Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II Read Free Page A

he departed from his followers in the castle of the Earl Marshal by the sea which is called Gesota [Usk]. Later, driven by fear, he boarded a vessel, together with Lord Hugh de Spencer, the Earl of Arundel and a few others and landed in Glomorgom [Glamorgan] on the coast. There he was captured together with the said Lord Hugh and Master Robert de Baldoli [Baldock] and they were taken by Lord Henry de Longo Castello [Lancaster] and they led him to Chilongurda [Kenilworth] castle and others were taken elsewhere to other places and there, many people demanding it, he lost his crown. Subsequentlyyou were crowned at the feast of Candelmas next. Finally they sent him to the castle of Berchele [Berkeley]. Later the attendant who guarded him, after a time, said to your father: ‘Sire, Lord Thomas de Gornay and Lord Simon d’Esberfoit [Beresford] knights have come to kill you. If it pleases you then I shall give you my clothes then you may escape more easily.’ Then, dressed in these clothes, he came out of prison by night and managed to reach the last door without opposition because he was not recognized. He found the porter sleeping and straight away killed him. Once he had taken the keys of the door, he opened it and left together with the man who had guarded him. The said knights, who had come to kill him, seeing that he had escaped, and fearing the Queen’s anger, for fear of their lives decided to put the porter in a chest, having first cut out the heart. The heart and the body of the said porter they presented to the wicked queen as if it were the body of your father and the body of the porter was buried in Glocestart [Gloucester] as the body of the King. After he had escaped the prison of the aforesaid castle he was received at Corf [Corfe] castle together with his companion, who had guarded him in prison, by Lord Thomas, castellan of the said castle without the knowledge of Lord John Maltraverse, the lord of the said Thomas, in which castle he remained secretly for a year and a half. Later on, hearing that the Earl of Kent, who had maintained that he was alive, had been beheaded, he embarked on a ship with his aforesaid custodian and by the will and counsel of the said Thomas, who had received him, had crossed toIreland where he remained eight months. Afterwards, because he was afraid that he might be recognized there, donning the habit of a hermit, he returned to England and came to the port of Sandvic [Sandwich] and in the same disguise he crossed the sea to Sclusa [Sluys], travelled to Normandy and, from Normandy, as many do crossing Languedoc, he came to Avignon, where he gave a florin to a papal servant and sent, by the same servant, a note to Pope John [John XXII]. The Pope summoned him and kept him secretly and honourably, for more than fifteen days. Finally, after various deliberations covering a wide range of subjects, after receiving permission to depart [licencia] he went to Paris, from Paris to Brabant and from Brabant to Cologne to see the [supposed relics of the] Three Kings and offer his devotions. After leaving Cologne, he crossed Germany and reached Milan in Lombardy and in Milan he entered a certain hermitage of the castle Milasci [Melazzo] where he remained for two and a half years. Because this castle became involved in a war he moved to the castle of Cecime in another hermitage in the diocese of Pavia in Lombardy. And he remained in this last hermitage for two years or thereabouts, remaining confined and carrying out prayers and penitence for you and other sinners. In testimony of these things I have appended a seal for your lordship’s consideration. Your Manuel Fieschi, notary of the Lord Pope, Your devoted servant.
    Fieschi’s letter was found in the departmental archives at Montpellier in a cartulary, compiled in 1368, of Gaucelmde Deaux, Bishop of Maguelonne, treasurer of Urban V. It was published in a transcription by Alexandre Germain in 1878 and again in 1881. 2 William Stubbs, the great