Editing Edward II of England (section)

===Rift with Isabella===
[[File:Isabela Karel Eda.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|alt=painting of Edward III giving homage to King Charles|The future [[Edward III]] giving homage in 1325 to Charles&nbsp;IV under the guidance of Isabella of France]]

Isabella, with Edward's envoys, carried out negotiations with the French in late March.<ref name="Phillips2011P472">{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|p=472}}.</ref> The negotiations proved difficult, and they arrived at a settlement only after Isabella personally intervened with her brother, Charles.<ref name=Phillips2011P472/> The terms favoured the French Crown: In particular, Edward would give homage in person to Charles for Gascony.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=472–473}}.</ref> Concerned about the consequences of war breaking out once again, Edward agreed to the treaty but decided to give Gascony to his son, Edward, and sent the prince to give homage in Paris.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=473–476}}.</ref> The young Prince Edward crossed the English Channel and completed the bargain in September.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|p=479}}.</ref>{{Efn|Edward's lawyers put forward various arguments in the dispute with the French kings. One line of argument stemmed from the 1259 treaty agreed by Edward's grandfather, Henry&nbsp;III, under which Henry had agreed to give homage for Gascony; Edward's lawyers observed that this treaty, which underpinned Edward's 1303 treaty with France, had been a bilateral agreement between the two kings, rather than a conventional feudal agreement. As such, Edward's offering homage for Gascony was dependent on the French crown delivering on its own commitments, rather than an absolute duty. Edward's lawyers also argued that Isabella had a potential claim to the lands in the south under customary French law. When granting Gascony to Isabella, Phillip&nbsp;IV appeared to have been dividing up his lands, as was customary at the time, rather than giving a conditional grant, which meant that Gascony was an [[allod]], Edward's personal property, and as such not subject to the French king's laws on the carrying of weapons or money.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hallam|Everard|2001|pp=322, 387}}; {{Harvnb|Haines|2003|pp=19–20, 305–306}}.</ref>}}

Edward now expected Isabella and their son to return to England, but instead she remained in France and showed no intention of making her way back.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=485–486}}; {{Harvnb|Haines|2003|p=169}}.</ref> Until 1322, Edward and Isabella's marriage appears to have been successful, but by the time Isabella left for France in 1325, it had deteriorated.<ref>{{Harvnb|Doherty|2004|pp=78–79}}.</ref> Isabella appears to have disliked Hugh Despenser the Younger intensely, not least because of his abuse of high-status women.<ref>{{Harvnb|Doherty|2004|pp=74–75}}.</ref> Isabella was embarrassed that she had fled from Scottish armies three times during her marriage to Edward, and she blamed Hugh for the final occurrence in 1322.<ref>{{Harvnb|Doherty|2004|pp=75–77}}.</ref> When Edward had negotiated the recent truce with Robert the Bruce, he had severely disadvantaged a range of noble families who owned land in Scotland, including the Beaumonts, close friends of Isabella.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=437–438}}.</ref> She was also angry about the arrest of her household and seizure of her lands in 1324. Finally, Edward had taken away her children and given custody of them to Hugh Despenser's wife.<ref>{{Harvnb|Doherty|2004|pp=79–80}}.</ref>

By February 1326 it was clear that Isabella was involved in a relationship with an exiled Marcher Lord, Roger Mortimer.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=488–489}}.</ref> It is unclear when Isabella first met Mortimer or when their relationship began, but they both wanted to see Edward and the Despensers removed from power.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=489–491}}; {{Harvnb|Haines|2003|p=169}}.</ref>{{Efn|Historian Roy Haines stresses the lack of evidence for any earlier relationship, while Paul Doherty argues that there is no evidence for them having been closely involved before December 1325, although he suspects that they may have been friends by 1323. While agreeing that there is no documentary evidence available, [[Ian Mortimer (historian)|Ian Mortimer]] takes a more radical perspective, arguing that they met much earlier, and that Isabella helped Mortimer escape from the Tower of London in 1323.<ref>{{Harvnb|Mortimer|2004|p=284}}; {{Harvnb|Doherty|2004|pp=86–88}}; {{Harvnb|Haines|2003|p=169}}.</ref>}} Edward appealed for his son to return, and for Charles to intervene on his behalf, but this had no effect.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|p=495}}.</ref>

Edward's opponents began to gather around Isabella and Mortimer in Paris, and Edward became increasingly anxious about the possibility that Mortimer might invade England.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=491–492}}.</ref> Isabella and Mortimer turned to [[William I, Count of Hainaut]], and proposed a marriage between Prince Edward and William's daughter, [[Philippa of Hainault|Philippa]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=493–494}}.</ref> In return for the advantageous alliance with the English heir to the throne, and a sizeable dower for the bride, William offered 132 [[transport vessel]]s and eight [[warship]]s to assist in the invasion of England.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=493–494, 500–501}}.</ref> Prince Edward and Philippa were betrothed on 27 August, and Isabella and Mortimer prepared for their campaign.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=500–501}}.</ref>