Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II by P C Doherty

Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II by P C Doherty

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.

Edward II's painful death - caused by a hot iron rammed up his anus - is in the Premier League of well-known historical factsLess well known is the role played in his murder by his wife, Queen Isabella. In a colourful narrative which provides an evocative setting for a Mafia-like scramble for wealth and power, Paul Doherty traces the life of Philip IV of France's daughter, who was only 12 when she was married to the bisexual Edward. She supported her husband in his many domestic and foreign crises, but later Isabella fled abroad and soon deposed and murdered her husband. However, at the end of this highly readable popular history, Doherty intriguingly suggests that Edward in fact escaped at Berkeley Castle and lived out the rest of his life in peace.

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

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781841193014
ISBN 10	1841193011
Title	Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II
Author	P C Doherty
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Little, Brown Book Group
Year published	2003-02-27
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable