Isabella de Fortibus or
Isabella de Forz (July 1237 – 10 November 1293) was the eldest daughter of
Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle , was the son of Baldwin de Redvers and Margaret FitzGerold; grandson of William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon.-Family and children:...
. At the age of 11 or 12 she became the second wife of
William de FortibusWilliam de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle played a conspicuous part in the reign of Henry III of England, notably in the Mad Parliament of 1258.He married:# Christina William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle (died at Amiens in 1260) played a conspicuous part in the reign of Henry III of England,...
(or Forz) who owned land in Yorkshire and Cumberland and was the count of Aumale. When he died in 1260 part of his estates (her "dower lands") were granted to her. Two years later, in 1262 her brother
Baldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle , was the son of Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon and Amicia de Clare, daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford...
, died and left her his lands in
DevonDevon is a large county in England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, although that is an unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county itself and often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to...
,
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
, the
Isle of WightThe Isle of Wight is an English island and a county, located 3-5 miles from the south coast of the mainland, in the English Channel. It is separated from mainland England by the Solent and is situated south of the county of Hampshire...
and Harewood in Yorkshire.
Isabella de Fortibus or
Isabella de Forz (July 1237 – 10 November 1293) was the eldest daughter of
Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle , was the son of Baldwin de Redvers and Margaret FitzGerold; grandson of William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon.-Family and children:...
. At the age of 11 or 12 she became the second wife of
William de FortibusWilliam de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle played a conspicuous part in the reign of Henry III of England, notably in the Mad Parliament of 1258.He married:# Christina William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle (died at Amiens in 1260) played a conspicuous part in the reign of Henry III of England,...
(or Forz) who owned land in Yorkshire and Cumberland and was the count of Aumale. When he died in 1260 part of his estates (her "dower lands") were granted to her. Two years later, in 1262 her brother
Baldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle , was the son of Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon and Amicia de Clare, daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford...
, died and left her his lands in
DevonDevon is a large county in England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, although that is an unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county itself and often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to...
,
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
, the
Isle of WightThe Isle of Wight is an English island and a county, located 3-5 miles from the south coast of the mainland, in the English Channel. It is separated from mainland England by the Solent and is situated south of the county of Hampshire...
and Harewood in Yorkshire. She was in her mid-twenties and was one of the richest heiresses in England. She subsequently called herself countess of Aumale and of Devon, and lady of the Isle (of Wight).
Despite the younger Simon de Montfort (second son of
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of LeicesterSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester , was a French-English nobleman, notable as the principal leader of the baronial opposition to King Henry III of England. After the rebellion of 1263 and 1264, de Montfort became de facto ruler of England and called the first directly elected parliament in...
) acquiring the rights to her remarriage in 1264, she did not marry him and hid for some time in Breamore Priory in Hampshire and later in Wales. In 1268 her marriage was granted to
Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of LancasterEdmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster was the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence.-Childhood:Edmund was born in London...
, son of
Henry IIIHenry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 to his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, but she did not marry him either. However her daughter Aveline did marry Edmund in 1269, but died four years later, aged 15. Isabella outlived all six of her children.
From 1262 she lived mainly on the Isle of Wight (which she owned), at
Carisbrooke CastleCarisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle located in the village of Carisbrooke, near Newport, Isle of Wight. Charles I was imprisoned at the castle in the months prior to his trial.-Early history:...
. Many of her accounts have survived and have been subjected to much study. Her net income in the 1260s is known to have risen from £1,500 to £2,500. She was much involved in litigation and pursued dozens of civil and criminal cases through the royal
courtA court is a body, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes and dispense civil, criminal, or administrative justice in accordance with rules of law....
s, apparently owning her own copy of the
statuteA statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a country, state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law and the regulations issued by...
s of the realm.
It is known that
Edward IEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
long wanted to acquire Isabella's estates. In 1278 her northern lands and the comté of Aumale and its associated lands were all quitclaimed to the crown by John of Eston who was found (against expectations) by a jury to be her late daughter Aveline's heir. In 1293 the king reopened negotiations to acquire Isabella's southern lands. While travelling from Canterbury, Isabella was taken ill and stopped near Lambeth. Edward's leading councillor rushed to her and wrote a charter to confirm the sale of the Isle of Wight to the king. It was read to the dying Isabella, who ordered her lady of the bedchamber to seal it. She died in the early morning of 10 November 1293 and was buried at Breamore Priory, Hampshire.