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Birth:          5 Aug 1301 Woodstock, Kent, England
Death:          19 Mar 1330 Winchester, Hampshire, England
Cause of Death: executed
Burial:         31 Mar 1330 Friars Minor, Winchester, Hampshire, England

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_of_Woodstock,_1st_Earl_of_Kent
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent (5 August 1301 – 19 March 1330) was the 
sixth son of Edward I of England, and a younger half-brother of Edward II. Edward I 
had intended to make substantial grants of land to Edmund, but when the king died in 
1307, Edward II failed to follow through on his father's intentions, much due to his 
favouritism towards Piers Gaveston. Edmund still remained loyal to his brother, and in 
1321 he was created Earl of Kent. He played an important part in Edward's 
administration, acting both as diplomat and military commander, and in 1321–22 helped 
suppress a rebellion against the king.

Discontent against the king grew, however, and eventually affected also Edmund. The 
antagonism was largely caused by Edward's preference for his new favourites, Hugh 
Despenser the Younger and his father. In 1326, Edmund joined a rebellion led by 
Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer, whereby Edward II was deposed. Edmund failed 
to get along with the new administration, and in 1330 he was caught planning a new 
rebellion, and executed.

Once the new king, Edward III, came of age and assumed personal control of 
government, he annulled the charges against his uncle. The title and estates of the 
Earl of Kent descended on Edmund's son, also called Edmund. When this Edmund 
died, in 1331, his brother John became earl. Though he was officially exonerated, 
Edmund did not enjoy a great reputation during his life and afterwards, due to his 
unreliable political dealings.
Family background and early years[edit]

Edward I of England had a great number of children with his first wife, Eleanor of 
Castile, but only one son who survived into adulthood – the future Edward II (b. 
1284).[a] After Eleanor died, the king married Margaret of France, with whom he had 
two children: Thomas (b. 1300) and, when the king was sixty-two, Edmund.[1][b] 
Edmund was born at Woodstock in Oxfordshire on 5 August 1301, and was therefore 
referred to as Edmund of Woodstock.[2] Son of the English king, he was also, through 
his mother, grandson of Philip III of France.[2] On 7 July 1307, before Edmund had 
turned six, King Edward I died, leaving Edmund's half-brother Edward to succeed as 
King Edward II.[3]

Though not resident in the two boys' household, Edward I had taken great interest in 
the princes' upbringing and well-being.[4] Before he died, the king had promised to 
provide Edmund with substantial grants of land. In August 1306, Edward I signed a 
charter promising Edmund land worth 7000 marks a year, and in May 1307, 1000 
marks was added to this.[5] He probably intended to give the earldom of Norfolk to 
Thomas, while Edmund would receive the earldom of Cornwall, which had been left 
vacant after Edward I's cousin Edmund died without children in 1300.[5] When 
Edward II came to the throne, however, he went against his father's wishes by 
granting the earldom of Cornwall to his favourite Piers Gaveston.[6] According to the 
chronicle Vita Edwardi Secundi, this act was a grave insult to the king's younger 
brothers.[7] Edward II nevertheless took steps to provide his half-brother with an 
income; grants made in 1315 and 1319 secured Edmund 2000 marks a year.[2] In May 
1321, Edmund received the strategically important Gloucester Castle, and further 
grants followed his creation as Earl of Kent on 28 July 1321.[8][c]

Edward II's close relationship to Gaveston had been a source of conflict at court, and 
Gaveston's execution by a group of rebellious barons in 1312 had brought the country 
to the brink of civil war.[9] As Edmund came of age, he became an important member 
of the circle around his brother. In 1318, the Treaty of Leake was drafted as an effort 
to reconcile the opposing parties, and Edmund – as his first public act – was among the 
witnesses to sign this treaty.[10] Further official appointments followed. In the spring 
of 1320 he took part in an embassy to Pope John XXII in Avignon, where the mission 
was to absolve the king of his oath to uphold the Ordinances, a set of restrictions 
imposed on royal authority by the baronage.[10] Later that year, he joined his brother 
the king in Amiens, where Edward was paying homage to the French king.[11] In 
October 1320, Edmund attended his first parliament.[2]

Civil war[edit]

As the political conflict escalated into full-scale rebellion in 1321–22, Edmund played 
an important role in its suppression. The opposition stemmed from resentment against 
the king's new favourites, Hugh Despenser the Younger and Hugh Despenser the 
Elder.[12] When Bartholomew Badlesmere, steward of the royal household, defected 
to the opposition, Edward made his youngest brother Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 
in place of Badlesmere on 16 June.[8] In the parliament of July 1321, Edmund briefly 
sided with the opposition when he agreed to exile the Despensers, but later claimed 
this had been done under duress, and in November sat on the council that annulled 
the exile.[2]

