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Birth:          25 Apr 1284 Caernarvon, Caernarvonshire, Wales
Death:          21 Sep 1327 Berkeley Castle, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Cause of Death: murdered
Burial:         20 Dec 1327 Cathedral, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_II_of_England
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was 
King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of 
Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne following the death of his older 
brother Alphonso. Beginning in 1300, Edward accompanied his father on campaigns to 
pacify Scotland, and in 1306 he was knighted in a grand ceremony at Westminster 
Abbey. Edward succeeded to the throne in 1307, following his father's death. In 1308, 
he married Isabella of France, the daughter of the powerful King Philip IV, as part of a 
long-running effort to resolve the tensions between the English and French crowns.

Edward had a close and controversial relationship with Piers Gaveston, who had 
joined his household in 1300. The precise nature of Edward and Gaveston's 
relationship is uncertain; they may have been friends, lovers or sworn brothers. 
Gaveston's arrogance and power as Edward's favourite provoked discontent both 
among the barons and the French royal family, and Edward was forced to exile him. On 
Gaveston's return, the barons pressured the King into agreeing to wide-ranging 
reforms called the Ordinances of 1311. The newly empowered barons banished 
Gaveston, to which Edward responded by revoking the reforms and recalling his 
favourite. Led by Edward's cousin, the Earl of Lancaster, a group of the barons seized 
and executed Gaveston in 1312, beginning several years of armed confrontation. 
English forces were pushed back in Scotland, where Edward was decisively defeated 
by Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Widespread famine 
followed, and criticism of the King's reign mounted.

The Despenser family, in particular Hugh Despenser the Younger, became close 
friends and advisers to Edward, but in 1321 Lancaster and many of the barons seized 
the Despensers' lands and forced the King to exile them. In response, Edward led a 
short military campaign, capturing and executing Lancaster. Edward and the 
Despensers strengthened their grip on power, revoking the 1311 reforms, executing 
their enemies and confiscating estates. Unable to make progress in Scotland, Edward 
finally signed a truce with Robert. Opposition to the regime grew, and when Isabella 
was sent to France to negotiate a peace treaty in 1325, she turned against Edward 
and refused to return. Isabella allied herself with the exiled Roger Mortimer, and 
invaded England with a small army in 1326. Edward's regime collapsed and he fled 
into Wales, where he was captured in November. Edward was forced to relinquish his 
crown in January 1327 in favour of his fourteen-year-old son, Edward III, and he died 
in Berkeley Castle on 21 September, probably murdered on the orders of the new 
regime.

Edward's relationship with Gaveston inspired Christopher Marlowe's 1592 play Edward 
II, along with other plays, films, novels and media. Many of these have focused on the 
possible sexual relationship between the two men. Edward's contemporaries criticised 
his performance as a king, noting his failures in Scotland and the oppressive regime of 
his later years, although 19th-century academics later argued that the growth of 
parliamentary institutions during his reign was a positive development for England over 
the longer term. Debate has continued into the 21st century as to whether Edward 
was a lazy and incompetent king, or simply a reluctant and ultimately unsuccessful 
ruler.
Background[edit]

Edward II was the fourth son of Edward I and his first wife, Eleanor of Castile.[1] His 
father was the King of England, and had also inherited Gascony in south-western 
France, which he held as the feudal vassal of the King of France, and the Lordship of 
Ireland.[2] His mother was from the Castilian royal family, and held the County of 
Ponthieu in northern France. Edward I proved to be a successful military leader, 
leading the suppression of the baronial revolts in the 1260s, and joining the Ninth 
Crusade.[3] During the 1280s he conquered North Wales, removing the native Welsh 
princes from power, and in the 1290s he intervened in Scotland's civil war, claiming 
suzerainty over the country.[4] He was considered an extremely successful ruler by his 
contemporaries, largely able to control the powerful earls that formed the senior ranks 
of the English nobility.[5] The historian Michael Prestwich describes Edward I as "a 
king to inspire fear and respect", while John Gillingham characterises him as an 
efficient bully.[6]

Despite his successes, when Edward I died in 1307 he left a range of challenges for 
his son to resolve.[7] One of the most critical was the problem of English rule in 
Scotland, where Edward's long but ultimately inconclusive military campaign was 
ongoing when he died.[8] Edward's control of Gascony created tension with the 
French kings.[9] They insisted that the English kings should give homage to them for 
the lands; the English kings saw this demand as insulting to their honour, and the 
issue remained unresolved.[9] Edward I also faced increasing opposition from his 
barons over the taxation and requisitions required to resource his wars, and left his 
son debts of around £200,000 on his death.[10][nb 1]
Early life (1284–1307)[edit]

Birth[edit]

Edward II was born in Caernarfon Castle in North Wales on 25 April 1284, less than a 
year after Edward I had conquered the region, and as a result is sometimes called 
Edward of Caernarfon.[12] The King probably deliberately chose the castle as the 
location for Edward's birth, as it was an important symbolic location for the native 
Welsh, associated with Roman imperial history, and it formed the centre of the new 
royal administration of North Wales.[13] Edward's birth brought with it predictions of 
greatness from contemporary prophets who believed that the Last Days of the world 
were imminent, declaring him to be a new King Arthur, who would lead England to 
glory.[14] David Powel, a 16th-century clergyman, suggested that the baby was 
offered to the Welsh as a prince "that was borne in Wales and could speake never a 
word of English", but there is no evidence to support this account.[15]

