Isabella of Angoulême facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Isabella |
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Effigy in Fontevraud Abbey
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| Queen consort of England | |
| Tenure | 24 August 1200 – 19 October 1216 |
| Coronation | 8 October 1200 |
| Countess of Angoulême | |
| Reign | 16 June 1202 – 4 June 1246 |
| Predecessor | Aymer |
| Successor | Hugh I |
| Countess of La Marche | |
| Tenure | 10 May 1220 – 4 June 1246 |
| Born | c. 1186/c. 1188 |
| Died | 4 June 1246 (aged about 58 or 60) Fontevraud Abbey, France |
| Burial | Fontevraud Abbey |
| Spouse |
Hugh X of Lusignan
(m. 1220) |
| Issue more... |
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| House | Taillefer |
| Father | Aymer, Count of Angoulême |
| Mother | Alice of Courtenay |
Isabella (born around 1186 or 1188 – died 4 June 1246) was an important queen in English history. She became Queen of England when she married King John. This was from 1200 until his death in 1216.
Isabella was also the Countess of Angoulême in her own right. She held this title from 1202 until she died in 1246.
With King John, Isabella had five children. Their oldest son became King Henry III. Later, in 1220, Isabella married Hugh X of Lusignan. He was the Count of La Marche. With Hugh, she had nine more children.
Some people at the time, and later writers, said that Isabella tried to cause trouble for King Louis IX of France. This was in 1241. She was supposedly upset with Louis's mother, Blanche of Castile. It was said that Isabella tried to poison the king in 1244. To avoid being arrested, she went to Fontevraud Abbey. She died there two years later. However, there is no strong proof that these stories are true.
Contents
Becoming Queen of England
Isabella was the only daughter of Aymer Taillefer. He was the Count of Angoulême. Her mother was Alice of Courtenay. Alice was the sister of Peter II of Courtenay, who became the Latin Emperor of Constantinople. Alice and Peter II were also grandchildren of King Louis VI of France.
Isabella became the Countess of Angoulême on 16 June 1202. By this time, she was already the Queen of England. Her marriage to King John happened on 24 August 1200. It took place in Angoulême. King John had ended his first marriage to Isabel of Gloucester a year before.
Isabella was crowned queen in a grand ceremony. This happened on 8 October at Westminster Abbey in London. Before marrying John, Isabella was supposed to marry Hugh IX of Lusignan. He was the grandson and heir of the Count of La Marche. Because King John married Isabella instead, King Philip II of France took away all of John's lands in France. This led to a war.
At the time of her marriage, Isabella was known for her beauty. Some historians even called her the "Helen of the Middle Ages." She was much younger than King John. King John was very fond of his new wife. However, his marriage to her was also a way to upset his enemies. It was said that John spent a lot of time with Isabella. These were often rumors spread by John's enemies. They wanted to make him look like a weak ruler.
On 1 October 1207, Isabella gave birth to her first son. This was at Winchester Castle. He was named Henry, and he would become King Henry III of England. After Henry, she had another son named Richard. Then came three daughters: Joan, Isabella, and Eleanor. All five of her children lived to be adults. They all made important marriages.
Her Second Marriage
King John died in October 1216. Isabella's first action was to quickly arrange her son's coronation. He was only nine years old. The crowning happened in Gloucester on 28 October. The royal crown had been lost, so Isabella used her own golden circlet.
In July of the next year, Isabella left her son. He was now King Henry III. She left him in the care of his regent, William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. She then went back to France. She wanted to take control of her lands in Angoulême.
In the spring of 1220, Isabella married Hugh X of Lusignan. He was the son of her first fiancé, Hugh IX. It had been planned that Isabella's oldest daughter, Joan, would marry Hugh. Joan was even living at the Lusignan court. But when Hugh saw Isabella, he preferred her. Joan was then married to King Alexander II of Scotland in 1221.
Isabella married Hugh without permission from the king's council in England. This was required for a queen who had lost her husband. The council could decide if she could remarry. Because Isabella ignored their authority, the council took away her lands. They also stopped paying her pension. Isabella and Hugh threatened to keep Joan in France. The council first sent angry letters to the Pope. They asked him to excommunicate Isabella and Hugh. But then they decided to make a deal. They did not want trouble with the Scottish king. Isabella was given some lands and money. This was to make up for what she lost.
Isabella had nine more children with Hugh X. Their oldest son, Hugh XI of Lusignan, became Count of La Marche and Angoulême after his father.
Isabella's children from her marriage to King John stayed in England. They did not join her in Angoulême.
Trouble and Death
Some people described Isabella as someone who found it hard to adjust to her new life. She was a former Queen of England. But in France, she was mostly seen as just a countess. She had to let other women go before her.
In 1241, Isabella and Hugh were called to the French court. They had to promise loyalty to King Louis IX of France's brother, Alphonse. He had been made Count of Poitou. King Louis's mother, Queen Dowager Blanche, openly treated Isabella poorly. This made Isabella very angry. She had disliked Blanche for a long time. Blanche had strongly supported the French invasion of England in 1216.
Isabella and Hugh, along with other unhappy nobles, started to plan against King Louis. They wanted to create a group with English support. This group would unite parts of southern and western France against the French king. Isabella also encouraged her son Henry to invade Normandy in 1230. But then she did not give him the help she had promised.
In 1244, the plan failed. Hugh made peace with King Louis. Then, two royal cooks were arrested. They confessed to trying to poison the king. They said Isabella had paid them. Before Isabella could be arrested, she ran away. She went to Fontevraud Abbey. She died there on 4 June 1246.
Isabella had wanted to be buried in the abbey's churchyard. This was a sign of regret for her actions. But when her son, King Henry III of England, visited Fontevraud, he was shocked. He ordered her body to be moved inside the abbey. She was finally buried next to Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. After her death, most of her many Lusignan children moved to England. They had better chances there at the court of their half-brother, King Henry.
Issue
- With King John of England, she had five children:
- King Henry III of England (born 1 October 1207 – died 16 November 1272). He married Eleanor of Provence. They had children, including King Edward I of England.
- Richard, Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans (born 5 January 1209 – died 2 April 1272). He married three times and had children.
- Joan (born 22 July 1210 – died 1238). She was the wife of King Alexander II of Scotland. They did not have children.
- Isabella (born 1214 – died 1241). She was the wife of Emperor Frederick II. They had children.
- Eleanor (born 1215 – died 1275). She married William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Later, she married Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester. She had children.
- With Hugh X of Lusignan, Count of La Marche, she had nine children:
- Hugh XI of Lusignan (born 1221 – died 1250). He became Count of La Marche and Angoulême. He married Yolande de Dreux and had children.
- Aymer of Lusignan (born 1222 – died 1260). He became the Bishop of Winchester.
- Agnès de Lusignan (born 1223 – died 1269). She married William II de Chauvigny and had children.
- Alice of Lusignan (born 1224 – died 9 February 1256). She married John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey and had children.
- Guy of Lusignan (born around 1225 – died 1264).
- Geoffrey of Lusignan (born around 1226 – died 1274). He married Jeanne, Viscountess of Châtellerault, and had children.
- Isabella of Lusignan (born around 1226/1227 – died 14 January 1299). She married twice and had children.
- William of Lusignan (born around 1228 – died 1296). He became the first Earl of Pembroke. He married Joan de Munchensi and had children.
- Marguerite de Lusignan (born around 1229 – died 1288). She married twice and had children.
Images for kids
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Effigy in Fontevraud Abbey
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Seal of Isabella of Angoulême (Municipal Archives, Angoulême)
See also
In Spanish: Isabel de Angulema para niños
