Irene Preston's Historical Writing
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - PART FIVE
Edward II
Edward II was born in 1284 at Caernarvon Castle the 4th son of Edward I
and Eleanor of Castile. He was one of 16 children and most of them died
at an early age including his 3 brothers making him heir to the throne.
Edward was only 2 when his parents went to Gascony for 3 years. His
paternal grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, had been an affectionate
mother creating a pleasant homely atmosphere for her children. Isabella
and Edward were not as homely and preferred to travel, often leaving the
children with their nurses. Prince Edward was 6 years old when his
mother died in 1290 but he did not miss her as much as he missed his
grandmother when she died the following year. As a young man he had his
own household but still had to follow the king and his court, visiting
royal manors and monasteries. Young Edward proved his prowess in battle
when he accompanied his father during the war with Scotland but much of
his prowess was taken up with his brutal treatment of the villagers. The
king acknowledged his son's action in Scotland by investing him as the
Prince of Wales in 1301, together with the earldom of Chester. The
ceremony seemed more significant as he had been born in Wales. Prince
Edward was not like his father he disliked the expense of war, politics
and court business, preferring artistic pursuits; he even played music
with his own orchestra and acted in plays. He spent his time in country
activities such as thatching and digging ditches. He also bred and raced
horses. He kept company with members of the lower orders in preference
to those of the nobility and would have been happier living the life of
a country gentleman, but he was destined to be king. It was during his
time in Scotland that he met Piers Gaveston and they became great
friends. It was this friendship, together with Edward's frivolous
behavior and lack of respect to members of the court, that was to play a
big part in Edward's downfall. King Edward arranged several political
marriages for his son, the Maid of Norway, who drowned in 1290, and
Philippa, the daughter of the Count of Flanders, in 1297. Nothing came
of these betrothals and Edward eventually married Isabella, the daughter
of Philip IV of France, in 1306. His father Edward I had married
Philip's sister, Margaret, in 1299.
In 1301 Edward was given important commands in Scottish campaigns and
father and son were at peace with one another for several years. This
did not last as the prince upset the Bishop of Chester who was an
important advisor to the king. Edward was dismissed from his father's
sight and presence for 6 months and was refused money. He still had to
follow his father on campaign but stayed several miles behind him.
Edward continued to be indiscreet with his close friendship of Gaveston
and wanted to give him land in France that had belonged to his mother
Isabella. The king was in a rage and seized his son's hair in both hands
and tore much from his head in anger. The king then ordered the
expulsion of Gaveston from England. In 1307 King Edward I was an old man
of poor health and died on his way to oversee his campaign against King
Robert I of Scotland. His son, now King, abandoned the campaign and
recalled his beloved friend Gaveston.
Edward II was 23 when he became king and did not wish to fulfil his
father's ambitions and directed his thoughts to other things. He gave
his friend Gaveston the earldom of Cornwall with the approval of several
barons. Most barons did not approve of him as he was from Gascony and
the barons had had enough of foreigners taking positions of authority;
and Gaveston took advantage of his new position and treated them as
inferiors. Edward also gave him his sister's daughter, Margaret, in
marriage. His sister Joan of Acre had married Gilbert de Clare, Ear! of
Gloucester.
Edward II knew he had to marry so set sail for France to bring back his
bride Isabella, the daughter of Philip IV. He made Gaveston regent in
his absence adding yet another grievance for the barons to hold against
their king. Isabella was 12 years old when she married Edward in
Boulogne in 1308; and she soon became aware of her husband's
relationship with Gaveston. She complained angrily to her father that
Edward was giving her jewels and wedding gifts to his friends.
The barons strongly disapproved of the king's relationship and were on
the point of mutiny but under the leadership of Edward's cousin, Thomas,
Earl of Lancaster, they forced the king to banish Gaveston. In 1310
Edward was obliged to accept the governance of 21 ‘Lords Ordainers’ for
the good of the realm. Ordinances were drawn up greatly restricting his
power and became law in the Parliament of 1311. These restrictions were
similar to those placed on his grandfather, Henry III, by the
‘Provisions of Oxford’. In 1312 Edward's beloved Gaveston was murdered,
which was probably organized by the Earls of Warwick and Lancaster.
