Queens of Infamy: Isabella of France

From the notorious to the half-forgotten, Queens of Infamy, a Longreads series by Anne Thériault, focuses on world-historical women of centuries past. 

Happy solstice, everyone! Allow us to introduce you to Isabella of France: Married off at age 12, Isabella put up with her husband’s shenanigans over decades. Eventually, the She-Wolf of France had had enough.

In the late summer of 1326, a small mercenary army gathered in Dordrecht, Holland, preparing to cross the North Sea and invade England. This in and of itself wasn’t all that unusual — from the Romans to the Vikings to the Normans, it seems like all of the European historical heavyweights wanted a piece of that green and pleasant land. I mean, I get it! It’s a classic case of those itchy Julius Caesar fingers: A man sees an island, and he wants to take it. What set this case apart was that the person leading the army wasn’t a king or a prince or a red-headed upstart duke, but a woman who was already the queen of England — had been queen, in fact, for nearly two decades. And the king she wanted to depose wasn’t some usurper who had unjustly taken the throne, but rather Edward II, her husband and the father of her four children. As she stepped onto that boat, the 31-year-old queen would set into motion a sequence of events that would leave her forever remembered as Isabella the She-Wolf of France.

* * *

The French social scene of 1308 began with two glittering back-to-back events: the wedding of the future Charles IV of France to Blanche of Burgundy and, a week later, the wedding of his sister Isabella to Edward II of England. With Charles clocking in at 13 years old, and Isabella having just celebrated her 12th birthday, it was a double tween wedding extravaganza! Charles’ new wife, a veritable spinster at the ripe old age of 11, was young but at least age-appropriate. Edward, meanwhile, was nearly twice his child bride’s age — he would turn 24 three months later. Still, it wasn’t exactly an inauspicious start. By all accounts the union of the king and future queen of England was a sumptuous affair, attended by no fewer than eight European monarchs, as well as assorted princes, princesses, and other nobles. For Isabella, who was brightly turned out in robes of blue, gold, scarlet, and yellow and a crown dripping with precious stones, this was the moment she’d been preparing for since she was 4 years old.

There She Goes: A Reading List on Women Adventurers The women you'll find on top of the world. https://longreads.com/2023/04/04/there-she-goes-a-reading-list-on-women-adventurers/

Can't write rn so have this:

“I'll kill them,” says the saffron-clad girl with jagged tattoos. “I'll kill them all. The fake-ass princes, the king, the nobles. Everyone. All of them. They'll never become a problem for my hometown. Never. I'm gonna make sure of it.”

Alfarīd takes in the sight of Ashaya's hidden face, the tremor in their lengthy frame. Takes in their voice, so full of bitterness and anger, so full of...

Fear.

Ashaya is afraid.

And who wouldn't be, when it's you against the world?

She lets herself plop down on Ashaya like she's seen cats do with each other. You can die at the hands of royalty, monkey. Consider it an honor. “Well, that makes it two of us, ey?”

Ashaya snorts. “Congratulations, you've just got a roadside fox stuck to your side for perpetuity. Now what?”

“Were you even listening to yourself? We're gonna rid the world of pests.”

“The rat bastard with the silver mask first?”

“The rat bastard with the silver mask first.”

opened up some original fiction notes i fully forgot making six months ago, which are about what sol is about to do to this minor antagonist, and audibly murmured, "oh, jesus Fucking christ."

I’m finally caught up and bro. All the fandom has been going on and on about how horrible Shuro is but like. He’s not bad at all ???

I honestly like him! He’s awkward in his own way and so repressed that it’s insane. I usually hate any of the men whose whole thing is ‘I’m hopelessly in love with a woman who doesn’t seem to really know I exist’ but Shuro seems so sincere about it. He truly likes Falin, and respects her a lot! He’s just so repressed that he doesn’t seem to realize that he’s doing the same thing Laois was doing- making assumptions about how close they were and not realizing that their two cultures had differences in what’s appropriate. 

