Isabella of Gloucester died on 14 October 1217, likely near Keynsham Abbey, and was buried at Christ Church, Canterbury.
Isabella of Gloucester died on 14 October 1217, probably at or near Keynsham Abbey in Somerset, an institution closely associated with her family's patronage. Her death came only a short time after her third marriage that same autumn to Hubert de Burgh, the powerful justiciar and leading figure in the minority government of the young King Henry III, following her return to royal favor after Geoffrey de Mandeville's death in 1216.
She was buried at Christ Church Priory, Canterbury, a prestigious resting place reflecting her lifelong high status despite the turbulence and political manipulation that had characterized much of her adult life. Her death closed an extraordinary chapter of medieval English royal and aristocratic history: she had been betrothed and married to a prince who became king, served briefly and controversially as an uncrowned royal consort, endured an annulment engineered for reasons of state, and was married off twice more to powerful men who sought control of her rich inheritance.
Isabella's life illustrates the precarious position of high-born medieval women, whose landed wealth made them indispensable instruments of political strategy for kings and nobles, even as their personal autonomy was routinely disregarded. Her passing marked the end of the direct line controlling the historic honor of Gloucester through her, and her estates and title continued to be significant assets in the politics of the Angevin and early Plantagenet realm.