| Notes |
- Reign 16 November 1272[1] – 7 July 1307
Coronation 19 August 1274
Predecessor Henry III
Successor Edward II
Born 17/18 June 1239 Palace of Westminster, London, England
Died 7 July 1307 (aged 68) Burgh by Sands, Cumberland, England
Burial Westminster Abbey, London, England
Spouse Eleanor of Castile (m. 1254–1290)
Margaret of France (m. 1299–1307)
Issue Eleanor, Countess of Bar
Joan, Countess of Hertford
Alphonso, Earl of Chester
Margaret, Duchess of Brabant
Mary of Woodstock
Elizabeth, Countess of Hereford
Henry
Edward II of England
Thomas, Earl of Norfolk
Edmund, Earl of Kent
House Plantagenet
Father Henry III of England
Mother Eleanor of Provence
Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons. In 1259, he briefly sided with a baronial reform movement, supporting the Provisions of Oxford. After reconciliation with his father, however, he remained loyal throughout the subsequent armed conflict, known as the Second Barons' War. After the Battle of Lewes, Edward was hostage to the rebellious barons, but escaped after a few months and joined the fight against Simon de Montfort. Montfort was defeated at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, and within two years the rebellion was extinguished. With England pacified, Edward joined the Ninth Crusade to the Holy Land. The crusade accomplished little, and Edward was on his way home in 1272 when he was informed that his father had died. Making a slow return, he reached England in 1274 and was crowned at Westminster on 19 August.
He spent much of his reign reforming royal administration and common law. Through an extensive legal inquiry, Edward investigated the tenure of various feudal liberties, while the law was reformed through a series of statutes regulating criminal and property law. Increasingly, however, Edward's attention was drawn towards military affairs. After suppressing a minor rebellion in Wales in 1276–77, Edward responded to a second rebellion in 1282–83 with a full-scale war of conquest. After a successful campaign, Edward subjected Wales to English rule, built a series of castles and towns in the countryside and settled them with English people. Next, his efforts were directed towards Scotland. Initially invited to arbitrate a succession dispute, Edward claimed feudal suzerainty over the kingdom. In the war that followed, the Scots persevered, even though the English seemed victorious at several points. At the same time there were problems at home. In the mid-1290s, extensive military campaigns required high levels of taxation, and Edward met with both lay and ecclesiastical opposition. These crises were initially averted, but issues remained unsettled. When the King died in 1307, he left to his son, Edward II, an ongoing war with Scotland and many financial and political problems.
Edward I was a tall man for his era, hence the nickname "Longshanks". He was temperamental, and this, along with his height, made him an intimidating man, and he often instilled fear in his contemporaries. Nevertheless, he held the respect of his subjects for the way he embodied the medieval ideal of kingship, as a soldier, an administrator and a man of faith. Modern historians are divided on their assessment of the King: while some have praised him for his contribution to the law and administration, others have criticised him for his uncompromising attitude towards his nobility. Currently, Edward I is credited with many accomplishments during his reign, including restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III, establishing Parliament as a permanent institution and thereby also a functional system for raising taxes, and reforming the law through statutes. At the same time, he is also often criticised for other actions, such as his brutal conduct towards the Scots, and issuing the Edict of Expulsion in 1290, by which the Jews were expelled from England. The Edict remained in effect for the rest of the Middle Ages, and it would be over 350 years until it was formally overturned under Oliver Cromwell in 1656.
He was involved early in the political intrigues of his father’s reign, which included rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he sided with a Baronial Reform Movement, supporting the Provisions of Oxford.
