, accompanied
by a great number of dames and demoiselles, and given to the King of
England, her hand being held by her father, the King of France."

This marriage brought nearly twenty years of peace between France
and England. The young queen was carefully nurtured and educated by
King Richard, whose attachment to her soon grew very deep. Turbulent
factions disturbed Richard's rule, and Isabelle had always before her
the menace of a prison rather than the prospect of a throne. Before
leaving to quell a rebellion in Ireland, Richard visited his "little
queen," for thus she was popularly styled, at Windsor Castle, to take
farewell. This interview, at which it is said the young queen first
realized how deeply she loved the king, was to be their last. Henry
of Lancaster, taking advantage of Richard's absence to gather a force
to wrest the sceptre from him, met Richard on his return, made him
captive, and finally secured his resignation of the crown in 1399.
Simultaneously, the young queen fell into Henry's power, and was moved
from castle to castle at the will of Henry. All this time she was kept
in ignorance of the fate of her husband, and tortured by suspense and
anxiety. Richard alive was too serious a danger to Henry's supremacy,
and, a plot to restore him to his throne having failed, he was killed
at Pontefract Castle soon after, in a heroic struggle against the
myrmidons of Henry.

Meantime, the "little queen" had joined in the movement against Henry,
in the hope that her husband would recover his crown and be restored
to her, but she was soon again a captive at Havering Bower. For some
time the child-widow--she was not yet thirteen--was kept in ignorance
of the death of Richard. Soon, however, she was importuned by Henry
IV. on behalf of Monmouth, his son, but, faithful to the memory of
Richard, she rejected with horror the proposed union. Finally, all
hope of the alliance being destroyed, Henry consented to Isabella's
return to her parents. She had endeared herself to the hearts of the
English by her graces, and especially by her steadfast devotion to
Richard.

After Isabelle's return to France, Henry still persisted in suing for
her hand, but it was impossible to move her determination. In 1406,
it seemed that joy might yet brighten the life of this unfortunate
princess, for in that year she was betrothed to her cousin, the young
Charles of Orleans, whom she married in 1409. The affection of husband
and wife a