Publisher's Synopsis
In chess, the queen is the most powerful and feared piece on the board. Paul Doherty explains that this is an inheritance from the reign of Queen Isabella of England, who married Edward II in 1308, aged just twelve. Edward became notorious for his rackety life, notably the 'favourites', Piers Gaveston and the more sinister Hugh de Spencer (ancestor of the late Princess of Wales) - and unsuccessful policies - one result of which was the destruction of the English army at Bannockburn.
Isabella was a loyal wife at first, but after thirteen years of enduring her husband's lack of judgement and of vicious personal harassment from Hugh de Spencer, she fled abroad, where she fell in love with the exiled Roger Mortimer. With him she raised a mercenary army and invaded England, successfully deposing her husband, and inflicting a gruesome death on de Spencer. She then settled down to rule, in the name of her young son, Edward III. But it is the fate of Edward II that most intrigues us, popular belief being that he was murdered by means of the infamous 'red hot poker', at the order of his wife and her lover. This terrible act brought about their eventual downfall, Mortimer was arrested and hanged, the queen sent into semi-retirement. Still, the truth is uncertain. After Mortimer's execution a letter arrived at court suggesting that Edward might not have died at Berkeley Castle. Could he have escaped?
Doherty's fascinating and highly readable study of a woman known to chroniclers as 'the she-wolf' provides new insight into one of the most turbulent periods of English history and the true fate of Edward II.
