Isabella-She Wolf of France Queen of England

I have just finished reading Isabella She-Wolf of France, Queen of England by Alison Weir.
After reading this book, I am in two minds if Isabella deserves the She Wolf title or not.
She married Edward 11 as a 14 year old but was constantly humilitated by his relationships with his male favourites, firstly Piers Gaveston, then later with Hugh De Lespenser. The later was given way to much power and undermined Isabella's authority as Queen. She feared for her life and fled to France, with her son.
Later with her lover Roger Mortimer, she invaded England and forced Edward 11 to pass his crown onto their son, who became Edward 111. Edward 11 was reportedly murdered. Something about a hot spike. This theory has been disproved in this book.
Isabella and Mortimer ruled through Edward 111 until was able to rule by himself when he turned 18.
Edward 111 promptly had Mortimer executed as the murder of this father, and along with a few other reasons, and had his mother was placed under house arrest for a while, but still lived like a Queen for the rest of her life.
Edward 111 referred to her as her his "dearest mother". She became a elder stateswomen whose opinion was often sort after.
Alison Weir asks the question if it had not been for Isabella unfaithfulness, would have she been immortalised as a liberator, the saviour who unshackled England from a weak and vicious monarch?
My question is has history painted Isabella more harshly than she deserves?

Melisende said:

The title was applied much, much later - and was originally given to Margaret of Anjou!

The trouble with Isabella is she failed to learn from the Despenser - once she and Mortimer obtained power, with Edward imprisoned, they behaved exactly as the Depensers did. And that was her downfall - that and letting Mortimer have any sort of power.

Trouble was, she showed her true colours early with the scandal involving the wives of her brothers - when all three women were cloistered for adultery - though one was guilty only of having knowledge of the guilt of the other two.

Mortimer was considered an upstart - he was not well liked by the nobility and towards the end of his "reign", even Edward III feared for his own life to such an extent that he took matters into his own hands.


Ahh yes, the "hot poker" theory - mentioned only in later Chronicles - the contemporary ones just mention his death at Berkeley.

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Yes Mortimer was an upstart. I wonder if it was his ploy all along to use Isabella to gain power. I think Isabella would have been knocked off her feet, when she had the affair with him, who was reportedly very manly, compared to Edward. She was certainly had a case of blind love when it came to Mortimer and gave him anything he wanted to keep hold of that love.

I agree they were just as bad as the Despensers. I was thinking this as I was reading more into the book. I thought at first they were just trying to get ride of the Despensers, but Edward had proved he would not rule under tight restrictions.

Another thing about Isabella she was a money hungry. She did her best to get all the land and money she could even to the determent of her son - when he was King.
Although to her credit, she did rid of the Despensers, when she gathered an invading army. No small feat for a woman even if she was a Queen.
Even if she had of ruled without Mortimer she would never have tolerated very long by the nobles, as being a women they would have resented that.
It was lucky her son had such a close relationship with her and held her in high esteem for the rest of her life.
The people I feel sorry for in this entire saga is Gaveston, Edwards brother Kent, and Lancaster, all who were executed without proper trials.
I also feel sorry for Edward and Isabella that were made to marry under circumstances where they really could never be happy. I don't know how husband and wife relationships are suppose to grow when they dont live in the same courts for most of the time? Isabella seemed to off somewhere a lot.
So do you agree that Edward had escaped from Berkley Castle? I looked up the website for Berkley and they state that this was the place of Edward 11 murder. I dont think so

Melisende said:

No, I personally don't believed he escaped.

And, yes the marriage was sort of doomed from the start - althoug,h my personaly opinion, of the two, Gaveston was really the least harmful to Isabella's position. Hindsight is wonderful is it not?

What I found with Weir's book is that it would have been better to have all the "theories" as an Appendix at the end and let the reader draw their own conclusion. Just my thoughts.

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I found she gave her opinions and her own judgements very easily. Saying relationships were promiscuious etc, when it is just what she thinks.

What about the letter that was sent to Edward 111 from Fiescher which had information about Edward 11 that only he himself would have known? Where would have this come from when there were only limited people that knew these circumstances.

Also there is the matter of Kent. Why would have he been trying to say Edward 11 was alive and put them back on the throne, if he was not? He lost his life for it, so it was no thing that Mortimer could easily be dismissed if it was not true. Was his guilty judgement overturned eventually by Edward 111?

Then there was Berkley who insisted that he knew nothing of Edwards death because he was not dead and therefore not charged with his murder?

Then Mortimer who was charged with Edwards death, had this over turned at a later time - was this because Edward 111 knew his father was infact not murdered.

There was also something about some mysterious William of some welsh place, I cant remember, that stayed with Edward 111 for some time under guard. Weir claims this could have been Edward 11. Although this could have been anyone I suppose. Did she also claim there were bones brought back from France that were suppose to be Edward 11 and put in his grave at Glouster?

There seems to have been some reconciliation between Edward and Isabella before her death, as she was buried with his heart on her ......s. Could have this been because she had meet with him and had forgave him for the way he treated her. Or maybe she had settled matters with herself and had forgiven him.