aethelfleds: Victims of the Childbed - Isabella of Valois, Queen of England and Duchess of Orleans&n
aethelfleds: Victims of the Childbed - Isabella of Valois, Queen of England and Duchess of Orleans The Hundred Years’ War was not an ideal time to be born a French princess. Isabella was the third child of King Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria but was the eldest child to survive infancy. She and her nine younger siblings would not grow up in the most stable environment. King Charles suffered from a mental illness which caused strange episodes of psychosis and memory loss, leading to him being known as “Charles the Mad.” The King’s mental instability also meant the country’s instability. Queen Isabeau and her faction attempted to keep power, but there was ultimately a struggle between the King’s relations and nobles. This would eventually lead to civil war, which left France vulnerable to its old enemy- England.Tensions between France and England were near constant. In an attempt to make peace with England, King Charles offered Isabella as a bride to the recently widowed and childless Richard II of England. Richard travelled to the royal court in Paris in 1396. Isabella probably did not take an active role in the celebrations or preparation for her marriage, as she was just shy of seven years old. There was of course some concern for Isabella’s extremely young age, but the marriage was to be in name only until she came of a more appropriate age. The wedding took place in Calais on October 31, 1396. Isabella became queen consort of England and the child-bride to twenty-nine-year-old Richard. She returned to England with Richard, where she was to continue her education and training to fulfill her role as queen. Richard was very kind to Isabella and treated her with all care and respect (because she was, you know…a child). Isabella and her household enjoyed Richard’s entertaining visits and his conversation.There was a short peace between England and France during Isabella’s marriage to Richard II. In 1399, Charles VI was once again incapacitated and his brother Louis, Duke of Orleans took charge of the government. That year would prove to be Richard’s annus horribilis. Upon the death of John of Gaunt, Richard’s uncle, his son Henry Bolingbroke sought to claim his inheritance of Lancaster. Richard had exiled Henry to France a year prior and refused to allow him to claim his inheritance without first begging permission. The conflict between the cousins boiled over and without the protection of Charles VI, Richard could not keep Bolingbroke exiled in France.While Richard was on campaign in Ireland, Henry Bolingbroke invaded England. Isabelle, now only around ten, was moved from castle to castle until Richard was imprisoned and Henry came to power as King Henry IV. By February 1400, Richard was dead under mysterious circumstances and Isabella was left a widow under house arrest. Henry wished her to marry his heir, the future Henry V, but little Isabella made it clear that she would fight back. While her parents were formally demanding their daughter be returned to France, Isabella herself outright refused and ignored Henry, opting to go into full mourning for Richard instead. In 1401, Henry finally relented and allowed Isabella to return to France, though he did keep her dowry. The next five years of Isabella’s life were relatively quiet. She was married to her first cousin Charles, Duke of Orleans in 1406. This time Isabella was the older spouse, as her husband was not yet twelve. Isabella’s second marriage was presumably unconsummated until Charles reached the legal age of maturity at the time, around fourteen. Soon afterwards, Isabella became pregnant with her first child. She gave birth to a daughter on September 13, 1309 and died within hours. Her daughter survived and was christened Joan, but she would die young. Charles went on to marry two more times and eventually father the future Louis XII of France. Isabella is often overshadowed by her younger sister Catherine, who did marry Henry V of England and became the mother of Henry VI as well as the grandmother of Henry VII through her affair with Owen Tudor. -- source link