Edward had his body embalmed and kept it for 3 years hoping to discover
those responsible, but eventually his body was laid to rest in a
lavishly endowed tomb. With the loss of Gaveston the king gave more
attention to his wife and a son was born at Windsor within the year and
given the name of Edward. Three more children were born to Isabella, a
son John who became the Earl of Cornwall and two daughters, Eleanor of
Woodstock and Joan who married King David II of Scotland. In 1314 the
war with Scotland broke out again as Robert the Bruce, now king, set
about reclaiming the castles back from the English. Edward was shamed
into setting off with a large army but they made a tactical error by
leaving the roadside to settle in a field during the evening. When
daylight came they found themselves hemmed in by a stream and the River
Forth. The Scottish army bore down on the English and they were
massacred near the town of Bannockburn. Burn is a Scottish word for
stream. Edward's cousin, Thomas, was a thorn in his side, gaining
control of affairs of state supported by the barons. The king regained
control in 1322 and the Earl was captured in battle and later beheaded
at Pontefract Castle. The king had, however, become friendly towards
Hugh Despenser the elder and his son Hugh the younger, who would replace
Gaveston in the king's affection.
Edward's Queen Isabella was a force to be reckoned with she may have
been young but had more strength of purpose than Edward and was
humiliated by the king's friendships and his lack of dignity to his
barons, and care for his subjects.
The Queen's father, Philip IV, had arrested the wives of his 3 sons,
Louis, Charles and Philip, 2 were accused of adultery and the other for
aiding them. They were put in prison with their lovers and all were
tortured and murdered in the town square. Isabella was therefore not
unused to the harsh realities of use and abuse of power and was alert to
the possibility of her son becoming king of France. Isabella's father,
Philip IV, died in 1314, his son Louis X was only king for 2 years and
died in 1316. Next in line was his brother Philip V who died in 1322 and
then followed the last brother Charles IV who died in 1328 bringing an
end to the House of Capet. The French throne then passed to Philip the
nephew of Philip IV so becoming King Philip VI of the House of Valois.
He reigned until 1350. English wool was still the best in Europe and the
chief export during Edward's reign. Other exports such as fish, corn,
cheese even hides and lead went to Gascony and being under English rule
cultivated more of its land to growing vines. Most of the wine produced
was shipped to England and sold by Gascon subjects up and down the
country to all classes with the exception of the poor. Spain supplied
oil, fruit, leather and iron. Linen and herrings came from the Low
Countries. The Hanseatic League of North Germany sent ships from the
Baltic carrying furs, timber, tar and pitch, silks from Italy and
spices, sweet wines and sugar from Venice. England had established a
profitable trading link with Europe and the Mediterranean and needed to
keep the passage across the Channel free of pirates and war.
In 1325 Prince Edward, now 13, was granted the Duchy of Gascony and he
went to France to pay homage to his mother's brother, King Charles IV.
Isabella stayed with her son and was having meetings with English exiles
to plan the downfall of her husband. One of these exiles was Roger
Mortimer a Marcher Lord who had supported Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, in
the failed revolt of 1321-2. In 1323, when Thomas was beheaded, Roger
was imprisoned in the Tower of London but escaped the night before his
execution. He went to France and offered his services to Charles IV for
the war in Gascony. He started an affair with Isabella and soon they
were lovers and plotting to depose Edward II. Mortimer already had
designs on the throne of England for himself. Isabella took her son to
Hainault and betrothed Prince Edward to Philippa, the daughter of the
Count of Hainault. Edward gave up his claim to France without consulting
the barons. His mother gathered an army to be paid out of Philippa's
dowry and commanded by the Count's brother and Mortimer. Isabella and
Mortimer arrived in England and were joined by several of the
discontented earls and barons, including Edward's half-brother Thomas,
Earl of Norfolk. More supporters came from France by order of the king
and civil war broke out. Isabella ordered that the Despencers should be
removed.
