Isabella de Vesci
Encyclopedia
Isabella de Vesci also Isabella de Beaumont, was a prominent noblewoman allied to Isabella of France
during the reign of Edward II of England
.
Isabella de Vesci was the daughter of Sir Louis de Brienne and Agnés de Beaumont, Vicomte of Beaumont, probably born during the 1260s. The de Beaumonts were a powerful noble family with French origins. Isabella herself was the granddaughter of John of Brienne
, King of Jerusalem, and the great-granddaughter of both Alfonso IX of León
and William I of Scotland
. Isabella was also, through her Spanish links, a cousin of Edward I
's wife, Eleanor of Castile
. Isabella was therefore a particularly well-connected member of a noble family that stretched across Europe. Isabella arrived in England in either 1278 or 1279, and married John de Vesci, a prominent noble, in either 1279 or 1280, with Edward I's blessing. The marriage was an advantageous one for John de Vesci, but also strengthened Isabella's English credentials at the Plantagenet court, where John - a close associate of both Henry III
and Edward I - was a central figure.
Isabella continued to enjoy royal favour; for her wedding, she was given valuable lands by the king to hold in her own right, for example. When Isabella and her husband travelled to Gascony
in 1288, Edward arranged for them to have apartments next to his own royal lodgings and had them specially decorated for Christmas. Isabella was one of the closest friends of the Queen, up until Eleanor's death in 1290. Isabella de Vesci was also made the governor of two royal castles, Scarborough Castle
in Yorkshire and Bamburgh Castle
in Northumberland, her main power base, subject to her remaining single and unmarried. Being granted governorships of castles close to conflict areas was a unheard of for a woman of the period, and Edward probably did so on the basis of Isabella's personal loyalty to him. Nonetheless, the actual appointment to Bamburgh was not done entirely regularly - the Great Seal was not applied to the appointment - and this would cause Isabella later problems.
John de Vesci died in 1289, and after Isabella took her brother in law, William de Vesci to court over various of John's lands, she was left a major landowner in England. Isabella's lands streched from Scotland to Kent, and after William de Vesci's disastrous fall from royal favour in Ireland, Isabella effectively became the most senior member of the Beaumont/Vescy family alliance. In 1300, Isabella's brother, Henry, arrived in England, where Isabella convinced the king to grant him lands formerly owned by her late husband. Isabella was also responsible for organising the marriage of her brother Henry to the niece of John Comyn, Earl of Buchan
, in turn ensuring that Henry inherited the earldom and many Scottish properties. In combination, the de Beaumont family also held numerous properties in the disputed kingdom of Scotland
, which would come to influence later events.
Isabella, together with her brother, Henry de Beaumont
, in due course became important figures at the court of Edward II of England
after the death of Edward in 1307. Her other immediate family included Louis de Beaumont
. Isabella de Vesci became a lady-in-waiting
and close friend to the young Isabella of France
when she came from France to marry Edward in 1308. The two Isabellas frequently corresponded when apart, which was quite frequent as, like other members of Queen Isabella's court, Isabella de Vesci had feudal responsibilities elsewhere in the kingdom.
Isabella de Vesci played a role in many key political events. Politics under the early reign of Edward II saw huge tensions between different factions within England. Edward, at this stage with the support of his young wife Queen Isabella, had formed a close attachment to his favourite and lover Piers Gaveston
. Opposing Edward was a Lancastrian faction of powerful barons, as well as groupings of Marcher lords
in Wales and further factions in Kent. The de Beaumonts had allied themselves to Queen Isabella, who - in the early part of Edward's reign - was perceived by the Lancastrians as an ally of Gaveston. Further more, Thomas of Lancaster himself perceived Isabella and Henry as unwelcome newcomers in the north of England - the de Vescis had a long history there, longer than Lancaster's own, but Isabella was a foreigner, come to wealth and power by royal favour. Lancaster also disliked the close friendship that had existed between Isabella and his father-in-law, Henry de Lacy. As a result, when the Lancastrians pushed through the Ordinances of 1311
, which sought to circumscribe royal power, Isabella and her brother were banished from court. Isabella was accused of giving "evil council" and illegally securing writs for her clients, and returned to her home in Yorkshire for a short period.
