Isabella of Angoulême

Isabella of Angoulême (French: Isabelle d'Angoulême; 1188 – 31 May 1246) was Countess of Angoulême and queen consort of England. She was the only daughter and heir of Aymer Taillefer, Count of Angoulême, by Alice de Courtenay. Her paternal grandparents were William IV of Angoulême, Count of Angouleme and Marguerite de Turenne. Her maternal grandparents were Pierre de Courtenay and Elizabeth de Courtenay. Her maternal great-grandfather was King Lo... more

Isabella of Angoulême (French: Isabelle d'Angoulême; 1188 – 31 May 1246) was Countess of Angoulême and queen consort of England. She was the only daughter and heir of Aymer Taillefer, Count of Angoulême, by Alice de Courtenay. Her paternal grandparents were William IV of Angoulême, Count of Angouleme and Marguerite de Turenne. Her maternal grandparents were Pierre de Courtenay and Elizabeth de Courtenay. 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 24 August 1200, at Bordeaux, a year after he annulled his first marriage to Isabel of Gloucester. Isabella was originally betrothed to Hugh le Brun, Count of Lusignan, son of the then Count of La Marche. As a result of John's temerity in taking her as his second wife, King Philip II of France confiscated all of their French lands, and armed conflict ensued. At the time of her... less