Edward's name was English in origin, linking him to the Anglo-Saxon saint Edward the 
Confessor, and was chosen by his father instead of the more traditional Norman and 
Castilian names selected for Edward's brothers:[16] Edward had three elder brothers: 
John and Henry who had died before Edward was born, and Alphonso, who died in 
August 1284, leaving Edward as the heir to the throne.[17] Although Edward was a 
relatively healthy child, there were enduring concerns throughout his early years that 
he too might die and leave his father without a male heir.[17] After his birth, Edward 
was looked after by a wet-nurse called Mariota or Mary Maunsel for a few months until 
she fell ill, when Alice de Leygrave became his foster mother.[18] He would have 
barely known his natural mother Eleanor, who was in Gascony with his father during 
his earliest years.[18] An official household complete with staff was created for the 
new baby, under the direction of a clerk, Giles of Oudenarde.[19]
Death and aftermath[edit]

Those opposed to the new government began to make plans to free Edward, and 
Roger Mortimer decided to move Edward to the more secure location of Berkeley 
Castle in Gloucestershire, where the former King arrived around 5 April 1327.[295] 
Once at the castle, Edward was kept in the custody of Mortimer's son-in-law, Thomas 
Berkeley, and John Maltravers, who were given £5 a day for Edward's maintenance.
[296] It is unclear how well cared for Edward was; the records show luxury goods 
being bought on his behalf, but some chroniclers suggest that he was often 
mistreated.[296] A poem, the Lament of Edward II, was once thought to have been 
written by Edward during his imprisonment, although modern scholarship has cast 
doubt on this.[297][nb 15]

Concerns continued to be raised over fresh plots to liberate Edward, some involving 
the Dominican order and former household knights, and one such attempt got at least 
as far as breaking into the prison within the castle.[298] As a result of these threats, 
Edward was moved around to other locations in secret for a period, before returning to 
permanent custody at the castle in the late summer of 1327.[299] The political 
situation remained unstable, and new plots appear to have been formed to free him.
[300]

On 23 September Edward III was informed that his father had died at Berkeley Castle 
during the night of 21 September.[301] Most historians agree that Edward II did die at 
Berkeley on that date, although there is a minority view, described below, that he died 
much later.[302][nb 16] Edward's death was, as Mark Ormrod notes, "suspiciously 
timely", as it simplified Mortimer's political problems considerably, and most historians 
believe that Edward probably was murdered on the orders of the new regime, although 
it is impossible to be certain.[303] Several of the individuals suspected of involvement 
in the death, including Sir Thomas Gurney, Maltravers and William Ockley, later fled.
[304][nb 17] If Edward died from natural causes, his death may have been hastened 
by depression following his imprisonment.[306]

The rule of Isabella and Mortimer did not last long after the announcement of Edward's 
death. They made peace with the Scots in the Treaty of Northampton, but this move 
was highly unpopular.[307] Isabella and Mortimer both amassed, and spent, great 
wealth, and criticism of them mounted.[308] Relations between Mortimer and the 
young Edward III became strained and in 1330 the King conducted a coup d'ιtat at 
Nottingham Castle.[309] He arrested Mortimer and then executed him on fourteen 
charges of treason, including the murder of Edward II.[310] Edward III's government 
sought to blame Mortimer for all of the recent problems, effectively politically 
rehabilitating the late King.[311] The King spared Isabella, giving her a generous 
allowance, and she soon returned to public life.[312]
Issue[edit]

Edward II had four children with Isabella:[403]
1.Edward III of England (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377). Married Philippa of 
Hainault on 24 January 1328 and had issue.
2.John of Eltham (15 August 1316 – 13 September 1336). Never married. No issue.
3.Eleanor of Woodstock (18 June 1318 – 22 April 1355). Married Reinoud II of 
Guelders in May 1332 and had issue.
4.Joan of The Tower (5 July 1321 – 7 September 1362). Married David II of Scotland 
on 17 July 1328 and became Queen of Scots, but had no issue.

Edward also fathered the illegitimate Adam FitzRoy (c. 1307–1322), who accompanied 
his father in the Scottish campaigns of 1322 and died shortly afterwards.[404]

Parents
PLANTAGENET Edward I "Longshanks" (17 Jun 1239 - 7 Jul 1307)
OF CASTILE Eleanor (Leonor) (1244 - 28 Nov 1290)

Siblings
____ Joan of Acre (Apr 1272 - 23 Apr 1307)
PLANTAGENET Elizabeth (7 Aug 1282 - 5 May 1316)
____ Edward II (25 Apr 1284 - 21 Sep 1327)

Marriage To OF FRANCE Isabella (1292 - 21 Nov 1358)
    m. 25 Jan 1308 Boulogne, France

Notes

Parents
CAPET Philippe IV "le Bel" (1268 - 29 Nov 1314)
DE NAVARRE-CHAMPAGNE Joann (Jeanne) (Jan 1271 - 2 Apr 1305)

Children by OF FRANCE Isabella 1292 - 21 Nov 1358
____ Edward III (13 Nov 1312 - 21 Jun 1377)

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