Baronial attempts were made to remove Isabella from her governorship of Bamburgh castle; Edward II wrote to her instructing her to delay as long as possible, and Isabella hung on, eventually agreeing to surrender the castle in exchange for lands in Lincolnshire
and Dorset
. Even then, she handed the castle over to one of Edward's clerks, not a baron. Isabella de Vesci soon engineered her return to court in 1313, overturning the ordinances, and in the coming years, Isabella and Henry increasingly relied upon Queen Isabella for protection and support, in return supporting her politically. The Queen sent Isabella many gifts, including brie
cheese from France and wild boar meat. Isabella accompanied the King and Queen on diplomatic visits to France. Through the Queen, Isabella was instrumental in getting another of her brothers, the extravagant and illiterate Louis de Beaumont
, another opponent of the Lancastrians, appointed Bishop of Durham in 1315. Louis assured the king that he would form a "stone wall" against any Scottish invasion from the north.
, Edward II had temporarily quashed the Lancastrian factions; his new favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger had replaced the late Piers Gaveston. Edward and Queen Isabella became increasingly divided, however, with matters coming to a head after Edward's failed invasion of Scotland, which led to Queen Isabella being effectively abandoned by Edward and the Despensers, and almost captured by the Scots who pursued her across Yorkshire. Queen Isabella blamed Edward and the Despensers; the king blamed Louis de Beaumont, whose "stone wall" was clearly less robust than hoped, and Isabella de Vesci - as Louis's sister and a close friend of Queen Isabella - lost the favour they had previously enjoyed with Edward. Indeed, both Queen Isabella and the de Beaumonts rapidly found themselves on the wrong side of the Despensers' increasingly despotic regime. Isabella has been described as a "silent partner" in Queen Isabella's increasing hostility toward the king.
By 1326 Queen Isabella had grown desperate and left for Paris, ostensibly to conduct diplomacy over the disputed provine of Gascony
, but in reality in an attempt to raise a rebellion against Edward and the Despensers. Isabella de Vesci and Henry had meanwhile turned openly against Edward; royal officials were being attacked by de Vesci forces across Yorkshire. Isabella invaded England shortly afterwards, accompanied by her lover, Roger de Mortimer, deposing Edward - the de Vesci family now looked forward to enjoying the support of the court once more. One of the first acts of the new regime was to appoint the late earl of Atholl's young son to the custodianship of Isabella, who then married him to one her nieces, thereby giving her and Henry control of two out of the five Scottish earldoms.
In 1330, Edmund of Kent
attempted to lead an uprising against Queen Isabella, with the aim of restoring Edward II, whom many believed still to be alive at this time. Isabella had a key part in this conspiracy, using her confessor to send messages between Edmund and William Melton
, the archbishop of York. Queen Isabella and Mortimer uncovered the plot and executed Edmund, but Isabella herself escaped arrest. Edward III overthrew Mortimer later in the year, and Isabella de Vesci therefore found herself back in royal favour for the last few years of her life, receiving additional lands in North Wales. Isabella died without issue in 1334, being buried at the Black Friars abbey at Scarborough; her brother Henry inherited her lands.
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
during the reign of Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
.
Reign of Edward I and marriage
John of Brienne
John of Brienne was a French nobleman who became King of Jerusalem by marriage, and ruled the Latin Empire of Constantinople as regent.-Life:...
, King of Jerusalem, and the great-granddaughter of both Alfonso IX of León
Alfonso IX of Leon
Alfonso IX was king of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death...
and William I of Scotland
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
. Isabella was also, through her Spanish links, a cousin of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
's wife, Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile was the first queen consort of Edward I of England. She was also Countess of Ponthieu in her own right from 1279 until her death in 1290, succeeding her mother and ruling together with her husband.-Birth:...
. Isabella was therefore a particularly well-connected member of a noble family that stretched across Europe. Isabella arrived in England in either 1278 or 1279, and married John de Vesci, a prominent noble, in either 1279 or 1280, with Edward I's blessing. The marriage was an advantageous one for John de Vesci, but also strengthened Isabella's English credentials at the Plantagenet court, where John - a close associate of both Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
and Edward I - was a central figure.
