Notes for Edward II

Notes for Edward II

Edward II lacked the royal dignity of his father and failed miserably
as
king. He inherited his father's war with Scotland and displayed
his
ineptitude as a soldier. Disgruntled barons, already wary of Edward
as
Prince of Wales, sought to check his power from the beginning of his
reign. He raised the ire of the nobility by lavishing money and
other
rewards upon his male favorites. Such extreme unpopularity
would
eventually cost Edward his life.

Edward I's dream of a unified British nation quickly disintegrated
under
his weak son. Baronial rebellion opened the way for Robert Bruce
to
reconquer much of Scotland. In 1314, Bruce defeated English forces at
the
battle of Bannockburn and ensured Scottish independence until the
union
of England and Scotland in 1707. Bruce also incited rebellion in
Ireland
and reduced English influence to the confines of
the
Pale.

Edward's preference for surrounding himself with outsiders harkened
back
to the troubled reign of Henry III. The most notable was Piers
Gaveston,
a young Gascon exiled by Edward I for his undue influence on the
Prince
of Wales and, most likely, the king's homosexual lover. The arrogant
and
licentious Gaveston wielded considerable power after
being
recalled by Edward. The magnates, alienated by the relationship,
rallied
in opposition behind the king's cousin, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster;
the
Parliaments of 1310 and 1311 imposed restrictions on Edward's power
and
exiled Gaveston. The barons revolted in 1312 and Gaveston was murdered
-
full rebellion was avoided only by Edward's acceptance of
further
restrictions. Although Lancaster shared the responsibilities
of
governing with Edward, the king came under the influence of yet
another
despicable favorite, Hugh Dispenser. In 1322, Edward showed a
rare
display of resolve and gathered an army to meet Lancaster at the
Battle
of Boroughbridge in Yorkshire. Edward prevailed and executed
Lancaster.
He and Dispenser ruled the government but again acquired many enemies
-
28 knights and barons were executed for rebelling and many
exiled.

Edward sent his queen, Isabella, to negotiate with her brother,
French
king Charles IV, regarding affairs in Gascony. She fell into an
open
romance with Roger Mortimer, one of Edward's disaffected barons,
and
persuaded Edward to send their young son to France. The rebellious
couple
invaded England in 1326 and imprisoned Edward. The king was deposed
in
1327, replaced by his son, Edward III, and murdered in September
at
Berkeley castle.

Sir Richard Baker, in reference to Edward I in A Chronicle of the
Kings
of England, makes a strong indictment against Edward II: "His
great
unfortunateness was in his greatest blessing; for of four sons which
he
had by his Queen Eleanor, three of them died in his own lifetime,
who
were worthy to have outlived him; and the fourth outlived him, who
was
worthy never to have been born."