Edward II

Depiction in the Chronicle of England (c. 1350)

Regnal name: King Edward II of England

Birth name: Edward Caernarfon Plantagenest d'Angevin

Born: 25 April 1284, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Principality of Wales

Father: King Edward I of England 'Longshanks'

Mother: Princess Eleanor of Castile

House: Plantagenet

Nationality: English

Religion: Catholicism

Claim: Child of Edward I 'Longshanks'

Reign: 08 July 1307 - 20 January 1327 (19 years)

Coronation: 25 February 1308

Predecessor: Edward I 'Longshanks'

Successor: Edward III 

Died: 21 September 1327 (aged 43)

Cause: Murder by sodomy from hot poker *disputed*

Burial: Gloucester Cathedral

Motto: N/A 

Spouse(s):

• Princess Isabella of France 'The She-Wolf of France' (m. 1308 - 1327) 

Children:

• With an Unknown Woman
• Adam FitzRoy (1307 - 1322) 

• With Princess Isabella of France
• King Edward III of England (1312 - 1377)
• Prince John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (1316 - 1336)
• Princess Eleanor of Woodstock, Countess of Guelders (1318 - 1355)
• Joan, Queen of Scotland (1321 - 1362)  

Appearance:

He was reported to have been tall, muscular, and handsome.

 

Character:

He was well known for his sense of humour and for being a bit of a prankster, purposefully sending useless gifts, which mainly consisted of animals unable to carry out their tasks, such as lazy and stubborn horses and dogs. He had a keen love of horses and dogs himself, particularly greyhound dogs, and enjoyed going horse riding. 

 

He was also a lover of music, particularly Welsh music, and enjoyed watching jousting tournaments and going rowing. 

 

Edward was also known to be rather humble, and would often be seen talking to those deemed to be of the lower class, enjoying their company (though this behaviour was considered scandalous at the time). He was also generous to his servants. Edward was also a skilled public speaker, and remained quite close with his siblings and his step-mother. 

 

It's possible that Edward was bisexual or homosexual, and his preference for male favourites would help lead to his downfall.

 

Biography:

Edward was born in Wales in 1284, to King Edward I of England, and his first wife, Princess Eleanor of Castile, just after his father had managed to conquer Welsh lands. He was purposefully born in his father's newly constructed Caernarfon Castle to further legitimise English rule within Wales. Edward possessed many siblings from both of his father's marriages. 

 

He was brought up in the care of his wet nurses before William of Blyborough took over his guardianship and oversaw his household. Edward was educated by friars selected by his mother, and his curriculum mainly consisted of horse riding and military skills, though he also likely learned Latin. 
 
Edward would be betrothed to Princess Margaret of Norway (later a disputed Queen of Scotland), but she died before the two of them were old enough for the marriage to occur. His mother would also die when he was just 8 years old, and his father would re-marry Princess Margaret of France, whom he got along with really well. 

 

In 1297, Edward was made the regent ruler of England by his father while he campaigned in France, eventually coming to a truce with the French king. Edward was then betrothed to the French King's daughter, Princess Isabella of France, in order to end the feud over the lands of Gascony. Edward then joined his father on campaign in Scotland, and was made a commander, leading the sieges against Scottish castles. 

 

However, Edward and his father would have a brief falling out in 1305 over money, in which his father cut Edward off financially, but they soon reconciled. 

 

In 1306, Edward was left fully in charge of the English army upon Robert the Bruce seizing the throne of Scotland, and there would be violent clashes between the two forces. It was around this time that Edward became close with Piers Gaveston, the son of one of his father's knights, and the nature of their relationship is not fully clear. It's possible that they were lovers, or that they had merely adopted each other as brothers. Extremely close relationships like this, such as sharing beds, was not uncommon at the time, so it's difficult to fully judge the true nature of their relationship. Regardless, the two men were very close and rarely liked to be parted from each other. 
 
