"I have no claim to anything here save through her". These are the reputed words of one of the most famous knights in English history, William Marshal, describing his wife Isabel, daughter of Aoife and Strongbow. In honour of St Valentine's Day Dr John Marshall (Lancaster University) gives us the full story of Isabel de Clare — a fascinating noblewoman, whose life, inheritance and influence crossed multiple (shifting) territorial boundaries. Dr Marshall offers complex and sometimes poignant insights, explaining to us how, being "born to an English father from the Welsh March and an Irish royal mother, Isabel's life crossed geographic and cultural divides, though neither of these were as rigid as we tend to think.”

Suggested reading:

• You can find details on John's publications at: https://lancaster.academia.edu/JohnMarshall
• The history of William Marshal , eds A. J. Holden, S. Gregory, and D. Crouch (3 vols, London, 2002)
• L. Mitchell, ‘‘The most perfect knights’ Countess: Isabella de Clare, her daughters, and women’s exercise of power and influence, 1190–ca. 1250’ in H. J. Tanner (ed.), Medieval elite women and the exercise of power, 1100–1400: moving beyond the exceptionalist debate (London, 2019), 45–65
• J. Bradley, C. Ó Drisceoil and M. Potterton (eds), William Marshal and Ireland (Dublin, 2020)

Regular episodes every two weeks (on a Friday).

Email: [email protected]

X (formerly Twitter): @EarlyIrishPod

Supported by the Dept of Early Irish, Maynooth University, & Taighde Éireann (formerly Science Foundation Ireland/Irish Research Council).

Views expressed are the speakers' own.

Production: Tiago de Oliveira Veloso Silva.

Logo design: Matheus de Paula Costa

Music: Lexin_Music