|
Which of course raised the question of what she would do with her own King. In January 1327, in a carefully stage-managed piece of political theatre, it was declared in Parliament that Edward had forfeited the allegiance of his people, and that now his son should wear the crown in his place. In just four short months, Isabella had achieved the unthinkable. She, a Queen, had seized power to depose a crowned and anointed King for the first time in English history. To undo a coronation was no easy task, Parliament had given the act a legal gloss but to make doubly sure, Edward was forced to sign his own abdication here at Kenilworth. Now the deed was done, but could Isabella rule in her son's name while her husband still lived? The new King Edward III was still just a teenager, so Isabella was running his government for him. But never before had England had to contend with the existence of an ex-king, alive and well, while a new King, or in this case a King's mother, ruled the country. |
