She Told Two Kings No and Kept Her Castle (And They Had to Wait Until She Died)

Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors

Heather Teysko

History

4.6 • 624 Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2026

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1293, King Edward I finally got what he wanted: the Isle of Wight. He'd been trying to take it for decades. He had to wait until its owner, Isabella de Fortibus, was on her deathbed to get it. And even then, she made him pay for it. Isabella de Fortibus was a 13th century countess who became one of the wealthiest people in England after a series of family tragedies left her controlling Devon, the Aumale estates in Yorkshire, and the strategically crucial Isle of Wight. Two kings, Henry III and Edward I, spent years trying to force her to remarry and hand over her lands. She said no. Repeatedly. Legally. One suitor actually tried to abduct her, and she bribed a prior and fled to Wales to escape him. She also owned her own personal copy of the statutes of the realm. In the 13th century. A laywoman. And she used it to win dozens of legal battles protecting what was hers. I found Isabella in Medieval Horizons by Ian Mortimer -highly recommend it if you love this kind of deep dive into the medieval world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Security program on spreadsheets. New regulations piling up? An audit dread. It's time for Vanta.
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0:24.5	using Vanta to prove trust. Get started at vanta.com slash calm. So I'm reading this book,
0:31.3	Medieval Horizons, Why the Middle Ages Still Matter by Ian Mortimer. I love him. And I keep coming across random women mentioned,
0:40.2	one who just completely upends everything, because I thought I knew a lot about the middle ages.
0:45.2	This week, I found a woman who stopped me cold. Her name was Isabella de Fortebus. She was
0:51.0	a 13th century noble woman. She spent about 30 years telling the most
0:56.0	powerful men in England, including the king, to just mind their own business. And she mostly
1:02.2	got away with it. So I want to share her story today because I think she deserves way more attention
1:09.0	and also because she's one of the most interesting people that I've come across in a long time.
1:15.3	And I don't just mean interesting for a medieval woman. I mean interesting, full stop.
1:22.5	So settle in, get comfy, grab a beverage. I've got some protein water here. It's kind of gross, but also has
1:27.7	19 grams of protein, so that's fun. Today we are going to talk about Isabella to Fortebus,
1:33.6	the woman who told the king no multiple times and somehow got away with it. So let's get started.
2:02.3	Hey friend, welcome back to the Renaissance English History Podcast. I am your host, Heather. I've been podcasting on Tudor England since 2009 with my show, which makes me the original Tudor history podcaster. I am, as always, delighted, thrilled that you are here with me to talk about a very interesting woman that I've just discovered. If you are new here, very, very warm welcome to you.
2:07.7	I make videos about medieval and tutor history, and this is exactly the kind of story I live for.
2:13.0	So, make sure you hit subscribe if that sounds like your thing and let's get into it.
2:19.4	All right, we're going to start at the end first because the ending is the most Isabella thing
2:24.8	possible. So it's 1293. Isabella is dying. She's 56 years old, which you know is a solid age for
2:32.4	the 13th century. She's outlasted two husbands
	...

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