the Lady of the Possums’s Reviews > Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II > Status Update

‘...Isabella may even have become pregnant by Mortimer’ Wait, we’re just dropping that kind of bomb with no source, no evidence, no nothing? Aiiiiight...

This chapter ends with 3 pages of speculation on Hugh le Despenser’s possible sexual abuse of Isabella of France. Doherty has absolutely no evidence to back this up except his gut feeling. I find it sensationalist and in poor taste tbh. Also 13!yo Edward III didn’t ‘supported’ his mom, she essentially kidnapped him lol

« In 1319 Isabella had almost been captured by the Scots. The de Spencers decided once again to put the Queen in danger. » Is he... Is implying that the Despenser had any influence over Scottish politics?? What??

A confusing chapter, which makes sense considering it covers a period of almost 15 years in 33 pages. We also learn that the french revolution might have been caused by Jacques de Molay's famous curse, maybe? Not sure what Doherty was trying to imply here, which is also true for many other passages of this book.

Lots of weird stuff and innacuracies in this chapter but Doherty has a more nuanced vision of Edward II than I expected so there’s that..

‘Isabella was a fairy-tale princess. The chroniclers attest to her loveliness, to her beautiful blonde hair (...) and her slightly arabic features inherited from her mother.’ So many things wrong with those two sentences, I’m almost impressed...