Louise J. Wilkinson

A cultural history of childhood and family in the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages were a rich and vibrant period in the history of European culture, society and intellectual thought. This volume explores the ideas and practices which underpinned contemporary perceptions of childhood in the medieval West, and illuminates the enduring importance of the family as a dynamic economic, political and social unit.

Maternal Abandonment and Surrogate Caregivers: Isabella of Angoulême and Her Children by King John

In 1217, Isabella of Angouleme, the mother of the boy-king Henry III and his four younger siblings, left England, never to return. Within three years, Isabella, had reasserted her authority over her inherited county of Angouleme in France and usurped the place of her ten-year-old daughter, Joan, as the bride of Hugh de Lusignan, count of La Marche. Isabella has been condemned by most modern biographers for her unscrupulous behavior and for “effectively abandoning” her children. Yet, a fresh analysis of English royal records indicates that Isabella might have had little choice in the matter. A royal minority and the queen’s resulting absence from the realm created a situation where Henry III’s ministers needed to provide for the safety, welfare, and maintenance of the young king and his siblings. The chief figures of Henry III’s government were not insensitive to the situation, ensuring that men and women who were loyal to the crown and of suitable birth, experience, and character served as surrogate caregivers for the royal children and helped to prepare them for their adult lives.