Isabella of England

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Marriage of Emperor Friedrich II with Isabella of England. (Depiction from the Chronica Maiora by Matthew Paris , around 1250, London, British Library , MS Royal 14 C VII, fol.123v)

Isabella of England (also called Isabella Plantagenet or Elisabeth ; * 1214 in Gloucester ; † December 1, 1241 in Foggia ) was an English princess and the third wife of Emperor Frederick II. 1235 to 1241 Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Queen of Sicily .

Descent and youth

Isabella Plantagenêt , who was probably born at the end of 1214, was the fourth child and second daughter of the English King Johann Ohneland and his second wife Isabella von Angoulême . Her father died in October 1216 and her mother left England for good in 1217. Margaret Biset was probably responsible for the custody of the girl in place of the mother. Many years later (1235) Margaret Biset was supposed to accompany Isabella when she married at the court of Emperor Frederick II.

Isabella had to her brother Heinrich III. , who succeeded his late father as a minor as king, a very close relationship. Her sister Johanna was betrothed to the Scottish King Alexander II in June 1220 . In the event that Johanna, who was held captive in the course of a failed previous engagement to Hugo X. von Lusignan in south-west France, could not be brought back to England within a certain period of time, he was to be given Isabella to her wife instead of her, but not for what purpose came. In 1225, Heinrich III negotiated about the marriage of one of his sisters, probably Isabellas, to the German King Heinrich (VII.) - the eldest son of her future husband, Emperor Friedrich II - and some time later about her marriage to the French King Louis IX. , but both marriage projects did not materialize.

Marriage to Emperor Friedrich II.

When Pope Gregory IX. When Frederick II met in Rieti at Pentecost in 1234 , he proposed that the twice widowed emperor marry the English princess Isabella. From the promotion of this marriage alliance, the Pope hoped to realize a new Roman-English-German crusade . For the emperor, on the other hand, this suggestion was recommended because he could hope that further English support for the Welfs , who were among his political opponents, would be discontinued . He also wanted more legitimate male descendants, as he only had two sons entitled to inheritance and was in ever more open conflict with his eldest son Heinrich (VII). In order not to worry and suspect Louis IX, who might consider the planned marriage as a change of alliance from the Hohenstaufen to the English side, both Frederick II and Gregory IX assured them. to the French king that no deterioration in Franco-German relations was intended either.

To conclude the marriage project, Frederick II sent his close confidante Petrus de Vinea to England at the end of November 1234 as head of a Sicilian delegation, where the imperial ambassadors arrived in early 1235. As a morning gift for his future wife, the emperor offered her the transfer of ownership of the Val Mazzara in eastern Sicily and the dominion of Monte Sant'Angelo in Apulia and in return asked for a dowry for Isabella in the amount of 30,000 silver marks. The English chronicler Roger von Wendover , who is the main source for the marriage negotiations, states that Henry III. advised the emperor's request for Isabella's hand with the most senior nobles and prelates of his empire for three days and finally approved it. In order to raise the high dowry, which was due within the next two years, the English king even introduced a plow tax. So that the ambassadors could examine the bride, she was taken from her domicile in the Tower of London to Westminster and introduced to them there. The delegates liked both the beauty and the well-groomed manners of the princess; so they put the engagement ring on her finger and welcomed her as the new empress.

When the marriage contract was sealed on February 22nd, 1235, nothing stood in the way of Isabella's trip to Germany for her wedding to the emperor. She was by her brother Heinrich III. Most abundantly furnished, with a golden crown set with expensive precious stones, other jewelry, wonderful clothes, silver and gold dishes and even a bridal bed of their own. Frederick II, who was still in Italy at the time, also had to come to meet his bride first. An open revolt by Heinrich VII. Also made his presence in Germany necessary. He finally had to submit to his father shortly before his wedding and since then - until his death, presumably through suicide in 1242 - lived in captivity.

Two high-ranking envoys of the emperor, Archbishop Heinrich I of Cologne and Duke Heinrich I of Brabant , arrived in London at Easter 1235 to pick up Isabella. One day after the farewell party held in Westminster on May 6th, Isabella traveled with Henry III, the imperial ambassadors, the Bishop of Exeter, William Briwere , and other large entourage from London via Rochester and Canterbury to the southeast coast of England to Sandwich . She said goodbye to her royal brother in tears and then embarked on May 11 on the fleet made available for her collection, which landed in Antwerp four days later . There she received a great reception from the local clergy and was welcomed by numerous armed noblemen - the allegedly feared kidnapping of the bride on behalf of Louis IX. should prevent - escorted to Cologne , where she arrived on May 20 or 24. Almost a quarter of the citizens of this city, around 10,000 people, are said to have greeted her. At her solemn entry into Cologne, which was accompanied by a pompous program, she delighted the audience by removing her (traditionally customary) veil, since the beautiful empress could now be viewed uncovered. Isabella stayed in the city for about a month and a half, honoring her at the house of the Provost of St. Gereon .

