The Jewels of Isabella of France

£3 (free concessions)

Born between 1292 and 1295, Isabella of France may have been as young as 12 years of age when she was married to the unfortunate Edward II. In time she was to depose her husband and govern as regent until Edward III assumed the throne in 1331 whereupon her lover and co-conspirator Roger Mortimer was executed and she was placed under house arrest. Records relating to the final years of her life, however, reveal that she actively received visits from international dignitaries and that she remained an ardent collector of jewellery.

In this talk James Robinson will attempt to illustrate the type of jewels that appealed to Isabella with reference to comparable surviving pieces.