February 25: Edward II

This date in 1308 saw the coronation of King Edward II of England. Here are 10 things you might not know about this English king.

1. Edward was born on 25 April 1284, in Caernarfon Castle. He was the fourth son of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile. Two of his elder brothers, John and Henry, had died before he was born. His remaining brother, Alphonso, died in August that year, leaving Edward as the sole heir.
2. He was the first English prince to hold the title Prince of Wales. This was bestowed on him by his father in 1301.
3. He was betrothed to Margaret of Norway when he was just six years old, but she died, and the hunt was on for a suitable wife for Edward. His father's goal at that time was peace with France, so two French brides were considered but abandoned before Edward was eventually married to Isabella of France, who was just 12 at the time of the wedding.
4. Because she was so young, Edward probably didn't sleep with her for a few years but had mistresses instead. He had an illegitimate son in about 1307. Once Isabella was old enough, he had children with her - the future Edward III, John, Eleanor and Joan. They seemed happy enough for a time, but the marriage later broke down and when Isabella was sent to France on a peacekeeping mission, she instead began an affair with an exiled Lord, Roger Mortimer. Together, they plotted to invade England and depose Edward.
5. There was considerable controversy during Edward's early reign concerning his close friend Piers Gaveston. Gaveston had been a knight in his father's household and he and the prince became close friends. It has even been speculated that they might have been lovers, although there is no actual evidence for that. It's more likely they'd sworn oaths and become brothers in arms. The rumour about them being gay may have been fuelled by the fact that King Edward had Gaveston sent into exile for no apparent reason. On becoming king, Edward II allowed Gaveston back into England and made him Earl of Cornwall, not a popular move with the nobility of the time. Gaveston was exiled twice more by demand of the barons but each time was allowed back. Eventually, the barons had him executed.
6. In 1314, Edward invaded Scotland, but was defeated by Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn.
7. During his reign some of the barons revolted because they didn't like the royal favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger. The revolt was known as the Despenser War and began in 1321. Edward fought his opponents off on this occasion.
8. What was Edward II like? He was tall and well-built and considered to be handsome. He didn't like falconry or hunting, which was unusual for royals of the time. He preferred riding and breeding Horses, racing greyhounds, and listening to Welsh music. He liked to watch jousting, but never participated in the sport. It's not known whether this was because jousting was considered to dangerous for the one remaining heir or whether he simply wasn't very good at it. His letters show he had a quirky sense of humour - he would make jokes about sending animals to his friends. He was also known to enjoy digging ditches and planting hedges with the labourers and treated his servants well. I found one reference to him keeping a Lion and a Camel as pets.
9. Isabella and Mortimer succeeded in deposing Edward and crowning their son, Edward III, king. Edward II was imprisoned in Berkley Castle and was murdered there.
10. There isn't any concrete evidence that Edward II was murdered by having a red hot poker stuck up his bum. Historians say it's unlikely he'd have been killed in such an obvious way. There is still another rumour which stated Edward wasn't murdered at all, but escaped with the help of a servant and lived the rest of his life as a hermit in Europe.

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