She Wolves (19 page)
Edward I of England died in 1307 and Edward II decided to delay his coronation until he could share it with Isabella. Soon after his accession, Edward crossed to France and was met at Boulogne by Isabella and her father, Philip, as well as many other members of her family. Philip had provided Isabella with a magnificent trousseau for her wedding, including seventy-two headdresses and two gold crowns.
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Isabella also wore a rich wedding dress, which she preserved all her life. Edward and Isabella were married with great ceremony at Boulogne on 25 January 1308.
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Isabella must have seen her wedding as the culmination of her destiny and she had been preparing herself to be Queen of England since her infancy. She is likely to have been pleased with Edward as he was, by all accounts, a handsome and charming man. It is unlikely that, at first, she noticed anything unusual about Edward’s behaviour towards her, although some of his actions may have caused concern to her father and her other relatives present. Certainly, the fact that Edward sent his wedding presents to his favourite, Piers Gaveston, in England did not go unnoticed by the French.
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Piers Gaveston had been a member of Edward’s household since 1300 and he quickly became Edward’s most intimate companion.
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Their relationship had caused Edward I much concern and, in February 1307, he had banished Gaveston, only for Edward II to immediately recall him on his accession. Edward II is known to have had an illegitimate son who was born before 1307 and so he clearly did, at least on one occasion, have a mistress.
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There has been much debate over the exact nature of the relationship between Edward and Gaveston. However, several contemporary sources hint at an intimate relationship and most modern historians believe that there was a homosexual relationship between them. Edward relied on Gaveston and had left him regent of England when he travelled to France to marry Isabella. It is unlikely that Isabella knew of this before her marriage although she may quickly have come to suspect the truth after her arrival in England.
Edward and Isabella sailed for England soon after the wedding. Isabella must have eager to visit her new country and she would have been shocked to discover the extent of Edward’s feelings for Gaveston when they landed in England. As soon as the ship docked, Edward ran off the ship and flew to embrace Gaveston who was waiting in the harbour.
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Isabella had been escorted to England by her uncles, the Counts of Valois and Evreux and they were dismayed by this incident, writing indignantly to her father in France.
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It is likely that this was the first Isabella knew of Edward’s relationship with Gaveston and this, along with the events of the next few weeks, must have made her increasingly uneasy.
The royal couple travelled to London where they were crowned together in great ceremony. This event must also have been marred for Isabella, however, as Gaveston played a prominent role in the ceremony and caused offense amongst the English barons by carrying the royal crown before the king.
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Edward also sat with Gaveston at the coronation banquet that followed, rather than with Isabella.
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Isabella was always keenly aware of her royal dignity and these slights would have weighed heavily on her mind. It was also around this time that Isabella noticed Gaveston wearing the jewels her father had given to Edward as a wedding present, something that she wrote indignantly to her father about.
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Isabella was not the only person to notice and resent the prominence of Gaveston. Her uncles, the counts of Evreux and Valois returned to France soon after the coronation bringing reports of the poor reception Isabella had met with in England. Edward also faced opposition in England and, according to the Chronicle of Lanercost:
The people of the country and the leading men complained loudly at his [Edward’s] coronation against the aforesaid Piers, and unanimously wished that he should be deprived of his earldom; but this the king obstinately refused. The rumours increased from day to day, and engrossed the lips and ears of all men, nor was there one who had a good word either for the king or for Piers. The chief men agreed unanimously in strongly demanding that Piers should be sent back into exile, foremost among them being the noble earl of Lincoln and the young earl of Gloucester, whose sister, however, Piers had received in marriage by the king’s gift.
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From early in his reign with regard to this there had been much opposition to Edward and in June 1308 he was compelled by parliament to send Gaveston into exile.
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Isabella must have been elated to hear of Gaveston’s exile, and she spent more time with Edward during Gaveston’s absence.