Isabella continued to enjoy royal favour; for her wedding, she was given valuable lands by the king to hold in her own right, for example. When Isabella and her husband travelled to Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
in 1288, Edward arranged for them to have apartments next to his own royal lodgings and had them specially decorated for Christmas. Isabella was one of the closest friends of the Queen, up until Eleanor's death in 1290. Isabella de Vesci was also made the governor of two royal castles, Scarborough Castle
Scarborough Castle
Scarborough Castle is a former medieval Royal fortress situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the North Sea and Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England...
in Yorkshire and Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle is an imposing castle located on the coast at Bamburgh in Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
in Northumberland, her main power base, subject to her remaining single and unmarried. Being granted governorships of castles close to conflict areas was a unheard of for a woman of the period, and Edward probably did so on the basis of Isabella's personal loyalty to him. Nonetheless, the actual appointment to Bamburgh was not done entirely regularly - the Great Seal was not applied to the appointment - and this would cause Isabella later problems.
John de Vesci died in 1289, and after Isabella took her brother in law, William de Vesci to court over various of John's lands, she was left a major landowner in England. Isabella's lands streched from Scotland to Kent, and after William de Vesci's disastrous fall from royal favour in Ireland, Isabella effectively became the most senior member of the Beaumont/Vescy family alliance. In 1300, Isabella's brother, Henry, arrived in England, where Isabella convinced the king to grant him lands formerly owned by her late husband. Isabella was also responsible for organising the marriage of her brother Henry to the niece of John Comyn, Earl of Buchan
John Comyn, Earl of Buchan
John Comyn was Earl of Buchan and an important member of Clan Comyn during the early 14th century. He was a chief opponent of Robert the Bruce in the civil war that paralleled the War of Scottish Independence. He should not be confused with the better known John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, who...
, in turn ensuring that Henry inherited the earldom and many Scottish properties. In combination, the de Beaumont family also held numerous properties in the disputed kingdom of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, which would come to influence later events.
Early years under Edward II
Henry de Beaumont
Henry de Beaumont, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Buchan and suo jure 1st Baron Beaumont was a key figure in the Anglo-Scots wars of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, known as the Wars of Scottish Independence.-Life:...
, in due course became important figures at the court of Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
after the death of Edward in 1307. Her other immediate family included Louis de Beaumont
Lewis de Beaumont
Lewis de Beaumont was Bishop of Durham. He was nominated on 9 February 1317, thanks to the efforts of his sister, Isabella de Vesci and was consecrated on 26 March 1318. He died on 24 September 1333.-References:...
. Isabella de Vesci became a lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
and close friend to the young Isabella of France
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
when she came from France to marry Edward in 1308. The two Isabellas frequently corresponded when apart, which was quite frequent as, like other members of Queen Isabella's court, Isabella de Vesci had feudal responsibilities elsewhere in the kingdom.
Isabella de Vesci played a role in many key political events. Politics under the early reign of Edward II saw huge tensions between different factions within England. Edward, at this stage with the support of his young wife Queen Isabella, had formed a close attachment to his favourite and lover Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of King Edward II of England. At a young age he made a good impression on King Edward I of England, and was assigned to the household of the King's son, Edward of Carnarvon...
. Opposing Edward was a Lancastrian faction of powerful barons, as well as groupings of Marcher lords
Marcher Lords
A Marcher Lord was a strong and trusted noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales.A Marcher Lord is the English equivalent of a margrave...
in Wales and further factions in Kent. The de Beaumonts had allied themselves to Queen Isabella, who - in the early part of Edward's reign - was perceived by the Lancastrians as an ally of Gaveston. Further more, Thomas of Lancaster himself perceived Isabella and Henry as unwelcome newcomers in the north of England - the de Vescis had a long history there, longer than Lancaster's own, but Isabella was a foreigner, come to wealth and power by royal favour. Lancaster also disliked the close friendship that had existed between Isabella and his father-in-law, Henry de Lacy. As a result, when the Lancastrians pushed through the Ordinances of 1311
Ordinances of 1311
The Ordinances of 1311 were a series of regulations imposed upon King Edward II by the peerage and clergy of the Kingdom of England to restrict the power of the king. The twenty-one signatories of the Ordinances are referred to as the Lords Ordainers, or simply the Ordainers...
, which sought to circumscribe royal power, Isabella and her brother were banished from court. Isabella was accused of giving "evil council" and illegally securing writs for her clients, and returned to her home in Yorkshire for a short period.