In 1307, his father fell ill and died, and Edward became King Edward II of England. He then married Isabella of France a year later, when she was 12 and Edward was 24. Their wedding and coronation celebrations were interrupted by a large crowd of excited spectators who stormed the palace and destroyed a wall, forcing Edward to flee. While Isabella remained a child, Edward fathered an illegitimate son with one of his mistresses. Once Isabella was deemed old enough, the two of them had four children together. 
 
Meanwhile, Edward's close relationship with Gaveston became increasingly unpopular, both with the people of England and France. He was seen to favour Gaveston over his wife, which the French took great offence to, with Isabella herself even complaining about his preferential treatment. There were calls for Gaveston to be exiled, further fuelled by rumours that he was stealing royal funds. Eventually, Edward was forced to send Gaveston away to Ireland. 

 

However, Gaveston soon returned, and Edward was forced to make a lot of concessions with Parliament in order for him to be allowed to remain, and to gain the funds he needed to war with Scotland. Yet Gaveston continued to be viewed as arrogant, and would often refer to members of the nobility by offensive names. 
 
Edward, meanwhile, fell into huge amounts of debt, and was forced to allow elected barons to aid with rulership and enact reforms. Gaveston was exiled again, this time from any lands belonging to the Kingdom of England. But both Edward and Gaveston reunited once again, resulting in Gaveston's excommunication and plans for his capture. Edward and Gaveston, along with Isabella, were forced to flee, eventually splitting up, where Gaveston was eventually captured in Scarborough, once again accused of stealing from the royal treasury. The Earl of Warwick took him into custody where he was quickly tried and charged with treason before being beheaded. This further increased tensions, as Edward was infuriated by Gaveston's death and wanted revenge on those involved. To negotiate their pardon for the incident, Edward was offered further funds for his war with Scotland, in which King Robert I of Scotland had recaptured many English gains within the kingdom. But Edward would be defeated during an ambush at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. 
 
The Great Famine also occurred, and this, combined with English defeat, caused people to believe these events were a punishment from God, and Edward became increasingly unpopular. Rebellions broke out, particularly in Wales, but these would quickly surrender. 

 

In 1325, Edward refused to pay homage to the French king (with whom tensions were also growing), and sent his son, Prince Edward, along with his wife, Isabella instead. Isabella had grown increasingly fed up with her husband and his behaviour, his treatment of her friends, and the fact that he had removed their children from her custody, giving their care over to the wife of his new male favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger. Isabella began an affair with Lord Roger Mortimer, and she refused to leave France and return to England. 

 

His wife then began to organise his downfall. She allied herself with Hainault by betrothing Philippa of Hainault to her son and heir to the English throne, Prince Edward. 
 
Edward grew wise to the risk of invasion and began mobilising defences. However, many of Edward's forces betrayed him due to his increasing unpopularity, and they allowed the invasion into the country, many of which even joined in against Edward. Both Edward and Despenser attempted to flee to Ireland, but bad weather blew them back into Wales. Isabella officially took over the English government and began securing her son's position as King Edward III of England. 

 

Meanwhile, Edward was finally captured, as was Despenser, who was quickly executed by mutilation. Edward was presented with a choice: he could either abdicate and allow his son to take the throne, or refuse, which would result in both of them being disinherited. Edward burst into tears and agreed to hand the crown over to his son. 
 
Edward would then remain in custody, though there were fears of the few loyalists that remained who might attempt to free and reinstate him. 

 

By 1327, Edward disappeared and was officially declared dead. 

 

The circumstances of his death are not known. There were rumours that he had been killed by a red hot poker being slowly inserted into his anus, but this is greatly debated. He likely was murdered, possibly on the orders of his wife, but the means are still unknown.

 

Rule:

Edward II's reign is generally regarded as disastrous. 

 

He was obsessed with war with Scotland and of conquering the territory, often bankrupting himself in the process. The expenses of his wars were not popular, especially as he offered little victories to show for his efforts. His failings and unpopularity led to the decrease in the powers that the monarch of England possessed, granting much for power to Parliament. 

