| Notes |
- From History & Lives of the British Royals, a column that appeared on Facebook on 20 Jan 2023:
“On a Day Like Today ~ January 20, 1327. King Edward II abdicated.
Edward was born on this day in 1284 at Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd, Wales as the 15th child, 5th and eldest surviving son of Edward I of England and his wife Eleanor of Castile. He was born less than a year after his father conquered the region, and as a result is at times called Edward of Caernarfon. Edward barely knew his mother as he was cared for by a wet nurse and Alice de Leygrave became his foster mother while his birth mother was in Gascony with his father during his earliest years.
Edward became the heir apparent to the throne following the death of his elder brother Alphonso in August 1284 when he was just 4 months old. Beginning in 1300, Edward accompanied his father on campaigns to pacify Scotland. In 1306, he was knighted in a grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Edward succeeded to the throne in July 1307 following the death of his father.
With the intention of resolving the conflicts between France and England over possession of Gascony and claims to Anjou, Normandy and Aquitaine Edward married Isabella of France in Boulogne January 1308. The couple returned to England in February where Edward had ordered Westminster Palace to be lavishly restored in readiness for their coronation and wedding feast. They were crowned February 1308. The event was marred by the large crowds of eager spectators who surged into the palace, knocking down a wall and forcing Edward to flee by the back door.
Isabella was only 12 years old at the time of her wedding, young by the standards of the period, and Edward probably had sexual relations with mistresses during their first few years together. During this time he fathered an illegitimate son, Adam, who was born possibly as early as 1307. Their marriage produced 5 children, 4 of which survived into adulthood. He had an illegitimate son, Adam FitzRoy, who accompanied his father in the Scottish campaigns of 1322 and died shortly afterwards.
Edward II had a very close relationship with Piers Gaveston, who had first joined his household in 1300. The precise nature of Edward and Gaveston's relationship is uncertain; they may have been friends, lovers or sworn brothers. Gaveston's arrogance and power as Edward's favorite provoked discontent both among the barons and the French royal family, and Edward was forced to exile him. On Gaveston's return, the King was pressured into agreeing to wide-ranging reforms called the Ordinances of 1311. Gaveston was banished by the barons, to which Edward responded by revoking the reforms and recalling his favorite. Led by Edward's cousin, the Earl of Lancaster, a group of the barons seized and executed Gaveston in 1312, beginning several years of armed confrontation. English forces were pushed back in Scotland, where Edward was decisively defeated by Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Widespread famine followed, and criticism of the King's reign mounted.
The Despenser family, in particular Hugh Despenser the Younger, became close friends and advisers to Edward, but in 1321 Lancaster and many of the barons seized the Despensers' lands and forced the King to exile them. In response, Edward led a short military campaign, capturing and executing Lancaster. Edward and the Despensers strengthened their grip on power, revoking the 1311 reforms, executing their enemies and confiscating estates. Unable to make progress in Scotland, Edward finally signed a truce with Robert. Opposition to the regime grew, and when Isabella was sent to France to negotiate a peace treaty in 1325, she turned against Edward and refused to return. Isabella allied herself with the exiled Roger Mortimer, and invaded England with a small army in 1326. Edward's regime collapsed and he fled into Wales, where he was captured in November.
On this day in 1327, Edward II met with Henry, 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster and the bishops of Winchester and Lincoln. They informed Edward that if he were to resign as monarch, his son Prince Edward would succeed him, but if he failed to do so, his son might be disinherited as well, and the crown given to an alternative candidate. In tears King Edward II agreed to abdicate. His son, HM King Edward III was proclaimed King 5 days later.
Those opposed to the new government began to make plans to free Edward, and Roger Mortimer therefore decided to move Edward to the more secure location of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, where the former King arrived in early April 1327. Once at the castle, Edward was kept in the custody of Mortimer's brother-in-law, Thomas Berkeley, and John Maltravers, who were given £5 a day for Edward's maintenance. It is unclear how well cared for Edward was; the records show luxury goods being bought on his behalf, but some chroniclers suggest that he was often mistreated. A poem, the Lament of Edward II, was once thought to have been written by Edward during his imprisonment, although modern scholarship has cast doubt on this.
In late September 1327 Edward II died and his son was informed that his father had died at Berkeley Castle 2 days later. Most historians agree that Edward II did die at Berkeley on that date, although there is a minority view that he died much later. His death was, as Mark Ormrod notes, "suspiciously timely", as it simplified Mortimer's political problems considerably, and most historians believe that Edward probably was murdered on the orders of the new regime, although it is impossible to be certain. If Edward died from natural causes, his death may have been hastened by depression following his imprisonment.
The rule of Isabella and Mortimer did not last long after the announcement of Edward's death. They made peace with the Scots in the Treaty of Northampton, but this move was highly unpopular. Isabella and Mortimer both amassed, and spent, great wealth, and criticism of them mounted. Relations between Mortimer and Edward III became strained and in 1330 the king conducted a coup d'état at Nottingham Castle. He arrested Mortimer and then executed him on fourteen charges of treason, including the murder of Edward II. Edward III spared Isabella, giving her a generous allowance, and she soon returned to public life.
Edward II's body was embalmed at Berkeley Castle, where it was viewed by local leaders from Bristol and Gloucester. It was then taken to Gloucester Abbey October 1327 and 2 months later Edward II was buried by the high altar, the funeral having probably been delayed to allow Edward III to attend in person. Gloucester was probably chosen because other abbeys had refused or been forbidden to take the king's body, and because it was close to Berkeley.
Shared from History & Lives of the British Royals
https://www.facebook.com/History-Lives-of-the-British-Royals-122845112442353/ #HLofBR”
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Connected Bloodlines
1284 - 1327 (43 years)
