Isabella of England Isabella of England Isabella of England (1214 – 1 December 1241) was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of the Germans, and queen consort of Sicily. She was the fourth child and second daughter of John, King of England and Isabella of Angoulême. At a friendly meeting at Rieti, Pope Gregory IX suggested to Emperor Frederick II that he marry princess Isabella, a sister of King Henry III of England. At first Frederick II was concerned to lose his French allies; but when he realized that an English marriage might end the ongoing Anglo-French feud and constitute an important step towards the
John, King of England succession. Henry the Young King had been crowned King of England in 1170, but was not given any formal powers by his father; he was also promised Normandy and Anjou as part of his future inheritance. Richard was to be appointed the Count of Poitou with control of Aquitaine, whilst Geoffrey was to become the Duke of Brittany. At this time it seemed unlikely that John would ever inherit substantial lands, and he was jokingly nicknamed "Lackland" by his father. Henry II wanted to secure the southern borders of Aquitaine and decided to betroth his youngest son to Alais, the