Thus is Matthew Paris’s description, adapted from Roger of Wendover, of the trousseau of Isabella, a younger sister of King Henry III of England and the bride of Emperor Frederick II. The gold, silver, and clothes were carried from London to Sandwich, where Isabella, her household attendants, and various imperial representatives bade farewell to the English court on May 8, 1235. As a parting gesture, an act of characteristic benevolence and brotherly affection, Henry III distributed gifts of plate to the imperial party before their embarkation. Three days later, Isabella reached Antwerp. After processing through Cologne, and distributing many of the gifts that had been received from her brother, Isabella married Frederick II at Worms on July 15, 1235.

The description of Isabella’s trousseau in the Chronica Majora is rich, but vague. Roger of Wendover may have witnessed the procession from Westminster to Sandwich, but he could not have known the quality and quantity of all the items that Isabella carried with her. Moreover, the wording of the account suggests Wendover was not primarily concerned to offer a factual rendition, rather a commentary on the “conspicuous consumption” that affronted his sense of Christian sobriety.