“Gripping . . . a highly readable tour de force that brings Queen Isabella vividly to life.”— The Washington Post Book World An “insightful and compelling” ( USA Today ) biography of Isabella of England, one of history’s most notorious and charismatic queens, from the New York Times bestselling author hailed as “the finest historian of English monarchical succession writing” ( The Boston Globe ) Isabella arrived in London in 1308, the spirited twelve-year-old daughter of King Philip IV of France. Her marriage to the heir to England’s throne was designed to heal old political wounds between the two countries, and in the years that followed, she would become an important figure, a determined and clever woman whose influence would come to last centuries. But Queen Isabella’s political machinations led generations of historians to malign her, earning her a reputation as a ruthless schemer and an odious nickname, “the She-Wolf of France.” The newly wed Isabella was denied the attentions of Edward II, a weak, sexually ambiguous monarch with scant taste for his royal duties. As their marriage progressed, Isabella was neglected by her dissolute husband and slighted by his favored male courtiers. Humiliated and deprived of her income, her children, and her liberty, Isabella escaped to France, where she entered into a passionate affair with Edward II’s mortal enemy, Roger Mortimer. Together, they deposed Edward and ruled in his stead as co-regents for Isabella’s young son, Edward III. Fate, however, was soon to catch up with Isabella and her lover. A work of extraordinary original research, Queen Isabella strips away centuries of propaganda, legend, and romantic myth, and gives a groundbreaking new perspective on Isabella, a truly remarkable woman who had a profound influence upon the age in which she lived and the history of western Europe. “Gripping . . . a highly readable tour de force that brings Queen Isabella vividly to life.” — The Washington Post Book World   “Insightful and compelling . . . [offers] surprise after surprise about the sensual, rather avaricious but eminently admirable Isabella.” — USA Today “[Isabella’s] story has a distinctly modern appeal. . . . Full of violent men with short tempers, conniving politicians and wildly domineering parents, it’s a period-piece melodrama that doubles as a timeless morality play.” — The New York Times Book Review “Fascinating . . . a work of extraordinary historical reporting that is rich, alive, and truly exciting.” — Tucson Citizen “It’s her ability to capture the personalities of her aristocratic subjects—and to deliciously catalogue their clothes, food and entertainments—that have made Weir such a popular historian.” — Newsday “This meticulous no-nonsense biography presents a fascinating story complete with puzzles.” — The Independent (U.K.)   “Weir’s book offers incredibly in-depth details of and insights into royal life in the fourteenth century.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch “A sympathetic account of Isabella.” — The Times Literary Supplement “[Weir] explains the past in terms that we understand and use today.” — The Tablet “[An] enthralling biography . . . It provides a beautifully nuanced portrait of a fascinating lady and gives a vivid sense of the riotous realpolitik of medieval times.” — The Scotsman “Weir weaves so much closely researched detail into a highly readable and fascinating tale. . . . She really brings history to life.” — Lincolnshire Echo “[A] balanced view of Isabella’s life . . . Weir succeeds in bringing to life a murky period of history, which has been shrouded in myth and legend.” — The Literary Review “Dramatic and compulsively readable, this biography paints a realistic and compassionate portrait.” — Woman & Home “Weir presents a fascinating rewriting of a controversial life that should supersede all previous accounts. Isabella is so intertwined with the greatest figures of her century and the next that any reader of English history will want this book.” — Publishers Weekly Alison Weir is the New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley, and several other historical biographies. She lives in Surrey with her husband and two children. Chapter One On 20 May 1303, a solemn betrothal took place in Paris. The bride was seven years old, the groom, who was not present, nineteen. She was Isabella, the daughter of Philip IV, King of France; he, Edward of Caernarvon, Prince of Wales, the son and heir of Edward I, King of England. The Prince had sent the Earl of Lincoln and the Count of Savoy as his proxies, and during the ceremony, they formally asked the King and Queen of France for the hand of their daughter, the Lady Isabella, in marriage for the Prince of Wales. Consent was duly given, then Gilles, Archbishop of Narbonne, the presiding priest, required Isabella to plight her troth. Placing her hand in that