Yes, I don’t think he truly knows Falin and only thinks he loves her (well, he does love her but it’s more of he loves the idea of her) but I also don’t think he hates Laois as much as it seems. Laois just annoys the piss out of him. The real reason they fought was because Shuro was worried about Falin- a worry that is incredibly well founded!

Idk, there’s plenty of things to be annoyed about with him but I think the fandoms being a little rough on him.

I know it’s a joke when people are like “oh men are gross” and “oh men suck” and “you like men? I’m so sorry for you” and it’s funny and all but at a certain point it just makes me sad

let’s stop shaming people for liking guys, it’s not sinful or wrong compared to liking women. Liking women doesn’t make you any better of a person, it’s just your preference

I have a lot of internalized homophobia from this notion because I thought I had to force myself to like girls in order to fit in with my friends and I felt ashamed of being gay. But I AM gay, I love men, I love loving men as a man

espically being a trans man, I feel like I’m not even allowed to like men or I’m not a real guy. we shame gay guys for liking men and not women and we also shame bisexual women if they have a preference for men and not girls

why don’t we just let people exist and like what they want? Stop shaming people for liking men!! It doesn’t make you cool. Thanks <3

TLDR: stop shaming people for liking men and making them ashamed of themselves, you’re an asshole (respectfully). Love y’all and respect each other <3

i don’t know who needs to hear this but good men do exist, they are soft and gentle and respectful, they hold you when you cry and pet your hair and place gentle kisses over your whole body and learn every little thing they can about you and strive to keep you safe and be a friend as well as a lover and they treat everyone and animals with respect and don’t say misogynistic sexist racist phobic things and they sing with you loudly in the car and let you braid their hair as practice and say i love you without you having to say it first and express their love for you in front of everyone and they look at you deeply and support your every decision and lowest moment and wish nothing but greatness for your health and mental betterment and treat women and men and all with such kindness. good men exist, good men deserve the same love and respect and kindness and support that you would give to anyone with a good soul. good men understand, and they will always be here with genuine hearts

Happy Birthday to me 💕

happy international womens day

Companions: So why did we knock out Minthara instead of killing her like the others and why are we freeing her from jail? 🤨

Me: You don't have all the facts

Companions: Which are?

Me: I love her 😔

In the moment

presented without context

Waking up with several paragraphs in my inbox defending a blogger I dislike….

I stand with Daera! HE MURDERED HIS GRANDFATHER, GOOD, GOOD and I can imagine the accounts saying how sweet of Daera to take care of her old grandsire; little did they know.

"The old dragon now not so mighty eh? Soon the stranger will greet you"

"A shame the poison wine was drunk by father..I've never wanted him dead but you and him forced my hand.."

"Soon Viserys and maybe Daemon will soon join you but I need to do my duty first.." Daera pats his grandfather's head.

"An heir and a spare then your dear grandson will join you soon..don't worry I know I'm going in the seven hells and I will rejoice to see you again"

*Suffocates her grandfather with the pillow*

Sorry for my english :( But I couldn't resist and now I won't bother you anymore!!!

Nononono don't apologize!! Not for your english (which is absolutely fine btw) and not for bothering me! I love this!! This is some top notch dark!Daera stuff!!

Her completely loosing herself in her fear and feeling of powerlessness and aiming to take out the person responsible for making her feel that way.

Baelon accidentally being the first victim by drinking the poisoned wine that was meant for Jaehaerys?? And Daera coping by telling herself that he may not have been her target but he did deserve it because he agreed to her marriage to Vizzy!! He didn't do anything to stop it or to protect her!!

This fits so well with an image I had in my head of Daera standing over Jaehaerys and imagining herself surrounded by the specters of her aunts, his daughters, that were done dirty by him too. Viserra with a calming and steadying hand on her back, Saera who guides her hand as she gives him the killing dose of poison.

Hold on hold on hold on. My poor heart. Dark!Daera my beloved!

gnc women ily