After Frederick II had mastered his rebellious son Heinrich (VII), Isabella set out at the beginning of July 1235, together with the Archbishop of Cologne and the Bishop of Exeter, on the week-long journey to Worms to see her bridegroom. The 40-year-old Kaiser was immediately delighted with the great grace of the 21-year-old English woman. He married Isabella on July 15, 1235 in Worms Cathedral in the presence of the assembled high nobility and clergy, including allegedly four kings and eleven dukes. According to the English chronicler Matthäus Paris , the emperor also consulted with his astrologers . His interest in astrology was probably awakened by contact with the Islamic world. The survey of the stars showed that the most favorable time for the conception of male offspring was the early morning hours after the wedding night for the consummation of the marriage. According to later historians, Isabella is supposed to have actually given birth to a son named Jordan, who died young, in 1236, but this information is doubtful due to the lack of contemporary evidence.

Years of marriage, children and early death

After four days of wedding celebrations, Isabella and Friedrich II enjoyed their honeymoon in the Kaiserpfalz Hagenau in Alsace . However, the empress had to part with her English followers, who were traveling home again. Only two of her ladies were allowed to stay with her, her governess Margaret Biset mentioned above and her servant Katherine, who was very good at embroidery and who had also taught her mistress this skill. Isabella made little public appearance and had no political influence. She is said to have lived in the care of Saracen eunuchs on the orders of the emperor . While Uwe A. Oster does not believe this claim by Matthäus Paris and suspects anti-Staufer papal propaganda behind it, Walter Koch does not doubt it.

Apart from the uncertain testimony of Jordan, Isabella bore three children to her husband, whose dates of birth and death are also partly uncertain:

On August 15, 1235, Frederick II held a magnificent court day in Mainz , at which Isabella was not present. To consolidate the situation in Germany, the emperor proclaimed an imperial land peace and reconciled with the Guelphs. In return, he received declarations of support from many German princes for a war against Lombard cities, particularly Milan , which were planned to the displeasure of the Pope , which were hostile to him. Isabella continued to reside in Haguenau, where Frederick II spent the winter with her. The monarch paid attentions to his wife by giving her expensive clothes, shoes and musical instruments. He also tried to maintain close relationships with his brother-in-law, the English king, to whom he sent exotic animals such as three leopards .

At the end of April 1236 the imperial couple left their domicile in the Palatinate in Hagenau and traveled to Marburg . Isabella stayed there in May at the side of her husband when the remains of Elisabeth of Thuringia were reburied. This saint was an aunt of Frederick II. While Isabella was returning to Hagenau, in the autumn of 1236 the emperor led a campaign against reluctant municipalities in Lombardy , which was not very successful, and stayed in Vienna the following winter . Around the beginning of 1237 the Empress gave birth to her daughter Margarethe, about which her delighted husband informed the citizens of Palermo by letter. Judging from the wording of this document, it must have been Isabella's first delivery.

When Frederick II started another campaign against the Lombards League in August 1237 with a much larger force , according to a letter from Hermann von Salza, his wife accompanied him across the Alps to northern Italy, although she was pregnant again. He could on 27./28. He won a clear victory over the Milanese and their allies at Cortenuova near Bergamo on November 25th , but then turned down an offer of peace and demanded unconditional submission of his opponents, overestimating his strength. Isabella also stayed in Northern Italy and gave birth in February 1238 in Ravenna to a son named by the sources as either Carl Otto or Heinrich. Perhaps this was initially given the former name and was renamed Heinrich after the death of the imprisoned eldest son of the emperor. The emperor expressed his great enthusiasm for the birth of Isabella's son in several letters that have survived. His addressees included Richard, Earl of Cornwall , a brother of Henry III. from England.

However, the emperor's streak of luck broke off with his unsuccessful siege of Brescia for months in the summer / autumn of 1238. On his instructions, Isabella took up residence in the southern Italian city of Andria from September to December 1238 and was directed back to Lombardy by Archbishop Berardo of Palermo towards the end of the year . In the meantime Frederick II had to give up the conquest of Brescia. In February / March 1239 Isabella stayed with her young son in Noventa , while her husband stayed in Padua . When the Pope excommunicated the Emperor on flimsy grounds in March 1239, both sides engaged in a propaganda battle that went below the belt. Friedrich II complained to his brother-in-law Heinrich III. about its insufficient support. The English king tried to calm down, but in return accused the emperor of isolating his wife Isabella and forbidding her to wear the crown in public.