On 24 December 1264 he was forced to deliver the Earldom of Chester into the hands of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester just before his escape. In late June 1260, Edward, attempting to alleviate Henry's money crisis, by subterfuge under cover of darkness requested admittance into the New Temple of the Knights Templar in London & robbed the treasuries of the city guilds. In June 1263 Prince Edward's foreign Flemish troops burned Bristol; the populace rose up & besieged him & his army in the castle. The Bishop of Worcester, Walter de Cantelou placated the townsfolk by taking Edward's pledge to make peace with de Montfort & the barons (Edward had no intention of honoring his pledge). March 1264 Simon's sons Henry & Bran de Montfort trap Prince Edward at Gloucester Castle, but Edward solemnly avows to Henry (they were extremely close, growing up together) that if Henry grants him a truce he will work with King Henry & Richard of Cornwall to arrange a truce & avoid war. Henry de Montfort was in command, & believed him. Edward was lying through his teeth. As soon as Henry & Bran de Montfort's army were out of sight, Edward seized the town & imposed harsh fines & penalties. On April 5 1264 the defeat at Northampton by Edward of Simon's forces (de Montfort was in London) crippled rebel forces. Northampton defenses had been allowed to decay in the years previous to de Montfort's occupation there, plus the battle was lost due to the treachery of the Prior at St. Andrew's. After the defeat, Edward allowed his army to have their sport on the town, culminating in utter destruction, rapine, murder, etc. of its inhabitants. Some 80 barons & knights were taken prisoner & the rebel army was gutted. The defeat touched off a riot in London (since Londoners were very favorable to Simon) on Apr 9, 1264 in which hundreds, mainly Jews, were slain. In May 1264 Edward looted lands of Robert de Ferrers, the Earl of Derby, & after Derby lost Tutbury Castle, he defected from Simon's support. King Henry meanwhile took Leicester & Nottingham. Simon & Gilbert de Clare attacked Rochester Castle (which surrendered) & besieged the town when Edward approached London so Simon went back to defend it. King Henry & Edward were practicing fierce cruelty by chopping off the nads & feet of all common soldiers captured from de Montfort's army. The Cinque Ports & Dover Castle held fast for Simon, & did not obey Henry & Edward's command for a naval force to attack London. Thwarted, Edward takes Gilbert de Clare's Tonbridge Castle. Simon continued to hold London, but was surrounded by Edward & Henry. In May 1264, the Bishop of Chichester tried to convince Henry III to negotiate, but he refused. The Bishops of London & Worcester (Walter de Cantelou) try to do the same on the eve of the Battle of Lewes; again Henry refuses. At Lewes, Montfort was outnumbered 2:1; Royalist forces numbered some 10,000. Montfort introduced a new strategy to warfare; he established a reserve command to be commanded by him, plus he introduced the concept of the night march. He was thought to be miles away by the Royalist forces on the eve of the battle, but he & his army undertook a night march to focre the battle on May 14, 1264. Henry was utterly taken by surprise, & his garrison lodged at the Priory were in some confusion; however, Edward, who garrisoned his men at Lewes Castle, was able to meet the rebel left flank of greenhorn & untrained Londoners under the command of Nicholas de Segrave. Edward routed them with no care for the "rules" of war in that he & his knights undertook a pursuit miles away from the battle only to slay every man they could find. This was thought caused by the Londoner's steadfast support for Monfort and their animosity toward Henry & especially Edward's mother Queen Eleanor (including the London mob's attack on her barge July 1263). From these beginnings Edward had a lifelong hatred for Londoners. On the eve of the Battle of Lewes, 14 May 1264, after Henry had refused the entreaty of the Bishops of London & Worcester (Walter de Cantelou) to negotiate, Simon formally renounced all allegiance to Henry, & was followed by his men. Including Gilbert de Clare, Hugh le Despenser, Humfrey de Bohun VI "the Younger", John Giffard, Sir John FitzJohn, Nicholas de Segrave, & Robert de Vere. Clare & Vere had the most to lose of any rebel supporters. At the battle itself, the left flank of green & hastily trained but no battle-experience Londoners was under the command of Nicholas de Segrave with 2nd an inexperienced John Giffard; the right flank was commanded by Simon's sons Henry & Guy de Montfort (Bran still being held in captivity at Windsor Castle by Henry) with 2nd Humphrey de Bohun VI "the Younger", the center column was commanded by Gilbert de Clare, 2nded by Sir John FitzJohn, with Simon himself commanding the new reserve force 2nded by Hugh le Despenser. For the