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Contact: [email protected] Isabella de Forz: A Woman in the Age of Baronial Reform and Rebellion, 1237-1293 By Harriet Lily Kersey Canterbury Christ Church University Thesis submitted For the degree of Masters by Research 2014 Abstract Isabella de Forz (1237-1293), countess of Devon and Aumale and lady of the Isle of Wight, was the wealthiest noblewoman in thirteenth-century England. Isabella, who was of impressive lineage, became the heiress to the earldom of Devon following the death of her brother in 1262. Existing records provide a wealth of evidence regarding Isabella's life especially the years of her widowhood (1260-1293) and the extent of her power and influence within English politics. Isabella’s allegiance was of great importance and she was very much involved in the events surrounding the Barons’ War of 1263-1267. Much of the extant evidence relates to Isabella's defence of her lands and rights, a necessity for all noblewomen. In addition to this we find the countess engaged in numerous other activities, including intercession and religious patronage. A reconstruction of the countess' affinity not only offers insights into her position within society as well as her sense of self, but also informs us of the strength of the ties of lordship within thirteenth-century England. The chapters that form this thesis are designed to highlight the varying ways in which noblewomen were able to participate in politics and to discuss the activities, role and importance of one of the most influential women of this period. In doing so, this research will add to the existing scholarship on aristocratic women. Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations Figures Introduction 1 Chapter One - Family Background and Married Life 13 Chapter Two - The Countess as a Widow 25 Chapter Three - The Affinity of Isabella 42 Chapter Four - Religious Patronage 58 Conclusion 71 Appendix One 78 Appendix Two 84 Appendix Three 92 Appendix Four 99 Bibliography 104 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the staff at The National Archives, Canterbury Cathedral Archives and the library staff of Canterbury Christ Church for assisting me in finding the resources I needed to complete this research. Special thanks go to the staff at Canterbury Cathedral for being so accommodating and assisting me with the odd translation. I would also like to thank the staff at the Isle of Wight Record Office, Somerset Record Office and the East Riding of Yorkshire Archives for providing me with documents essential to this study. Thanks also go to Professor David Crouch for providing me with a list of the acta of Isabella de Forz. I would not have been able to complete this study without the constant help and encouragement of my supervisor Professor Louise Wilkinson. She has been the source of much inspiration, encouraging me to challenge existing historiography as well as my own findings and to develop my ideas. I would not have even been able to begin this study without the unconditional support and love of my mum. You are a true inspiration and words cannot describe how grateful I am for absolutely everything you have done for me, not just in the past year but in the entirety of my life. Massive thanks also go to the rest of my wonderful family for their unceasing support, love and encouragement. And, of course, my friends for providing much needed support, laughs and the numerous, all important, cups of tea (and the odd hot chocolate) along the way. Note on place-names: Unidentified place-names are written in italics. Abbreviations Ann. Mon. Luard, H. R, (ed.), Annales Monastici, Vols. I-V (London, Longman, 1864-9). CChR Calendar of the Charter Rolls (London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1903-). CClR Calendar of the Close Rolls (London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1900-). CFR Calendar of the Fine Rolls, 1272-1307 (London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1911). Calendar of the Fine Rolls of the Reign of Henry III (2007-2011), available at www.finerollshenry3.org.uk/content/calendar CPR Calendar of the Patent Rolls (London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1893-). Baldwin de Revières m. Margaret FitzGerold m. Falkes de Bréauté 6th Earl of Devon d. 1252 d. 1226 Gilbert de Clare, m. Isabel Marshal d. 1216 Earl of Gloucester and Hertford d. 17th January 1240 d. 25th October 1230 Thomas b. 1220 Baldwin de Revierès m. Amicia de Clare Richard Isabel m. Robert V William Gilbert 7th earl of Devon b.1220 b.1222 de Brus of Annandale b. 1228-58 b.1229 d.1245 heiress of Gloucester and Hertford d.1262 b. 1226 d. 1284 Baldwin de Revierès, 8th earl of Devon ISABELLA Margery d. 1262 m. William de Fortibus, Count of Aumale c. 1265-1283? b. 1237 d. 1293 Continued overleaf... John Teron Thomas William Avice Aveline d. before 1260 d. before 1260 d. before 1269 d. before 1269 d. before 1269 b. 1259 d. 1274 (aged 7 at father’s death) Figure One: Isabella de Forz’s Family. Figure Two: The counties in which Isabella de Forz held land. 1 Introduction Isabella de Forz (or Fortibus), suo jure countess of Devon and Aumale and Lady of the Isle of Wight, was one of the wealthiest women, and indeed people, in thirteenth-century England.1 Due to her vast wealth, Isabella was a highly influential woman and this is illustrated by her frequent interactions with the royal court during the reigns of both King Henry III (1216-1272) and King Edward I (1272-1307). It is, therefore, surprising that her political activities and influence, and also her life more generally, have not yet been studied in great depth. There is a large body of existing documentation available, including chronicles, charters, correspondence, estate records and royal government records, both legal and financial, that will enable this study to be undertaken. Through this research I intend to investigate the extent of Isabella’s political power and influence on both a local and national level and how typical this was for a noblewoman of the thirteenth century. I shall also discuss how Isabella was able to exert her influence in local and national affairs before, during and after the Barons’ War which took place between 1263 and 1267. There is a distinct lack of historiography concerning thirteenth-century noblewomen’s involvement in politics and although this is steadily increasing, there is a clear need for more in- depth research to be undertaken. The only book-length study of the life of a thirteenth-century noblewoman is Eleanor de Montfort: A Rebel Countess in Medieval England by Louise Wilkinson. Research by Emma Cavell on ‘Aristocratic Widows and the Medieval Welsh Frontier: The Shropshire Evidence’, explores the positions of aristocratic widows living on the Anglo-Welsh border during the thirteenth century. This article discusses the expected and actual roles of noblewomen within politics, such as intercession on behalf of their tenants and estate administration, with a focus on individual women on the Welsh frontier.2 It can safely be assumed that such roles were common to all politically active noble widows at this time, as is illustrated by case studies on the lives of other noblewomen. Research by Linda Mitchell in Portraits of Medieval Women: Family, Marriage and Politics in England, 1225-1350, also discusses the lives of thirteenth century noblewomen in a series of case studies which offer points of comparison with Isabella.3 1 The name Fortibus derived from Forz but both names are found within the records. B. English, ‘Forz, Isabella de, suo jure countess of Devon and countess of Aumale’, and ‘Forz, William de, count of Aumale (b. before 1216, d. 1260)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn.), accessed 10th September 2013. 2 E. Cavell, ‘Aristocratic Widows and the Medieval Welsh Frontier: The Shropshire Evidence’, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Vol. 17, (2007), pp57-82. 3 L. Mitchell, Portraits of Medieval Women: Family, Marriage, and Politics in England, 1225-1350 (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003). 2 The body of literature concerning the debate as to whether noblewomen were political agents or the political pawns of their male kin is constantly growing. Scholars such as Georges Duby and Doris Stenton emphasise the subordinate status of women and suggest that aristocratic women of the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries were merely political pawns of their male kin.4 In her study The English Woman in History, Stenton stated that following the Norman Conquest, women suffered a loss of independence in terms of landholding. This, according to Stenton, signalled the end of the ‘rough equality’ that existed between Anglo-Saxon men and women and the end of the ‘independence’ previously enjoyed by English noblewomen.5 This highly negative view of the position of aristocratic women thereby champions the belief that women had no role within tenurial lordship or a significant role within society in the centuries immediately following the Norman invasion.