Isabel of Gloucester
Encyclopedia
Isabel of Gloucester was the first wife of King John of England
. This historical figure is known by an exceptionally large number of alternative names: Hadwisa, Hawisia, Hawise, Joan, Eleanor, Avise and Avisa.
and his wife, Hawise. Her paternal grandfather, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
, was the illegitimate son of Henry I, King of England
. Her father died in 1183 at which time she became, in her own right, Countess of Gloucester.
, the youngest son of King King Henry II
. According to the marriage agreement, King Henry agreed to find the best husband possible for Isabel should the pope refuse to grant a dispensation
; also Isabel was declared the sole heir to Gloucester, disinheriting her two sisters.
On 29 August 1189 they were married at Marlborough Castle
in Wiltshire
and John assumed the title in her right. Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury
, declared the marriage null and placed their lands under interdict
for marrying within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity
(they were half-second cousins as great-grandchildren of King Henry I
). The interdict was lifted by Pope Clement III
. The pope granted a dispensation to marry but forbade the couple from having sexual relations.
Shortly after John's accession as King in 1199, and before the end of August, he had the marriage annulled on the grounds of consanguinity. The annulment was granted by the bishops of Lisieux
, Bayeux
and Avranches
sitting in Normandy. John, however, kept her lands, and Isabel did not contest the annulment.
. He did this to compensate Amaury for the loss of his French title which was surrendered in the Treaty of Le Goulet
. Upon his death without issue in 1213 Isabel once again became Countess of Gloucester.
, the Earl of Essex
, on 20 January 1214. He died in 1216. A year after Essex's demise she married Hugh de Burgh
(later Earl of Kent
), later the justiciar
of England, in September 1217.
, which was founded by her father, and was interred in Canterbury Cathedral
.
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. This historical figure is known by an exceptionally large number of alternative names: Hadwisa, Hawisia, Hawise, Joan, Eleanor, Avise and Avisa.
Lineage
Isabel was the daughter of William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of GloucesterWilliam Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester
William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester was the son and heir of Sir Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester, and Mabel FitzHamon of Gloucester, daughter of Robert Fitzhamon.- Lineage :...
and his wife, Hawise. Her paternal grandfather, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. He was called "Rufus" and occasionally "de Caen", he is also known as Robert "the Consul"...
, was the illegitimate son of Henry I, King of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
. Her father died in 1183 at which time she became, in her own right, Countess of Gloucester.
Royal marriage and annulment
On 28 September 1176, she was betrothed to JohnJohn of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, the youngest son of King King Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
. According to the marriage agreement, King Henry agreed to find the best husband possible for Isabel should the pope refuse to grant a dispensation
Dispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
; also Isabel was declared the sole heir to Gloucester, disinheriting her two sisters.
On 29 August 1189 they were married at Marlborough Castle
Marlborough Castle
Marlborough Castle, locally known and recorded in historical documents as The Mount, was an 11th-century royal castle located in the civil parish of Marlborough, a market town in the English county of Wiltshire, on the Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and John assumed the title in her right. Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury
Baldwin of Exeter
Baldwin of Forde was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1185 and 1190. Son of a clergyman, he studied both canon law and theology at Bologna and was tutor to Pope Eugene III's nephew before returning to England to serve successive bishops of Exeter...
, declared the marriage null and placed their lands under interdict
Interdict
The term Interdict may refer to:* Court order enforcing or prohibiting a certain action* Injunction, such as a restraining order...
for marrying within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity
Consanguinity
Consanguinity refers to the property of being from the same kinship as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person...
(they were half-second cousins as great-grandchildren of King Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
). The interdict was lifted by Pope Clement III
Pope Clement III
Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
. The pope granted a dispensation to marry but forbade the couple from having sexual relations.
Shortly after John's accession as King in 1199, and before the end of August, he had the marriage annulled on the grounds of consanguinity. The annulment was granted by the bishops of Lisieux
Lisieux
Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland...
, Bayeux
Bayeux
Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
and Avranches
Avranches
Avranches is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called Avranchinais.-History:...
sitting in Normandy. John, however, kept her lands, and Isabel did not contest the annulment.
Earldom of Gloucester
After the divorce King John granted the title of Earl of Gloucester to Isabel's nephew Amaury, count of EvreuxÉvreux
Évreux is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.-History:In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area...
. He did this to compensate Amaury for the loss of his French title which was surrendered in the Treaty of Le Goulet
Treaty of Le Goulet
The Treaty of Le Goulet was signed by the kings John of England and Philip II of France in May 1200 and meant to settle once and for all the claims the Norman kings of England had as Norman dukes on French lands...
. Upon his death without issue in 1213 Isabel once again became Countess of Gloucester.
Later marriages
Isabel later married Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de MandevilleGeoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex
Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex and 6th Earl of Gloucester was an English peer and member of the House of Lords...
, the Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals. The earldom was first created in the 12th century for Geoffrey II de Mandeville . Upon the death of the third earl in 1189, the title became dormant or extinct...
, on 20 January 1214. He died in 1216. A year after Essex's demise she married Hugh de Burgh
Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent
Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent was Earl of Kent, Justiciar of England and Ireland, and one of the most influential men in England during the reigns of John and Henry III.-Birth and family:...
(later Earl of Kent
Earl of Kent
The peerage title Earl of Kent has been created eight times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.See also Kingdom of Kent, Duke of Kent.-Earls of Kent, first creation :*Godwin, Earl of Wessex...
), later the justiciar
Justiciar
In medieval England and Ireland the Chief Justiciar was roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister as the monarch's chief minister. Similar positions existed on the Continent, particularly in Norman Italy. The term is the English form of the medieval Latin justiciarius or justitiarius In...
of England, in September 1217.
Death and burial
Isabel died just a month later that year, probably at Keynsham AbbeyKeynsham Abbey
Keynsham Abbey in Keynsham, Somerset, England was founded by William, Earl of Gloucester for the Augustinian Canons Regular around 1170 and survived until 1539...
, which was founded by her father, and was interred in Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
.
Isabel in fiction
- A very fanciful depiction of her as a witch appears in The Devil and King John, a historical novelHistorical novelAccording to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
by Philip LindsayPhilip LindsayPhilip Lindsay was an Australian writer, who mostly wrote historical novels. He was the son of Norman Lindsay, an Australian artist. He moved to England in the 1930s and most of his novels were written there...
, where she is called Hadwisa.
- She also appears as the character Hadwisa in Robin of SherwoodRobin of SherwoodRobin of Sherwood , was a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 1984 to 1986 on the ITV network. In America it was retitled Robin Hood and shown on the premium cable TV channel...
, portrayed by actress Patricia HodgePatricia HodgePatricia Ann Hodge is an English actor.-Early life:The daughter of the Royal Hotel owner/manager Eric and his wife Marion , Hodge attended Wintringham Girls' Grammar School on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby and then St...
.
- Actress Jessica Raine portrays her in the film Robin HoodRobin Hood (2010 film)Robin Hood is a 2010 British/American adventure film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett...
.
- Featured briefly as Avisa in Virginia HenleyVirginia HenleyVirginia Henley, née Virginia Syddall , is a British successful writer of historical-romance novels. She is well-known for her Medieval, Renaissance and other period piece romance novels.- Biography :...
's The Falcon and the Flower.