Isabella of Angouleme
Isabella of Angouleme (c. 1187 - May 31, 1246) was countess of Angoulême and queen consort of England.
She was the daughter of Aymer Taillefer, Count of Angoulême, and her maternal great-grandfather was King Louis VI of France. She became Countess of Angoulême in her own right in 1202, by which time she was already queen of England. Her marriage to King John took place on August 24, 1200, at Bordeaux, a year after he annulled his first marriage.
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It could not be said to have been a successful marriage, as Isabella was much younger than her husband and had a fiery character to match his. Before their marriage, she had been betrothed to Hugh de Lusignan, Count of La March. As a result of John's temerity in taking her as his second wife, King Philip II of France confiscated all his French lands, and armed conflict ensued.
When John died in 1216, Isabella was still in her twenties. She returned to France and proceeded to marry Hugh(X) de Lusignan, the Count de la March, the son of her former fiancé.
Isabella died on May 31, 1246, at Fontevrault Abbey in France, and was buried there.
Issue
- With King John: 3 (5?) children, all of whom survived into adulthood, including:
- the eldest, who became King Henry III of England on his father's death
- Richard, Earl of Cornwall
- the youngest daughter, Eleanor, who would marry Simon de Montfort
- With Hugh(X) de Lusignan, the Count de la March: 11 children, all of whom survived into adulthood, including: