Isabella d'Anjou

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Isabella d'Anjou (c.1101-07 – 1154) was the daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou, and his first wife Ermengarde of Maine (d. 1126).

Isabella (also known as Alice) was betrothed to William Adelin, son of King Henry of England, and sole male heir to the throne in 1113. Their betrothal occurred when she was quite young—perhaps 7 or 8—and they weren't married until 1119 (when she may have been no more than 12). William and Isabella set out on a trip from Anjou to England on 25 November 1120.

A considerable party of hundreds of nobles, courtiers, other retinue, and ship's crew set sail on two or more ships, one of which was named the White Ship, a state of the art vessel for the 12th century. On the crossing of the English Channel the White Ship was wrecked with the loss of all aboard save one. The disaster affected an entire generation of English and French politics as it threw the succession of the English throne into question.

While William had sailed on the White Ship, Isabella had not and survived her husband. She did not remarry and took vows at the Fontevrault Abbey eventually becoming Abbess.