Baronial attempts were made to remove Isabella from her governorship of Bamburgh castle; Edward II wrote to her instructing her to delay as long as possible, and Isabella hung on, eventually agreeing to surrender the castle in exchange for lands in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. Even then, she handed the castle over to one of Edward's clerks, not a baron. Isabella de Vesci soon engineered her return to court in 1313, overturning the ordinances, and in the coming years, Isabella and Henry increasingly relied upon Queen Isabella for protection and support, in return supporting her politically. The Queen sent Isabella many gifts, including brie
Brie
Brie is a historic region of France most famous for its dairy products, especially Brie cheese. It was once divided into two sections ruled by different feudal lords: the western Brie française, corresponding roughly to the modern department of Seine-et-Marne in the Île-de-France region; the...
cheese from France and wild boar meat. Isabella accompanied the King and Queen on diplomatic visits to France. Through the Queen, Isabella was instrumental in getting another of her brothers, the extravagant and illiterate Louis de Beaumont
Lewis de Beaumont
Lewis de Beaumont was Bishop of Durham. He was nominated on 9 February 1317, thanks to the efforts of his sister, Isabella de Vesci and was consecrated on 26 March 1318. He died on 24 September 1333.-References:...
, another opponent of the Lancastrians, appointed Bishop of Durham in 1315. Louis assured the king that he would form a "stone wall" against any Scottish invasion from the north.
Opposition to the Despensers
After 1322 and the Despenser warDespenser War
The Despenser War was a baronial revolt between 1321-2 led by the Marcher Lords Roger Mortimer, Baron Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford against Edward II of England and his favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger.Some historians use the label the "Despenser War" to refer to just...
, Edward II had temporarily quashed the Lancastrian factions; his new favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger had replaced the late Piers Gaveston. Edward and Queen Isabella became increasingly divided, however, with matters coming to a head after Edward's failed invasion of Scotland, which led to Queen Isabella being effectively abandoned by Edward and the Despensers, and almost captured by the Scots who pursued her across Yorkshire. Queen Isabella blamed Edward and the Despensers; the king blamed Louis de Beaumont, whose "stone wall" was clearly less robust than hoped, and Isabella de Vesci - as Louis's sister and a close friend of Queen Isabella - lost the favour they had previously enjoyed with Edward. Indeed, both Queen Isabella and the de Beaumonts rapidly found themselves on the wrong side of the Despensers' increasingly despotic regime. Isabella has been described as a "silent partner" in Queen Isabella's increasing hostility toward the king.
By 1326 Queen Isabella had grown desperate and left for Paris, ostensibly to conduct diplomacy over the disputed provine of Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
, but in reality in an attempt to raise a rebellion against Edward and the Despensers. Isabella de Vesci and Henry had meanwhile turned openly against Edward; royal officials were being attacked by de Vesci forces across Yorkshire. Isabella invaded England shortly afterwards, accompanied by her lover, Roger de Mortimer, deposing Edward - the de Vesci family now looked forward to enjoying the support of the court once more. One of the first acts of the new regime was to appoint the late earl of Atholl's young son to the custodianship of Isabella, who then married him to one her nieces, thereby giving her and Henry control of two out of the five Scottish earldoms.
Isabella and the fall of Queen Isabella
One of the major political dilemmas of Queen Isabella's new regime was the problem of the Scottish wars - England could not easily afford to continue them, but any peace with the Scots could have major implications for English landowners with estates in the north. Queen Isabella and Mortimer opted for peace, with the result that families such the Beaumonts lost considerable property. This marked the end of Isabella's friendship with Queen Isabella, and Isabella and Henry broke with the new court and increasingly became part of the opposition movement.In 1330, Edmund of Kent
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent was a member of the English Royal Family.-Early life:He was born at Woodstock in Oxfordshire, the son of Edward I Longshanks, King of England and his second wife, Margaret of France. He was 62 years younger than his father, who died when Edmund of Woodstock...
attempted to lead an uprising against Queen Isabella, with the aim of restoring Edward II, whom many believed still to be alive at this time. Isabella had a key part in this conspiracy, using her confessor to send messages between Edmund and William Melton
William Melton
-Life:Melton was the son of Henry of Melton, and the brother of Henry de Melton. He was born in Melton in the parish of Welton, about nine miles from Kingston upon Hull. He was a contemporary of John Hotham, Chancellor of England and Bishop of Ely...
, the archbishop of York. Queen Isabella and Mortimer uncovered the plot and executed Edmund, but Isabella herself escaped arrest. Edward III overthrew Mortimer later in the year, and Isabella de Vesci therefore found herself back in royal favour for the last few years of her life, receiving additional lands in North Wales. Isabella died without issue in 1334, being buried at the Black Friars abbey at Scarborough; her brother Henry inherited her lands.