A letter from Isabel of Angoulême (1218-19)

Translated letter:

To her dearest son Henry, by the grace of God illustrious king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Anjou, I Y[sabel] by that same grace his humble mother, queen of England, greetings and prosperous outcome always to his wishes. Your love will know that we have often implored you to give us and our plans counsel and help, and you have done neither up to now. Thus it is that we implore you diligently again that you give us swift counsel, and do not appease us with words. For you should know that without your help and counsel we can not rule and defend our land. And if the truce of the king of France should be broken, there is much to be feared about the land in this region. And though there may be nothing to be feared from that king, there are however neighbors who should be feared like the aforesaid king of France. Whence it is necessary that you give such fruitful counsel without delay for your land and ours in this region that neither you nor we lose our land for lack of your counsel and help. We also pray you to act on our part so that we may have some part now of what our husband, your father, endowed us with. For you should know as truth that we are much in need and had our husband left us nothing, you should still help us by right with your goods, so we might defend our land, since your advantage and honor is involved. We send you lord Geoffrey of Boteville and lord Waleran, reporting many things to you through them that we can not set forth in letters; and you may believe what they say on our part about your advantage and ours.

Original letter:

Carissimo filio suo Henrico, Dei gratia illustri regi Angliae, domino Hiberniae, duci Normanniae et Aquitaniae, comiti Andegaviae, ego Y[sabella] eadem gratia humilis mater ejus, regina Angliae, salutem et prosperos semper ad vota successus. Noverit dilectio vestra quod pluries vos exoravimus quod in nobis et agendis nostris consilium ac auxilium impenderetis, et vos hucusque nihil fecistis. Inde est quod vos iterato exoramus diligenter, quatenus in nobis consilium velox apponatis, et de cetero nos verbis non pascatis. Nam sciatis quod nos sine auxilio et consilio vestro non possumus terram nostram regere et defensare. Et si treugae regis Franciae ruptae fuerint, tumendum est maxime de terra hac parte. Et, quamvis de ipso rege non esset timendum, sunt vero penes nos tales vicini, qui adeo sunt metuendi, ut praedictus rex Franciae. Unde necesse est quod sine mora tale consilium fructuosum terrae vestrae et nostrae hac parte impendatis, quod vos nec nos per defectum consilii et auxilii vestri terram nostram amittamus. Precamur etiam vos quod ex parte nostra sitis, quod aliquam partem ad praesens habere possimus, de his quae maritus noster, pater vester, nobis legavit. Nam sciatis pro vero quod multum ei indigeamus; et quamvis maritus noster nihil nobis legasset, vos de rebus vestris de jure deberetis nobis auxiliari, ut terram nostram defendere possimus, cum in hoc commodum vestrum ac honor existat. Mittimus autem vobis dominum Gaufridum de Boteville et dominum Waler[anum], vobis plura per eos mandantes, quae per literas vobis non possumus explanare; et eis credatis de his quae vobis dicent ex parte nostra, de commodo vestro et nostro.

Historical context:

Isabel asks her son for the money from her dower lands, so that she can defend her land and his interests from the French king or her neighbors.

Printed source:

Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages: Royal and Other Historical Letters Illustrative of the Reign of Henry III, 1.22-23, ep.17.  Anne Crawford also offers a translation of this letter in Letters of the Queens of England 1100-1547, (Bath: Alan Sutton, 1994), p.51-52

Date:

1218-19