 

He was unable to handle the discontent within his kingdom, particularly regarding his relationship with Gaveston. He appears to have underestimated just how unpopular both Gaveston and himself actually were, and his reliance on favourites such as Gaveston and Despenser is likely what ultimately cost him his throne and his life. Regardless of whether many of the rumours about these male courtiers were true, there is little evidence that Edward attempted to dispel them, nor to listen or to understand the opinions of those who had taken issue. 

 

His alienation of his wife and his French alliance was also consequential for his reign. His actions would constantly play right into the hands of his enemies who were able to use it to easily depose him. 

 

Most reforms were due to his Ordainers, whom he had relinquished power to. 

 

Edward accumulated a lot of debt, at a time where the Great Famine was occurring throughout the country. The issue of tackling food hoarding was met with little success. 

 

Of course, Edward's biggest failure came from him losing his position as King of England. He had made so many enemies, and was so unpopular, that it was easy to depose him as monarch.

 

Trivia: 

• He was the first official English Prince of Wales, a title that would then be passed down to the eldest surviving son of the reigning monarch.

 

Quotes:

 

N/A

 

 

Timeline of Reign:

| 1308: Tensions over Gaveston - Edward attempts to have Gaveston returned from exile.

| 1310: Invasion of Scotland - Edward attempts to invade Scotland, only to fail and leave soon after.

| 1311: Ordinances of 1311 - The monarch's powers are further regulated.

| 1311: Ordinances revoked - Edward revokes the ordinances. 

| 1312: Chased by barons - Edward, Gaveston, and Isabella chased to Yorkshire coast by barons.

| 1312: Execution of Gaveston - Gaveston captured and executed as a traitor. 

| 1314: Scottish raids - Scotland invades and raids northern England.

| 1314: Battle of Bannockburn - England defeated by Scotland.

| 1315: The Great Famine begins - Large scale famine across England and the rest of Europe.

| 1315: Scottish raids - Scotland continues its raids on northern England.

| 1315: Revolts break out - Numerous revolts begin across the country.

| 1321: The Despenser War begins - Civil war breaks out in England due to Edward's male favourite.

| 1321: Queen Isabella's servants murdered - Edward uses his wife's servants as bait to instigate war.

| 1322: Battle of Boroughbridge - Edward's forces capture Earl of Lancaster.

| 1322: Statutes of York - Ordinances of 1311 officially revoked. 

| 1322: Invasion of Scotland - England attempts to invade Scotland again, only to fail. 

| 1322: Truce with Scotland - Edward agrees to a 13 year truce with Scotland.

| 1322: Rebels escape - Rebels from Despenser War escape or are freed from prison. 

| 1324: War of Saint-Sardos - Tensions over Gascony leads to war between England and France.

| 1325: Queen Isabella leaves for France - Edward's wife refuses to return to England.

| 1326: Rebellion of Isabella and Mortimer - Queen Isabella and her lover, Mortimer, plan a rebellion.

| 1326: Queen Isabella invades England - Allied with Hainault and France, Isabella invades England.

| 1326: The English surrender - People of England quickly surrender and join the rebellion.

| 1326: Edward's escape attempt - Edward attempts to flee Britain, but is stopped by bad weather.

| 1326: Hugh Despenser executed - Edward's male favourite executed.

| 1327: Edward abdicates - Edward formally abdicates to allow his son to rule. 

 

 

Sources & Further Reading:

Cartwright, M. (2020). Edward II of England. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Edward_II_of_England/ 

Edward II - British Library Royal 20 A ii f10 (detail).jpg | Wikimedia Commons. (2023). Wikimedia.org.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_II_-_British_Library_Royal_20_A_ii_f10_(detail).jpg

pixeltocode.uk, P. (n.d.). Edward II. Westminster Abbey. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/edward-ii 

Shakespeare, A-P. (n.d.). The Tragic Demise of Edward II. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Tragic-Demise-Edward-II/