Isabella of Hainault (1170–1190)

Queen of France. Name variations: Isabel; Elizabeth of Hainault or Hainaut. Born at Lille in 1170; died in childbirth in 1190; daughter of Baldwin V, count of Hainault, and Margaret of Alsace (c. 1135–1194, sister of Philip of Alsace); married Philip II Augustus (1165–1223), king of France (r. 1180–1223), in 1180; children: Louis VIII (1187–1226), king of France (r. 1223–1226).

During the first decade of his reign as king of France, Philip II Augustus began to solidify his position by marriage alliances and by pitting various feudal factions against one another. In 1180, he married Isabella of Hainault, the daughter of a count from one of the important Flemish feudal territories. Isabella was crowned at St. Denis on May 29. Through her dowry, Philip gained the northern French county of Artois and claims to other cities and areas to the north such as Amiens. Though Isabella received extravagant praise from certain chroniclers, she failed to win the affections of Philip, who, in 1184, while waging a war against Flanders, was angered at seeing her father support the opposing side and called a council at Sens for the purpose of nullifying the marriage. In 1187, Isabella of Hainault gave Philip a son and heir, the future Louis VIII. She died in childbirth in 1190 and was buried in the church of Notre Dame in Paris.

suggested reading:

Baldwin, John W. The Government of Philip Augustus. University of California Press, 1986.

Davidson, Robert. Philip II August von Frankreich und Ingeborg. Stuttgart, 1888.

Levron, Jacques. Philippe Auguste. Librarie Academique, 1979.