17 June: Edward I

Edward I was King of England from 1272 to 1307. He was born on 17 June 1239.

1. Edward was born at the Palace of Westminster to King Henry III and Eleanor of Provence.
2. Edward wasn't a popular name among the aristocracy of England after the Norman conquest, because it was Anglo Saxon; but Henry was a devotee of Edward the Confessor, and decided to name his firstborn son after the saint.
3. When Henry died in 1270, Edward was away fighting in the Crusades. It was two years before he made it back to England to claim his throne.
4. Edward was, by all accounts, an imposing figure. He was 6ft 2in tall and the second tallest king of England so far (Edward IV was 6ft 4in - Prince William is 6ft 3in tall so there will come a day when Edward I is beaten into third place in the tallest king stakes). Because he was tall and had long legs he was nicknamed Edward Longshanks. He had a reputation for being intimidating and having a fierce temper. There is a story which says that the Dean of St Paul's, wishing to confront Edward over the high level of taxation in 1295, died of fright when he came face to face with the king. As a child, he was blond but his hair darkened. In old age his hair turned white. He had a drooping left eyelid and spoke with a lisp.
5. Unlike most medieval monarchs, he is thought to have been totally faithful to his wife, Eleanor of Castile. They had at least 18 children, possibly as many as 20. Eleanor's children were born all over the world, because she insisted on accompanying him on his campaigns, even when heavily pregnant.
6. When Eleanor died in 1290, Edward had 12 crosses erected between Lincoln and London in the places where her funeral cortège rested. These were the origin of the names of Waltham Cross and Charing Cross.
7. He had 450 eggs covered in gold leaf as gifts for Easter in 1290, so he is said to be the person who made Easter Eggs popular.
8. Edward was also responsible for several legal and administrative reforms in matters to do with the rights of the Crown, the uniform administration of justice and the legal system. He was further responsible for instigating regular meetings of parliament, to raise taxes for his military campaigns.
9. He was very interested in the legends of King Arthur. He visited the supposed grave of King Arthur in Glastonbury Abbey, built castles in locations connected to the legend, and held "Round Table" events in 1284 and 1302, involving tournaments and feasting.
10. He died of dysentery at the age of 68, on his way to wage war in Scotland. He died in the arms of the servants who came to help him eat. There are numerous legends about his dying wishes - that he wanted his heart to be carried into battle in the Holy Land, and his bones to be carried into battle against the Scots. Perhaps more likely is the story that he asked his nobles to look after his son and heir, Edward II, and that a man named Piers Gaveston should not be allowed to return to the country.