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Isabella and Edward also seem to have reached an understanding with each other and even after Gaveston’s return they were often together. She also seems to have been on good terms with Gaveston. It is probable that Isabella was prepared to accept Edward’s relationship with Gaveston in return for the status of queen. By 1311 she was probably aware of the homosexual nature of Edward’s relationship with Gaveston but was prepared to ignore it in return for good treatment and the trappings of queenship. She and Edward also developed some kind of relationship during this period and by early 1312 she was pregnant.
Despite the rapprochement between Isabella and Gaveston, his presence was deeply resented by the English nobility. Gaveston was seen as an upstart by the more established nobility and hated for his close relationship with the king. By 1312, the barons were actively working towards the destruction of Gaveston. The two leading barons, the Earls of Lancaster and Leicester were the maternal half-brothers of Isabella’s mother and it has often been suggested that they acted as their niece’s champions in the destruction of Gaveston.
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However, the evidence of Isabella’s pregnancy and her improved status suggest that she had come to accept the presence of Gaveston. She does not appear to have identified with her uncles’ policies at this stage of her queenship.
Midway through 1312, Isabella, Edward and Gaveston set out northwards for York.
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Whilst there they heard the news that Thomas of Lancaster was secretly marching north with an army, so they fled to Newcastle. Isabella would have known that she was not the focus of Lancaster’s anger but the escape must have been an ordeal for her. Soon after their arrival, Edward and Gaveston took ship to Scarborough, leaving Isabella unprotected at Newcastle.
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Isabella left Newcastle soon afterwards, travelling to the safety of Tynemouth Castle to await events. She must have been very anxious about what the future would hold for her unborn child and, perhaps, angry at Edward and Gaveston’s desertion of her.
Isabella was not the focus of the baron’s wrath, however, and instead they set off in pursuit of Gaveston. Soon after their voyage to Scarborough, Edward and Gaveston separated. They were never to see each other again. Gaveston was quickly attacked and captured by Lancaster and he was turned over to the control of the Earl of Pembroke.
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On 19 July 1312, he was taken out to the crossroads at Blacklow Hill, near Warwick, and beheaded by the barons without trial.
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Edward was furious at the death of his favourite but powerless to take any immediate action against the barons. Isabella’s feelings about the death of Gaveston are unclear, but it is likely that she was not displeased with his now permanent absence from Edward’s side. Some time after the murder, Isabella travelled slowly south towards Windsor.
Isabella of France gave birth to her eldest child on 13 November 1312 at Windsor Castle.
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According to John Capgrave ‘many Frensch lordis, that were aboute hir, wold a clepid him Philippea, aftir the kyng of Frans: the Englisch lordes wold have him Edward. The king had so grete joy of this child new born, that his heavinesse for Petir [Gaveston] cesed some’.
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Isabella must have been triumphant in the birth of her son, even if she was unable to name him Philip. By 1312 her career followed that of a traditional medieval queen and the birth of a son cemented her role. She also gained a much greater political role following her son’s birth and demonstrated a politically independent streak on a number of occasions over the next few years.
Isabella set herself up as a peacemaker during Edward’s troubled reign. In early 1313 she is mentioned in sources with the Earl of Gloucester, presiding over peace negotiations between Edward and the nobility.
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Isabella attempted to reach a compromise between the opposing sides in the dispute in order to restore a measure of stability in England. In 1318 she is recorded again as a peacemaker in concert with the Earl of Hereford. Isabella and the earl appear to have achieved a measure of success in their endeavours and the peace negotiations led to a Treaty with Lancaster.
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For much of her queenship, Isabella quietly promoted Edward’s policies and ensured that some measure of stability was maintained.
Isabella did not only work for Edward, however because she also had her own political interests during the middle part of Edward’s reign. This can be clearly seen in her actions concerning the election of the Bishop of Durham in 1317.
