Entry taken from the book The Plantagenets Life appears happy for the future Edward III of England. He is the grandson of two of the most formidable monarchs of his time and the eldest son and undisputed heir of England's King Edward II. It seems that it is enough for him to calmly wait for his father to die a natural death to inherit his reign and bequeath a bright future to his descendants. Let's start with the grandparents. On his father's side, Edward I known as Longshanks (Long Legs) and as Hammer of the Scots, to whom we have already referred in some entries of this blog, to which we refer (Alexander III of Scotland). And on his mother's side, Philip IV of France (nicknamed the Handsome) one of the greatest French monarchs and known, among other things, for having put an end to the Knights Templar and burned its last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay.
However, our protagonist's accession to the throne was much more eventful than expected, as a result of the disastrous reign of his father Edward II of England and his relationship with his mother, Elizabeth of France. Q>
Edward II is a victim of the strange genetic Russian roulette that defines the personality of the members of the Plantagenet dynasty that alternates monarchs with strong and overwhelming personalities with kings who are weak and subject to the dictates of the favorite in power. Edward II belongs to this second branch and is a nullity as a military leader (he suffers an embarrassing defeat against the Scots led by Robert The Bruce, even more painful when you are the son of the "hammer of the Scots").
In addition, Eduardo II humiliates the great lords of the kingdom, by delegating the government of the nation to various favorites (with whom he apparently maintains homosexual relations) that bleed the country dry. The first of these, Piers Gaveston, ends up banished by Parliament and executed by King Thomas of Lancaster's cousin when he returns to England. The second, Hugh Despenser, is also banished, but at the king's behest he returns to England and together they defeat and execute Thomas of Lancaster, among other rebellious nobles.
This provokes a new uprising of the lords of the Kingdom in 1326, led by Roger Mortimer with the support of his mistress, Queen Elizabeth (sentient for the king's lack of marital care). The rebellion triumphs, Despenser is executed and Eduardo II taken prisoner and died in strange circumstances. The rebels seek the support of the heir to the kingdom, our protagonist; they intend to use him as a puppet to legitimize his rebellion. Edward III is crowned king, but only in name. The country is in the hands of Mortimer and Elizabeth, who becomes pregnant by her lover.
But the Russian roulette of Plantagenet genetics comes into play and Eduardo turns out to be from the strong branch of the family. He bides his time and in 1330, he rebels, arrests and executes Mortimer, imprisons his mother and effectively seizes power.
As for the legacy of Edward III, it cannot be said that he left his heirs a prosperous and peaceful kingdom, although this is not attributable to our protagonist, at least not entirely.
On the one hand, during his reign the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War took place between France and England for more than a century as a result of the aspirations of Edward III to the French throne (see the entry dedicated to the pre-eminence of the males in succession in France).
On the other hand, the premature death of his son Edward will eventually give rise to the War of the Roses between the houses of York and Lancaster (see the entry dedicated to Edward the Black Prince who bled England internally for more than thirty years, until the accession to the throne of the first Tudor king, Henry VII.
Finally, his reign witnessed the outbreak of one of the worst plagues in history, the Black Death, which wiped out a large part of the English population and was destined to forever change the system of relationships between feudal lords and serfs who cultivate their land.
Although the sources cited below include references to different books that deal with the topics reviewed here, I do not want to stop recommending the interesting book by Rebecca Gablé "The King of the Purple City", set in the time of Edward III.
Image| Edward III of England
Peter Ackroyd. A History of England Volume I (Foundations). Ed. Mcmillan, London. 1st edition (2011)
Roy Strong. The Story of Britain. Ed. Pimlico, London. 1st edition (1998)
Simon Schama. A History of Britain. BBC Worldwide Limited, London. 1st edition, fourth reprint (2000)
Derek Wilson. The Plantagenets, The Kings That Made Britain. Quercus Edition Ltd., London. Ebook edition (2014)