Isabella is said to be buried in a coffin in one of the two floor niches in the crypt of Andria Cathedral.

Some letters from Frederick II indicate that he sent his wife back to his kingdom of Sicily at the beginning of 1240 , where she held court in the castle Salvatoris ad Mare near Andria in Apulia . The emperor also made sure that Isabella could live appropriately and that her court received sufficient equipment. It was entrusted to the emperor's loyal Sicilian followers, first Giovanni de Amato. When he died, Jacopo Capece took over his position. In his dispute with Gregory IX. Frederick II had occupied the Duchy of Spoleto from August 1239 and returned to his Kingdom of Sicily at the end of March 1240 after a five-year absence. In the following months he stayed like Isabella in Apulia; whether he met her during this time cannot be determined due to the lack of corresponding sources. In July 1240 he set out on a new incursion into the Papal States, but was only able to storm Faenza in April 1241 after an eight-month siege. Meanwhile , a council convened by the Pope in Rome tried to torpedo the emperor in order to prevent his impeachment.

Isabella's brother Richard of Cornwall, who landed in Trapani in northwestern Sicily after a crusade in July 1241 , moved north to meet the emperor, who was then marching against Rome, but for the time being refrained from attacking the Eternal City. On his arrival in Terni in Umbria, Richard received a very courteous and hospitable reception from Frederick II, but was only able to see his sister a few days later. However, this does not have to be an indication of an allegedly isolated life of Isabella as ordered by the emperor; possibly, as on earlier campaigns, she was housed a long way from her husband's camp. Isabella and Richard then watched entertaining events to their great delight, at which Saracen girls, for example, presented artistic dance tricks. Richard tried in vain to mediate in the conflict between Emperor and Pope. Gregory IX. but died on August 22, 1241, whereupon Frederick II retired to Apulia with his wife, who was again pregnant.

Isabella died at the age of 27 with another birth on December 1, 1241 in Foggia together with the newborn. On the instructions of Frederick II, she was buried in a solemn funeral ceremony next to his second wife Isabella von Brienne in the crypt of the Cathedral of Andria . The deeply sad emperor ordered funeral services in all the larger churches in Sicily. Only in a letter written on January 30, 1242 did he officially inform the English king about Isabella's death. Isabella had finally asked her husband to continue friendly relations with her brother Heinrich III. to entertain.

literature

Web links

Commons : Isabella of England  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kate Norgate, DNB Vol. 29, p. 62.
  2. ↑ Frederick II is likely to have married Bianca Lancia , who had been his lover since 1227, on his deathbed, which is why she is counted as his third wife; her death, however, can only be dated to 1244/46.
  3. ^ Uwe A. Oster: The wives of Emperor Frederick II , pp. 168–174.
  4. ↑ Uwe A. Oster: The wives of Emperor Frederick II , pp. 174–178.
  5. ↑ Uwe A. Oster: The women of Emperor Frederick II , p. 178ff.
  6. ↑ Kate Norgate, DNB Vol. 29, p. 62.
  7. ↑ Uwe A. Oster: The wives of Emperor Frederick II , p. 180.
  8. ^ Walter Koch: Friedrich II. In: Gerhard Hartmann, Karl Schnith (Ed.): Die Kaiser , 1996, ISBN 3-222-12421-3 , p. 340.
  9. ^ So DSH Abulafia, ODNB Vol. 29, p. 419; other contemplated dates of birth of Margaretha are the end of 1237 or even December 1, 1241, in that in the latter case she is identified with the child in whose birth Isabella died ( German Kings, Medieval Lands ).
  10. ↑ Uwe A. Oster: The wives of Emperor Frederick II , pp. 181-190.
  11. ↑ Uwe A. Oster: The women of Emperor Frederick II , pp. 191-200.
  12. ↑ Peter Koblank: Staufer graves - facilities: Andria Cathedral (Italy) on stauferstelen.net. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  13. ↑ Uwe A. Oster: The women of Emperor Frederick II , pp. 201–212.
predecessor Office Successor
Isabella II (Jerusalem) Roman-German Empress
July 15, 1235 to December 1, 1241 		Bianca Lancia
personal data
SURNAME Isabella of England
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Plantagenet, Isabella
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English princess, Holy Roman Empress
DATE OF BIRTH 1214
PLACE OF BIRTH Gloucester
DATE OF DEATH December 1, 1241
Place of death Foggia