The Despensers were descended from the stewards of the Earls of Chester,
their name is Norman French for Steward. One Hugh Despenser died
fighting alongside Simon de Montfort in the battle of Evesham in 1265.
His son born in 1262 was called the elder as he also had a son called
Hugh born in 1290 who was referred to as the younger.
Father and son became prominent in Edward's court and young Hugh soon
replaced Piers Gaveston in the king's affection. Both received gifts of
land, castles and positions of power which they abused. Gilbert de
Clare, Earl of Gloucester, son of Edward's sister Joan, was killed at
Bannockburn, aged 23, in 1314, leaving no heirs only 3 sisters. The king
had given the 1st sister Margaret in marriage to Piers Gaveston and on
his death she was married to Hugh de Audley. The 2nd sister, Eleanor,
was given in marriage to Hugh Despenser, the younger, who received a
third of the vast De Clare estates. He became greedy and set about
increasing his holdings and wealth by violence and fraud. He was exiled
by the barons in 1321 and became a pirate in the English Channel. Piracy
was part of life around the Cinque Ports and the king found it to his
advantage to look the other way. Hugh was recalled but still acted as a
tyrant as he knew the king would protect him. He even terrorized the
widow of Thomas of Lancaster for her lands. The 3rd sister, Elizabeth,
had married John de Burgh, son of the Earl of Ulster, in 1308. They had
a son in 1312 and John died the following year. Elizabeth was recalled
to England when her brother had died and she was placed in Bristol
Castle held by Hugh the elder to await Edward's pleasure. Before he
could arrange another marriage for her she was abducted from the castle
by Theobald II de Verdun to whom she had been engaged in Ireland.
Unfortunately he died of typhoid 6 months later. Her 3rd marriage was to
Roger D' Amory, a favourite of her uncle Edward, who was reckless and
violent; making a deadly enemy of his brother-in-law, Hugh the younger
Despenser. D'Amory had switched sides over to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster
and was captured by the king's men and died in 1322. Elizabeth was taken
and imprisoned at Barking Abbey with her children. She supported Queen
Isabella when she invaded England and received gratitude from Edward III
at a later date. She took a vow of chastity and retired to a quiet life,
becoming patroness of many religious houses. Elizabeth is remembered as
Lady de Burgh and founder of Clare College in Cambridge.
Hugh Despenser the elder opened his gates at Bristol and surrendered to
Isabella and Mortimer. Determined to have her revenge he was bound with
his arms and legs outstretched and tied to 4 horses drawn and quartered
suffering a horrible death. The king had escaped the army and hid in an
abbey in Wales with Hugh the younger. They were captured by Edward's
other half-brother, Henry Earl of Leicester. The king was taken to
Kenilworth Castle and was treated with the respect due to him and Hugh
was held in chains until he was hung, drawn and quartered. His head was
severed and sent to London Bridge, his body quarters were sent to the 4
corners of the kingdom. His body lies in Tewkesbury Abbey and his
alabaster effigy is surmounted by a glorious framework of gothic arches
which is rather at odds with the evil he did to others. Edward was later
taken to Berkley Castle and subjected to non-physical torture in the
hope he would die. He was fed tainted meat, given foul water and kept in
a cell above a place where the dead bodies were kept to rot. He was to
die but not a mark must be found on his body and Edward's death in 1327
was a most unpleasant one.
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - William I to Henry II click
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - Richard I and King John click
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - Henry III click
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - Edward I click
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - Edward II click
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - Edward III
click
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - Richard II
click
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - Henry IV click
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND - Henry V click
THE PLANTAGENET KINGS OF ENGLAND -
Henry VI
click