Absorbing with a fresh slant - Rated 
I thoroughly enjoyed Weir's book on Isabella. Other reviewers have pointed out that it is extremely detailed and you do have to wade through a fair amount of background information. However, I feel all this extra information puts Isabella's life in context. There is no point reading a biography of someone if you do not have an idea what life was like during his/her lifetime.
Weir outlines her theory that Edward II was not in fact murdered, but escaped to live as a hermit in Italy. While on the one hand this does sound fairly preposterous, Weir gives evidence that it may have happened. I think one of the points this book makes so strongly, is that the story of Edward's death was probably fictitious. It is commonly held that he died from having a hot poker inserted up him, a clearly gruesome death, however Weir argues that this was an invention of Lancastrian propaganda, and accounts of Edward's death involving this particular method only appeared some years after his death and that no contemporary account at the time of his death mentions the hot poker story.
I think it is important to analyse historical stories such as the one involving Edward's demise, and not to necessarily take them as truth, something which Weir achieves.
Sources on Isabella's life are fairly scant, so Weir spends a lot of time postulating how Isabella would have behaved or reacted. Isabella doesn't come across as someone who is perfect, she had grown up a French princess and was accustomed to being treated accordingly, however the astonishing thing to emerge out of this book is how cruel, cold-hearted and greedy all the noblemen were. Weir's book paints a fascinating picture of powerful, ambitous men who were constantly vying with one another for the king's attention and favours. The result being, that the country was often on the verge of civil war. Many noblemen lost their lives either in battle or execution in their pursuit of more money and influence. It shows how precarious positions of power were, and how weak kings, such as Edward II, could be easily influenced.
In short, I would definitely recommend this book. It is entertaining, engaging and full of incident. However, I read it mainly because I know very little mediaeval history and the story of Isabella seemed a good a place as any to start, therefore I have not read any other major books on this period so I cannot comment on how accurate Weir's theories are likely to be.
Nothing new and rather biased. - Rated 
This book won't bring any new information to people already familiar with Edward II's story. And I emphasize Edward II's story for this biography of Isabella can hardly be considered a book about her life.
While Alison Weir gives a good idea of the nature of European society in the 14th century, the problem is that she gives way too many irrelevant details that sometimes have nothing to do with the events she is supposed to inform us about.At times I forgot I was reading a book about Isabelle Capet.Indeed the major lack of sources regarding the life of this woman wouldn't make a book about her life longer than 50 pages.
Moreover, this book doesn't bring any light to many of the questions we asked ourselves about this forgotten English Queen.It merely presents the author's own theories, based on suppositions and sheer speculation. Weir pretends that Isabella was innocent of most of her crimes, blaming her "lover" Mortimer for her failures instead.
For instance, Weir is inclined to believe that Isabella was innocent regarding the murder of her husband simply because "no murder ever took place". Her evidence? Kent's plot designed to undermine Isabella's regime and the Fieschi letter saying Edward II was indeed never killed. Why should we believe this man? Because, according to Weir, he belonged to a good Italian family and he was related to the English royal family. Since when those are grounds for honesty and reliability?
Another example of Weir's poor judgement regarding the nature of sources is the fact that she blames only Mortimer for the attempt murder of Edward II leaving Isabella completely innocent in the eyes of the reader. The reason is the sadness Isabella expressed regarding his husband in her letters. One can only laugh at Weir's naive good faith, for it is common sense that Isabella didn't want her husband to be alive. Her life and crown were threatened as long as Edward II was alive. It is clear that she was well aware of the plots to kill her husband even if it was Mortimer who gave the order for his execution.
That being said, Weir is very convinced of the sexual nature of Isabella's relationship with Mortimer. Her sources are simply court gossip and propaganda. There is no way of knowing they were lovers. Both of them were fertile all right, but allegations of the Queen ever being pregnant are ludicrous for she lived a public life and her pregnancies would have been noticed.Again, Weir presents NO valid sources for her allegations regarding this matter.
In the end of her book she goes as far as bashing other historians for misjudging Isabella simply because they were male.In view of her lack of critical treatment regarding sources one can only guess she wanted to present a rather romantic figure, innocent of her most serious crimes.In other words, Weir seems to imply that her only crime was her alleged "love" for Mortimer.Mortimer was very influential in her life, but no serious sources have been able to prove they were in fact lovers.
In other words, Weir choses to believe whatever sources will help her convey the image she prefers of Queen Isabella, whose life remains a mystery.I bought this book inspite of all the criticism Weir gets in Academic circles, and I am frankly disappointed. I won't read any more biographies by this author....
A book not to be missed - Rated
"She-wolf of France, but worse than wolves of France, whose tongue more poisons than the adder' s tooth! How ill-beseeming is it in thy sex to triumph, like an Amazoninan trull.." not my words but those of William Shakespeare in his "King Henry the Sixth".
Well, that sums up the reputation of Queen Isabella. And at first glance the reputation seems to be justified: a Queen who takes a lover, overthrows with the lovers help her husband and king, assumes the power in the land and under her controll the husband and former king dies. Her exercise of power with her lover is quite a bad, so she gets overthrown herself and ends her days in a golden cage captivity.
Yes, all this is true but there is much more to Queen Isabella. She wasn' t always the "she-wolf" that later came to be called by a gisgruntled British populace. By all accounts she was said to be a beautifull woman, a beloved mother, a competent mediator and an accomplished diplomat.
