her family, or her granddaughter-in-law, Eleanor of Castile, who enjoyed a remarkably happy marriage. Although these women were attributed with dubious morality, neither suffered the iniquitous image borne by Isabella.

Far from now representing the most ill-famed of English queens, Eleanor of Provence and her daughter-in-law, Eleanor of Castile, are remembered favourably, the latter having often been presented as the model of a good queen since the late medieval period. However this has not always been the case. Their unpopularity did not surpass that of women such as Isabella of Angouleme and Isabella of France, but during their lifetimes in England they were two of the most scorned English medieval queens. Eleanor of Provence was physically attacked by a London mob and Eleanor of Castile was the subject of much grumbling from the population throughout her reign. The ostracisation of both women derived from ideas of their foreign birth, together with the immigrants that their presence attracted to England. Eleanor of Provence was remembered for the many penniless relatives who joined her in England and whom she attempted to advance through patronage; nor was nepotism an alien concept for Eleanor of Castile. Both are also portrayed in sources as insatiably greedy, stripping the country of resources for their own profit. Although two very different women, their stories and the problems they encountered establishing themselves in a foreign country run parallel. With the loss of the Angevin Empire, England had become more insular with more strongly defined ideas of what constituted a ‘foreigner’. As natives of France and Spain respectively, both Eleanors were considered foreign in England and they experienced all the suspicion and disapproval this brought.

Eleanor of Provence was the second of four daughters born to Count Raymond Berengar of Provence and his wife, Beatrice of Savoy.
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The four sisters were all legendary beauties and this attracted high-ranking suitors, ensuring that all four became queens. Eleanor’s elder sister, Margaret, married Louis IX of France when Eleanor was still young and this marriage served to increase Eleanor’s own value on the marriage market. Although nothing survives of Eleanor’s early life, legend suggests that she attempted to take her future into her own hands. According to one account, Eleanor composed a romantic poem about a legendary Cornish hero which she sent to Richard, Earl of Cornwall, the brother of Henry III of England.
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If Eleanor did indeed write this poem her intention may have been to bring herself to the attention of one of the most powerful men in Europe and, if this was the case, it succeeded. The story continues: Richard was impressed by the poem and, knowing that his elder brother had been unsuccessful in finding his own bride, suggested that he marry the beautiful Eleanor. The idea appealed to Henry and he was so impressed with reports of Eleanor’s beauty and character that he privately instructed his envoys to negotiate a marriage contract even if she brought no dowry.
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Eleanor was approximately thirteen at the time of her marriage and must have been apprehensive when she landed at Dover in January 1236.
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Her family was unusually close and she must have missed her parents and sisters. She may have had some consolation from the fact that her uncle, William of Savoy, accompanied her to England and she quickly tried to show her gratitude towards him. Perhaps at Eleanor’s request, William became one of Henry’s chief counsellors and Henry also attempted to make him Bishop of Winchester.
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For Eleanor, it must have seemed only natural to attempt to advance her relatives in her new home. However, almost from the outset there appear to have been hostile undercurrents about Eleanor’s foreign birth and the strangers she brought with her. Eleanor, however, would not have been aware of this on her arrival in 1236 and she must have been anxious to meet her new husband. Henry was over twice Eleanor’s age but made an effort to ensure that his young wife was comfortable and happy. The pair quickly became close. Eleanor must certainly have been hopeful for the future when she and Henry were married at Canterbury on 14 January 1236.
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Eleanor was crowned soon afterwards in Westminster Abbey, appearing richly adorned in the jewels that Henry had given to her.
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Eleanor and Henry quickly settled into married life and, throughout their lives, they were renowned for their exceptionally happy marriage. In spite of her youth, however, Eleanor quickly came under pressure to produce an heir and there were rumours across the country that she was infertile.
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Such accusations cannot have been easy for the young Eleanor to deal with and it is likely that she came to look more and more to her husband and relations for support. She must have been relieved when, in June 1239, she gave birth to a healthy son who was baptised Edward after Henry’s favourite saint, Edward the Confessor.
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Eleanor must have felt vindicated and the following year she also gave birth to a healthy daughter, named Margaret after Eleanor’s older sister, the Queen of France. These births were followed in quick succession by two further healthy children, Beatrice and Edmund.

As well as being renowned for their happy marriage, Eleanor and Henry are also remembered as being loving parents to their children. Eleanor had enjoyed a close and loving family life in childhood and she took steps to replicate this for her own children. Edward, Eleanor’s eldest son, remained devoted to his mother throughout his lifetime and Eleanor also retained a close relationship with her daughters even after their marriages. In 1253, for example, Henry wrote to Alexander of Scotland, the husband of their daughter Margaret, asking him to send Margaret south whilst both he and Alexander were absent abroad so that she could visit her mother.
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Eleanor must have been greatly grieved when this request was refused. She and Henry were also distraught when their youngest child, Catherine, was born with a disability in 1253. The extent of Catherine’s disability is not clear but both her parents gave generous gifts to the church to pray for her health.
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They also provided their daughter with a fine memorial when she died before her fourth birthday. The illness and death of her youngest child must have had a profound effect on a woman as devoted to her family as Eleanor and it may have made her more determined than ever to promote the welfare of her remaining children, at whatever cost.

