|
a.
|
Note: Isabella of France (c.1295 - August 22, 1358), known as the She-Wolf of France, was the Queen consort of Edward II of England. Isabella was born in Paris sometime between 1288 and 1296, the daughter of King Philip IV of France and Queen Jeanne of Navarre, and the sister of three French kings. While still an infant, her father had promised her in marriage to Edward II to resolve the conflicts between France and England over the latter's continental possession of Gascony and claims to Anjou, Normandy and Aquitaine. Pope Boniface VIII had urged the marriage as early as 1298 but was delayed by wrangling over the terms of the marriage contract. The English king, Edward I had also attempted to break the engagement several times. Only after he died in 1307 did the wedding go forward.
Her groom, the new King Edward II, looked the part of a Plantagenet king to perfection. He was tall and athletic, and wildly popular at the beginning of his reign. She married Edward at Boulogne-sur-Mer on January 25, 1308. Since he had ascended the throne the previous year, Isabella never was titled Princess of Wales.
At the time of her marriage Isabella was about twelve, described by Geoffrey of Paris as "the beauty of beauties...in the kingdom if not in all Europe." This may not merely have been a chronicler's politeness, as Isabella's father and brother were likewise very handsome men. Despite her youth and beauty, King Edward paid little attention to his bride, bestowing her wedding gifts upon his favorite, Piers Gaveston.
Edward and Isabella produced four children, and she suffered at least one miscarriage. The itineraries of Edward II and Queen Isabella also show that they were together 9 months prior to the births of all four surviving offspring.
From Wikipedia.
|
