Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer
Queen Isabella was the French wife of Edward II. By all accounts she was not treated that well by
Edward. His escapades with Piers Gaveston and Hugh Dispenser are just a couple of examples.
Isabella was the daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre and therefor pretty influencial.
The Hundred Years War (1337-1453) had not started but the tensions
created by her return to France (1322) with Mortimer probably "stoked the coals".
Isabella of France (c. 1295 – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France
(French: Louve de France), was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, and de facto regent of
England from 1327 until 1330. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of
Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre. Isabella was notable in her lifetime for her diplomatic skills,
intelligence, and beauty. She overthrew her husband, becoming a "femme fatale" figure in plays and
literature over the years, usually portrayed as a beautiful but cruel and manipulative figure.
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Roger Mortimer
Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, 1st Earl of March (25 April 1287 – 29 November 1330),
was an English nobleman and powerful Marcher Lord who gained many estates in the Welsh Marches
and Ireland following his advantageous marriage to the wealthy heiress Joan de Geneville, 2nd Baroness
Geneville. Her mother was of the Royal House of Lusignan. In November 1316, he was appointed
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1322 for having led the Marcher
lords in a revolt against King Edward II in what became known as
the Despenser War.
The affair in France and the invasion and rule as regent of England from 1327 until 1330.
He later escaped to France, where he was joined by Edward's queen consort Isabella, where they may have
begun an affair. After he and Isabella led a successful invasion and rebellion, Edward was deposed;
Mortimer allegedly arranged his murder at Berkeley Castle. For three years, Mortimer was de facto ruler of
England before being himself overthrown by Edward's eldest son, Edward III. Accused of assuming royal
power and other crimes, Mortimer was executed by hanging at Tyburn.