So who was this very interesting woman?
Isabella was the daughter of Philip IV., King of France, and of his wife Joanna, Queen of Navarre in her own rights, and sister of three French kings: Louis X., Philip V. and Charles IV.. At the tender age of 12 she was married to Edward II., King of England, twice her age, very handsome and very gay. This might have been quite bad on a personal leveland might have led to just another unhappy queen of a marriage of state. However, Edward was quite an uncapable ruler, letting his favorite Piers Gaveston, raised to be Eral of Cornwall, rule the country.
Isabella - humilated as this proud royal princesss felt - remained through the various ups and downs of Edward' reign a loyal consort. England was most of the time near or in a kind of civil war due to the king's misrule. When the Despensers - now the favorites - got hold of Edward and he started to move even against his queen, deriving her of her dower lands and income, she became tired of it all. While in France she become the lover of Mortimer, one of the English exilies, and organized the overthrow of Edward and the Despensers. This was much helped by the fact that the future Edward III. was with his mother. Most English were quite happy to get rid of Edward II.. In 1327 Edward II. was either murdered or escaped from capitivity. With Edward III as nominal king, Mortimer's power through Isabella was unquestioned. However, the new regime started to abuse power and behaved as badly as the previous one of favorites. In a brazen move, the 18 year old Edward III. had Mortimer arrested and executed and started to rule himself. Isabella spend the reminder of her life in quite seclusion, but neither ignored and badly treated by her son, the King, but no politcial force any longer.
Alsion Weir manage to cut through historical myth and propaganda, paints a different picture of a woman, a princess and queen than historical reputation grants Isabella. But it is not a white wash! By far, Isabella emerges from this book not as an innocent saint who does not deserve criticism. But she is neither the "living devil".
The Times critized the book a lot, especially with regards to the fate of Edward II. and Weir's believe that he was not murdered. I
do not share this criticism. As in all of her books Weir presents all arguments, but without refraining from having an opinion herself. But by being open about other views she invites the reader to form his/her very own opinion. Yes, as a reader I want to know what the author thinks, but I do not want to manipulated. In this specific case, I appreciated Weir's opinion but I am not convinced and do not share it. But The Times is quite wrong to critize Alison Weir for it.
My expectations of this book were fully met, I enjoyed very much reading this balanced account of Isabella of France who does indeed not deserve to be called "she-wolf". Well, but I am afraid that it will stick as even Mrs. Weir's felt fit to give Isabella that "title" on the book's cover.
Very detailed and very, very exciting - Rated 
I really looked forward to reading this book every day and was sorry to have finished it. It is not in fact quite such a chunky story as it appears as the book has a bibliography, extensive notes and an index as well as some photographs which add hugely to the interest of the period. (If only they were real photographs of the protagonists instead of statues and paintings - it would be wonderful to see what they really looked like). And what a period! I defy anyone to call history boring ever again after reading this. I forgot quite how gory and merciless the middle ages could be. Isabella of France, born in 1292, was married to Edward II at the age of 12. Unfortunately for her the king was not only homosexual but was already entrenched in a relationship with Piers Gaveston. (What a perfect name for the gay king's favourite!)
At a time of constant strife and savage reprisals, it is unlikely that the intelligent and beautiful Isabella would have lived out her natural life span had she been less well endowed with a strong and cunning instinct for self preservation. During her life time, two of her sisters were caught in adultery, both they and their lovers suffering the sternest penalty.
Isabella herself survived the era of Gaveston, (who was pierced through the heart and beheaded), and appears to have been a true wife, bearing her husband four children - but before long her husband had found another male lover, Hugh Despenser, who became a threat to her very existence. Taking a lover herself, Isabella was runing the highest risk of all in medieval times when women were seen as very much subservient to men, and the authority of the king was seen as absolute.
Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer eventually invaded England from France to shake England free from the tyranny of the errant king and Despenser. Hers was the first succesful invasion of England since the Norman Conquest of 1066, and it was also one of the most succesful coups in English history.
The most hideous revenge was exacted on Despenser, who was half hanged, his privates cut off and thrown into a fire, and finally eviscerated and beheaded. Edward II met a similarly horrible end, with a "hot brush put through the secret place posterial". Edward III, as soon as he was old enough, avenged his father by putting Mortimer to death in his turn. Isabella was fortunate to be allowed to live out the rest of her life in quietness but she seems never to have fully recovered from the horror of her lover's death.
This book brings the whole period alive with so much detail of how the court, and ordinary people, lived, ate, dressed, travelled and entertained themselves. We read about a feast where 2,300 herrings, 1,100 eggs, fifteen piglets and a porpoise were consumed. We read about Isabella's daughter Eleanor, falsely accused by her errant husband of having leprosy, who removed her cloak to stand naked before the entire court to prove it was a lie.
Edward II lodged at more than 4,000 places in England during his lifetime - in fact the royal court will soon be appearing at a castle near you! This book epitomises the expression "bringing history to life" and only drops a star because of some unecessary repitition. But what an amazing achievement, to write a book which is both a meticulous record of virtually the day-to-day events of Isabella's life and present it as a compelling, action-packed tale.
As absorbing as her other works - Rated
A typically well written and absorbing biography by this author. Sympathetic to a much maligned historical figure, while retaining a critical perspective. I read this immediately before Ian Mortimer's book on Roger Mortimer, which made for an interesting juxtaposition of perspectives on these two linked personalities.
|
