Princess Isabella of France, Queen Isabella of England

Isabella of France was born in 1292. It was the third and last of the daughters of marriage existed between King Philip IV of France and Queen Joanna of Navarre. Formore, was sister of kings Louis X, Philip V and Charles IV. The English contemporariescalled her "She-Wolf of France".

She married King Edward II of England in the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer, on January 25, 1308. Since her arrival at the English court, Isabella was celebrated by her beauty. It was described by chroniclers as "the fairest of the fair ... in the kingdom but perhaps inall Europe." However, the beauty of it failed to attract enough attention from her husband, who preferred the company of his then favorite, Piers Gaveston.

Still, she gave the king 4 children (it is known that the queen suffered at least oneabortion).

Over the years, the king leaned increasingly to their favorites, the family Despenser and Piers Gaveston, relegating to the queen. On one occasion, the king came to the Queen to leave their fate in the Scottish town of Tynemouth, a very dangerous place and that was under siege. Miraculously, Isabella escaped Hosts that were attacking the place,belonging to Robert Bruce, and reach the English coast.

The queen despised, especially, Hugh Despenser (nicknamed the younger) among thefavorites of her husband. In 1321, pregnant with her youngest son, Isabella dramaticallybegged her husband to the kingdom forever deserrara Hugh. The king granted the request of the queen, but that same year he was again received at court. This eventuallyreturn to the queen totally against her husband. Isabella helped Sir Roger Mortimer, Baron of Wigmore, to escape from the Tower of London, where her husband hadimprisoned for opposing Hugh Despenser.

Eager to escape her husband, Isabella found the opportunity when her brother, King Charles IV of France ceded to Edward II his French possessions (the duchies ofAquitaine and Guyenne) in 1325. The queen offered to go to France to secure peacebetween the two kingdoms. There she was reunited with Roger Mortimer, becoming hislover. Considering this, the English king demanded the return of his wife. But KingCharles IV refused to drive his sister from the kingdom of France.

Isabella and Roger Mortimer left the French court in 1326. Marched to the court of Count William of Hainault, whose wife was a cousin of Isabella. William offered the help they needed, in return engagement of the son of the queen (Edward III) with the daughter of William (Philippa).

On 21 September the same year, Isabella and Mortimer, the command of his mercenary army, reached the coast of Suffolk. Edward II offered a reward for the head of both, butall was lost for him. The family of Hugh Despenser was killed and the English king was captured and forced to abdicate in favor of his son in 1327. In September of that year, the deposed monarch was murdered in Berkeley Castle, by order of the Queen and her lover.

Young Edward III was crowned on 25 January that year. From then on, Isabella ruled the kingdom as regent together with her ​​lover, Roger Mortimer.

But the new King not been done Mortimer forgave his mother's lover. So the governmenttook control and overtook him in 1330. Despite pleas and tears of the Queen Dowagerfor the life of her lover, Mortimer was tried for treason and hanged in the town of Tyburn.Unfortunate to lose her lover and son both were waiting, Isabella, now Queen Mother, retired from the court to live in a self-banishment.

Isabella was confined in the Castle of Hereford in Roseign, where he died after takingthe habit of Poor Clare nun, the August 22, 1358, at 67 years of age. She was buried inthe Franciscan Church of Newgate.