Certainly, Eleanor’s actions towards her children did, on occasion, damage her reputation still further in England. In 1255, for example, when Henry and Eleanor received news that their daughter, Margaret, was being badly treated in Scotland, the couple immediately dropped everything and set off for Scotland at the head of an army.
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They then brought the Queen of Scotland to England whilst they negotiated for her better treatment. This action demonstrates Eleanor’s devotion as a mother and was entirely understandable, but it was also rash. This is also shown in the ‘Sicilian Business’, a scheme in which Eleanor became involved in 1254.
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During that year the Pope contacted Eleanor and Henry offering the crown of Sicily to their younger son, Edmund, if they would only conquer the island for him. The prospect of a crown for her son was too much for Eleanor to resist and she was a major driving force behind the scheme, ensuring that Edmund was officially invested as King of Sicily at Westminster Abbey in October 1255.
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However not everyone in England was as convinced as Eleanor by the merits of this expensive scheme. Nonetheless she could not have acted without Henry’s support and should not be held wholly responsible for the scheme. It must have been a great disappointment when in November 1255, her uncle, Thomas of Savoy, acting as her envoy in the matter was captured and imprisoned in Turin. Eleanor immediately set about raising the ransom, but the setback signalled the end of the Sicilian Business.

The Sicilian Business damaged Eleanor’s reputation but, by the mid-1250s, she was already deeply unpopular. Throughout her lifetime, Eleanor showed herself anxious to advance her relatives and this was noted and commented on from early in her marriage. Eleanor was particularly close to her mother’s family, the Savoyards, and on her marriage they flocked to England. Over 170 Savoyards are known to have visited England during Eleanor’s marriage and at least 70 settled, making them a powerful group amongst the higher ranks of society in England.
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Eleanor encouraged Henry to patronise her relatives and he appears to have been willing to do so. In 1243 Eleanor’s mother, Beatrice of Savoy visited and she was rewarded with a generous pension by her son-in-law.
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Eleanor’s uncles, Amadeus of Savoy and Thomas of Savoy were also granted pensions by Henry in the 1240s; in 1244 another uncle, Boniface of Savoy, was appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury.
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These grants sparked jealousy amongst the English nobility and the honours were not merely limited to a financial nature. Eleanor’s most able uncle, Peter of Savoy, became one of Henry’s most trusted advisors and he was also given rich grants of land. Eleanor encouraged the English nobility to arrange marriages with the Savoyards, perhaps playing a part in the marriage of her younger sister, Sanchia, to Henry’s brother, Richard of Cornwall.
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On a personal level, this marriage brought Eleanor’s much loved sister into her daily life however it also caused discontent amongst the English nobility, which she does not appear to have noticed.

The growing Savoyard community in England congregated around Eleanor and she considered herself the leader of the Savoyard faction at court. She would have been perturbed when, in 1247, Henry’s four Lusignan half-brothers and a half-sister arrived in England, seeking their brother’s protection and patronage.
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Henry openly welcomed his mother’s children and quickly set about showering them with patronage as he had previously done with Eleanor’s family. One half-brother, William of Valance, was permitted to marry the heiress of the Earl of Pembroke and another, Aymer de Lusignan, became Bishop of Winchester. Alice de Lusignan was also married to the heir to the Earl of Surrey, further strengthening the Lusignans’ position in England. Neither Eleanor nor her closest ally, Peter of Savoy, welcomed these newcomers and the court divided into Lusignan and Savoyard factions. Both sides resorted to dirty tricks to rid themselves of their rivals and it is possible that the Lusignans stirred up trouble in Eleanor’s close marriage. According to Eleanor’s contemporary, Matthew Paris, when the Lusignans were exiled from England in 1258, they asked the King of France for permission to enter his kingdom:

This was probably Eleanor’s revenge on the Lusignans but it is likely that their defamation caused Eleanor’s reputation further damage.

Eleanor’s interest in the Savoyard faction and her opposition to the Lusignans gave her a political position at court and she retained an interest in politics throughout her lifetime. In 1253, Henry left England in order to command a military expedition to Gascony and, a complement to his wife’s abilities, left her as co-regent of England with his brother, Richard of Cornwall.
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Eleanor threw herself into this role enthusiastically, raising troops in England to join Henry in his campaign against the King of Castile’s invasion of Gascony. Perhaps eager to aid Henry’s campaign on the continent, Eleanor also began to strictly enforce tax on cargoes loading and unloading at Queenhithe in England and to insist upon her right to Queen’s gold payments from fines owed to the crown.
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These extra payments would have bolstered Henry’s finances in his campaign but they also increased the hostility of the Londoners towards the queen, a hostility that Eleanor would later come to experience more directly. In any event, Eleanor’s rule as regent was not destined to last long and, in April 1254, she set out from England with her eldest son Edward to play her part in the peace Henry had negotiated for Gascony, exchanging war for a marriage.