Isabella of Angoulême
Isabella (French: Isabelle d'Angoulême, IPA: [izabɛl dɑ̃ɡulɛm]; c. 1186/ 1188 – 4 June 1246) was Queen of England from 1200 to 1216 as the second wife of King John, Countess of Angoulême in her own right from 1202 until her death in 1246, and Countess of La Marche from 1220 to 1246 as the wife of Count Hugh.
| Isabella | |
|---|---|
Effigy in Fontevraud Abbey | |
| Queen consort of England | |
| Tenure | 24 August 1200 – 19 October 1216 |
| Coronation | 8 October 1200 |
| Countess of Angoulême | |
| Reign | 16 June 1202 – 4 June 1246 |
| Predecessor | Aymer |
| Successor | Hugh I |
| Countess consort of La Marche | |
| Tenure | 10 May 1220 – 4 June 1246 |
| Born | c. 1186 / c. 1188 |
| Died | 4 June 1246 (aged about 58 or 60) Fontevraud Abbey, France |
| Burial | Fontevraud Abbey |
| Spouses | |
| Issue more... |
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| House | Taillefer |
| Father | Aymer, Count of Angoulême |
| Mother | Alice of Courtenay |
Isabella had five children by King John, including his heir, later Henry III. In 1220, Isabella married Hugh X of Lusignan, Count of La Marche, by whom she had another nine children.
Some of Isabella's contemporaries, as well as later writers, claim that she formed a conspiracy against King Louis IX of France in 1241, after being publicly snubbed by his mother, Blanche of Castile, for whom she harbored a deep-seated hatred. In 1244, after the plot had failed, Isabella was accused of attempting to poison the king. To avoid arrest, she sought refuge in Fontevraud Abbey, where she died two years later, but none of this can be confirmed.