Royalists, Henry commanded the center column, Richard of Cornwall commanded the left flank, & Edward commanded the vanguard. Royalist forces outnumbered the rebels by some 2:1 with some 10,000 men. Henry's force was augmented by a Scots force sent by his son in law Alexander III the Glorious, King of Scotland. With Edward were Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Hugh le Bigod, Henry Plantagenet of Almaine, Richard of Cornwall's son (& Edward's cousin & Simon's nephew), & John de Warenne. At the time of the battle, Simon was thought to be miles away, & still unable to ride a horse due to his broken leg. After Edward had absented himself from the field so long (carrying out his vengeance on the Londoners) Simon attacked & obliterated King Henry's force. Henry fled to the Priory. Richard of Cornwall was captured by Gilbert de Clare. When Edward & his men found out, Edward was urged to flee to Pevensey Castle & from there toward France. Edward refused to abandon his father, but the de Lusignans fled the battle, as did John de Warenne, Hugh le Bigod, Dafydd ap Gruddydd & over 300 knights. Only Edward's cousin Henry of Almaine (Richard of Cornwall's son) & Edwards’s household knights remained with him. Edward got through John FitzJohn's surrounding encampment to his father in the priory; Simon then offered a 12 hour truce & accepted their surrender the following morning. Lewes resulted in 2700 known dead (one of every five men). Under the Mise of Lewes, the Oxford Provisions were again reinstated as the law of the land, with an arbitration commission. Under no circumstances could Henry appoint aliens onto his council. Henry's extravagant spending was also to be brought under control & he to live within his means & pay off his enormous debts. A full amnesty was proclaimed for all rebels. No ransoms were to be paid for men captured neither at Lewes nor earlier at Northampton. Edward & Henry of Almaine surrendered themselves as hostages for their fathers' good faith. Edward was confined at Wallingford Castle with Richard of Cornwall. King Henry was lodged securely at the palace of the Bishop of London, In June 1264; Simon called a Parliament, one that included knights & town officials. The effect of Lewes that while Henry was still King, Simon had command of the realm. He also called for the terms of the Chivalric code to cover not only knights, but also commoners & Jews. In October 1264, the Pope (who hated Simon & the English Lords who had refused to succor his (the Pope's) abortive plans for Sicily) formally excommunicated Simon, his sons Henry, Bran & Guy, Gilbert de Clare, Hugh le Despenser, the Mayor of London Thomas Fitz Thomas, & many of their supporters. The Bishops of Worcester, London & Winchester refused to publish the sentence of anathema; the Pope laid England under Interdict Oct 21 1264, but the English clergy continued to support Simon & services & rites of the Church continued to be performed. Fought against and defeated Simon de Montfort (his uncle) in the Battle of Evesham and on 4 August 1265 took back his title with the death of Simon.
He spent much of his reign reforming royal administration and common law. Through an extensive legal inquiry, he investigated the tenure of various feudal liberties, while the law was reformed through a series of statutes regulating criminal and property law. He suppressed corruption in the administration of justice and passed legislation allowing feudal barons and the crown to collect revenues from properties willed to the church. He crushed clerical opposition when Pope Clement V allowed him in 1306 to suspend Archbishop Robert de Winchelsey. Early in his reign he divided the Curis Regis into three courts. 1) The Court of Kings Bench, to deal with criminal offenses reserved for the Kings judgment and with suits in which he was himself concerned; 2) The Court of Exchequer, to deal with all matters touching the Kings revenue; and 3) The Court of Common Pleas, to deal with suits between subject and subject. Edward took care that these courts should administer justice and dismissed judges and many other officials for corruption. He gave Scotland new constitution and representation in English Parliament.
While some historians have praised him for his contribution to the law, others have criticized him for his uncompromising attitude toward his nobility. Accomplishments include: Restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III, Establishing Parliament as a permanent institution and thereby also a functional system for raising taxes, reforming the law through statutes. His criticisms include: His brutal conduct towards the Scots, and issuing the Edict of Expulsion in 1290 (by which the Jews were expelled from England and would take over 350 yrs before it was overturned in 1656 by Oliver Cromwell).
|
1239 - 1307 (68 years)
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17] 
