Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II

It is said that the great power of the chessboard queen can be directly attributed to the extraordinary life of Isabella, wife to King Edward II. A beautiful woman, the daughter of Philip IV of France, Isabella was married to the bisexual Edward at the age of 12. The marriage was intended to create a lasting peace between England and France. Isabella was for a time a loyal consort, while Edward lurched from one crisis to another at home and abroad, and transferred his affections from Piers Gaveston to the more sinister favourite, Hugh de Spencer the Younger, who lost no opportunity to insult the queen. After 13 years she fled abroad, where she fell in love with the exiled Roger Mortimer. Between them they raised an army of mercenaries and successfully deposed Edward, inflicting a gruesome death on Hugh de Spencer. During her years as regent to her son, the future Edward III, Isabella is believed to have organized the notorious fate of her husband at Berkeley Castle, which eventually resulted in the hanging of Mortimer at Tyburn.

Paul Doherty is the internationally renowned author of many historical books and novels. He studied history at Liverpool and Oxford universities, and gained a Doctorate at Oxford. He is now headmaster of a London school and lives near Epping Forest