Queen Isabella

by: Alison Weir

Published by: Ballantine Books

Reviewed by Michele Heather Pollock

In 1308, Isabella, the twelve-year-old daughter of French King Philip IV, arrived in London to marry Prince Edward, the heir to the throne of England. The marriage was designed to secure peace between England and France, which it did--for a time.

History has not been kind to Isabella. She is notorious for betraying her husband with another man, her country through the deposition and murder of a sitting English king, and her people through her ambition and greed. In this new biography of Queen Isabella, however, Alison Weir re-examines the evidence, and tries to place the accusations against Isabella into the context of the time and place in which she lived, giving her credit where credit is due, and placing blame perhaps more fairly than ever before.

Isabella's story is one of intrigue, treachery, betrayals, and mystery. There is no doubt that she committed adultery, but her husband was suspected of having homosexual affairs, and certainly largely ignored her. Isabella did lead an invasion of England that removed her husband and placed her son on the throne, but Edward was a tyrannical king. On the question of whether Isabella murdered Edward, Weir actually posits that Edward was not murdered at all, but escaped to live out his live in secret in Italy. Perhaps the shakiest conclusion she draws in the book, but she does make a point.

History is murky, and Weir shows us many possible ways that events could have played out, so we can come as close as possible to meeting Isabella ourselves, and passing our own judgment upon her.

In her introduction, Alison Weir says "Nowadays, after decades of change in the perception of the role of women, it is possible to view Isabella in a new light: to pity her, even to respect her." Weir has done her research, thoroughly and with an eye toward a new understanding of a woman who has been tidily condemned in myth and legend.

Armchair Interviews says: Weir shows that real life and history are rarely as black and white nor as easily understood as fairy tales.