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Lancaster suggested one of his clerks for the position and Edward also supported his own candidate, Thomas de Cobham. Isabella, ignoring the wishes of both her uncle and her husband, supported Lewis de Beaumont, a kinsman of hers and a member of her household. When the monks of Durham elected one of their own monks, Isabella appealed to Edward on her knees on de Beaumont’s behalf. Edward yielded to her pleas and refused to elect the monks’ candidate, securing the election for de Beaumont. Isabella busied herself with securing Church appointments for her supporters and, in 1316, is known to have petitioned the Pope in an attempt to secure the election of her confessor to the see of Rochester.
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She also enlisted the support of the King of France, despite the fact that Edward had already written to the Pope supporting his own candidate. Clearly, Isabella was used to getting her own way, and was determined in what she wanted.
Isabella also remained an important political figure in relations with France. In May 1313, she and Edward visited the French court at Paris and Isabella played an important role in political negotiations between the two countries. Isabella must have been pleased to see her family again after five years since she is known to have been fond of her family. Isabella’s visit may, however, have been tainted by her concern regarding the behaviour of her three sisters-in-law, Margaret, Blanche and Jeanne of Burgundy.
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During the visit, Isabella gave her three sisters-in-law silk purses that she had embroidered herself. In July 1313, following their return to England, Isabella and Edward held a banquet attended by several French knights. During the banquet, Isabella noticed the purses that she had given to Margaret and Blanche hanging from the belts of two knights.
In February 1314, Isabella returned to France without Edward in order to negotiate a treaty.
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It is likely that she mentioned her suspicions to her father whilst there and, soon after her return to England in April, scandal rocked the royal family in France. Margaret and Blanche of Burgundy were found to have been having affairs with the two knights, aided by their sister, Jeanne. The knights were tortured and executed on the orders of Isabella’s father and Margaret and Blanche sentenced to life imprisonment. Isabella’s eldest brother, Louis, immediately annulled his marriage to Margaret and disinherited his young daughter. Isabella was not present in France whilst these events occurred but she was considered by contemporaries to have been directly involved in events and was vilified for her disloyalty to her sisters-in-law.
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The scandal led to the earliest criticism of Isabella in the sources and she certainly does not come out of this incident as an entirely attractive figure when it is viewed in the light of her own subsequent conduct. But at the time she probably believed that she had served her family and saved the prestige of the French royal house. It is also understandable that Isabella, who was fond of her family, would not have wanted to stand by whilst her brothers were cuckolded, particularly when the succession to the throne of France was at stake.
Isabella’s marriage during this period was, by contrast, scandal-free. Isabella conceived children only occasionally and it appears that she and Edward were rarely intimate with each other. She did however bear him three further children after after the birth of Edward.
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Isabella’s influence over Edward during this period appears to have been widely recognised and, in 1319, attempts by the Scots to capture Isabella whilst she was staying near York highlight the importance she was seen to have in Edward’s government.
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Nonetheless Isabella’s position in government was always tenuous as demonstrated by the rise of the Despensers. In the years immediately after Piers Gaveston’s death Edward did not have a favourite at court. After a few years, he became notably fond of a father and son, both called Hugh Despenser. The elder Despenser had been an important figure in government since the reign of Edward I but his rise and that of his son proved dramatic under Edward II. Some contemporary sources hint at the relationship between Edward and the younger Despenser and the actions of Isabella herself towards her rival suggest strongly that their relationship was homosexual. The rise of the two new favourites cannot have been welcome to Isabella and was the catalyst for the breakdown of her marriage.
The Despensers viewed Isabella as a rival and their attitude towards her was consistently hostile. In 1320, the elder Despenser refused to pay Isabella money that he owed her from the manor of Lechlade and, in 1321, the younger Despenser refused to pay Isabella rents he owed her from Bristol.
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These were calculated slights against the queen and Edward refused to act on Isabella’s protests. Isabella must have felt that her influence over Edward was slipping away and she became increasingly marginalised in English politics and court life. She nevertheless remained loyal to Edward throughout the early 1320s despite increasing baronial opposition.