Invasion of England (1326)

Isabella and Mortimer's campaign
Part of the Despenser wars
Isabella's Campaign (green) and the Royalist retreat (pink)
Date 24 September – 16 November 1326 Location England and Wales Result Isabella and Mortimer's victory Edward II deposed Edward III crowned King of England
Belligerents
Marcher Lords Mercenaries: County of Hainaut Brabant	Royalists Despensers
Commanders and leaders
Isabella of France Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster Thomas, 1st Earl of Norfolk	Edward II of England Hugh Despenser the younger  † Edmund Fitzalan  † Hugh Despenser the Elder  †
Strength
1,500 (Invasion)	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

Isabella and Mortimer's victory

Marcher Lords
Mercenaries:

Royalists

The invasion of England in 1326 by the country's queen, Isabella of France, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, led to the capture of Hugh Despenser the Younger and the abdication of Isabella's husband, Edward II. It brought an end to the insurrection and civil war.

Roger Mortimer of Wigmore was a powerful Marcher lord, married to the wealthy heiress Joan de Geneville, and the father of twelve children. Mortimer had been imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1322 following his capture by king Edward. Mortimer's uncle, Roger Mortimer de Chirk finally died in prison, but Mortimer managed to escape the Tower on his birthday in 1323, making a hole in the stone wall of his cell before escaping onto the roof and using rope ladders provided by an accomplice to get down to the River Thames, across the river and then on eventually to safety in France. Victorian writers suggested that, given later events, Isabella might have helped Mortimer escape and some historians continue to argue that their relationship had already begun at this point, although most believe that there is no hard evidence for their having had a substantial relationship before meeting in Paris.

In 1325 Edward, then Duke of Aquitaine and heir to the throne of England, journeyed to France to pay homage to Charles IV of France as his vassal. Isabella accompanied her son and it was during that journey that her affair with Mortimer began. Isabella was reintroduced to Mortimer in Paris by her cousin, Joan, Countess of Hainault, who appears to have approached Isabella suggesting a marital alliance between their two families, marrying Prince Edward to Joan's daughter, Philippa. Mortimer and Isabella began a passionate relationship from December 1325 onwards; Isabella was taking a huge risk in doing so—female infidelity was a very serious offence in medieval Europe, as shown during the Tour de Nesle Affair—both Isabella's former French sisters-in-law had died by 1326 as a result of their imprisonment for exactly this offence. Isabella's motivation has been the subject of discussion by historians; most agree that there was a strong sexual attraction between the two, that they shared an interest in the Arthurian legends and that they both enjoyed fine art and high living. One historian has described their relationship as one of the "great romances of the Middle Ages". They also shared a common enemy—the regime of Edward II and the Despensers.

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Wikipedia