On 28 October 1265, nearly three months after her husband and son fell at Evesham, Eleanor de Montfort handed over Dover, the key to the kingdom, to her nephew Edward (I) and left England forever. She practically crossed sails with her sister-in-law Queen Eleanor, who landed the next day at Dover after more than two years abroad. The youngest of King John’s children, Eleanor died not quite ten years later at a convent outside of Paris, going back to the same spiritual roots that led her to take the veil following the death of her first husband William Marshal II. Edward, mindful of his shameful actions at Evesham, was very considerate towards his aunt, even lending her money on one occasion. His mother also retired to a convent, but the most he would do when she died in 1291 was promise the nuns £100 if they prayed for her soul every day. Edward’s word being what it was, he didn’t pay a penny.
