A medieval royal marriage contract described as a “potent relic of English history” will lead Bonhams’ Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in Knightsbridge on March 27.
Penned on vellum, the 1326 contract between the 13-year-old Edward III and the 11-year-old Philippa of Hainault was the decisive factor in a plot orchestrated by Isabella of France, against her husband Edward II. The plan and the union was ultimately successful, producing 13 children and ending only with the queen’s death in 1369.