In October, Edmund was once more employed in a move against Badlesmere, when he 
took part in a siege on Leeds Castle in Kent, which was held by Badlesmere.[2] After 
Badlesmere was forced to surrender, hostilities moved to the Welsh Marches, where 
Roger Mortimer and others were in open revolt.[13] Once confronted with the royal 
army, Mortimer surrendered without a fight, and attention turned to the leader of the 
baronial opposition, Thomas of Lancaster. Edmund, who had taken part in the Marcher 
campaign, was now ordered, with the Earl of Surrey, to take Lancaster's castle of 
Pontefract.[14] On 17 March 1322, Lancaster was captured after his defeat at the 
Battle of Boroughbridge, and brought to Pontefract.[15] Here, Edmund was on the jury 
that condemned him to death for treason.[d]

Even with Lancaster defeated, the battle against the rebels was not over. Edmund 
was charged with overtaking Wallingford Castle from Maurice de Berkeley in January 
1323, a task which he fulfilled with great success.[2] For his loyalty, Edmund was 
rewarded with substantial holdings in Wales, primarily land forfeited by Roger 
Mortimer.[e] The greater part of the spoils of war, however, went to the Despensers, 
who both benefited greatly from the forfeiture of the rebels. By 1326, the Despensers, 
father and son respectively, enjoyed incomes of £3,800 and £7,000, while Edmund's 
annual income was at only 2,355 marks (£1,570).[16]

Scotland and France[edit]

With domestic opposition largely neutralised, the king turned his attention to Scotland. 
A major campaign was organised in August, but the effort ended in total failure when 
the English were routed by the Scots, led by Robert the Bruce, at the Battle of Old 
Byland on 14 October 1322.[17] Edward II himself had to flee the battlefield to avoid 
capture, and Edmund was with him as the royal army retreated to York.[18] The king's 
inability to handle the Scottish situation was becoming apparent. Andrew Harclay, who 
had defeated Lancaster at Boroughbridge, and for this had been created Earl of 
Carlisle and appointed Warden of the Marches to Scotland, signed a peace treaty with 
the Scots without royal sanction in January 1323.[19] When the king found out, he 
ordered Harclay's arrest. Edmund was one of the judges who passed judgement on 
Harclay, who was hanged, drawn and quartered for treason.[2] With Harclay gone, 
Edmund was given responsibilities for the defence of the northern border, but the 
situation remained untenable.[8] On 30 May 1323, Edmund was on the council that 
agreed to a thirteen-year truce with Scotland.[2]

Meanwhile, the English king's possessions in France were coming under threat from 
the French king. Charles IV of France demanded that Edward again pay homage for 
his Duchy of Aquitaine,[f] while at the same time threatening to confiscate the duchy 
under the pretext of a local dispute involving the priory at Saint-Sardos.[20] In April 
1324, Edmund and Alexander de Bicknor, Archbishop of Dublin, were sent to France 
on a diplomatic mission.[21] While some historians have criticised Edmund for his 
failure to reach a diplomatic settlement,[22] others have pointed to the difficult 
circumstances he faced, and how others had fared little better.[16] When diplomacy 
failed, Edmund was appointed Edward's lieutenant in France on 20 July 1324.[2] 
Though there was a desperate need for reinforcements from England, these never 
arrived.[23] In the short war that followed, the English lands were quickly overrun by 
the French, and Edmund was besieged at La Rιole. Here he held out until 22 
September, at which point he was forced to surrender and agree to a six-month truce.
[23]

Deposition of Edward II[edit]

Edward II's refusal to pay homage to the French king was based on concern for his 
royal sovereignty, but also on fear of a potential resurgence of domestic resistance.
[24] For this reason, he sent his wife Isabella to negotiate with King Charles, who was 
her brother.[25] The Queen departed for France on 9 March 1325, and in September 
she was joined by her son, the heir to the throne, Prince Edward.[26] Isabella's 
negotiations were successful, and it was agreed that the young Prince Edward would 
perform homage in the king's place, which he did on 24 September.[2] Not long after 
this, Edmund joined the queen and prince in Paris. A circle of opposition was emerging 
around the queen, including the exiled Roger Mortimer. Edmund, who had previously 
been steadfast in his support for his half-brother, now joined the plot against the king.
[27] Though he still distrusted Mortimer, his hatred for the Despensers seems to have 
been even greater at this point.[28] When Edmund, along with the others, ignored the 
king's order to return to England, his lands were confiscated in March 1326.[2]

In August, Isabella and Mortimer invaded England with mercenary soldiers, and 
Edmund took part in the invasion.[29] The invasion won the support of a great part of 
the English nobility, including Edmund's brother Thomas, and Henry, Earl of Lancaster, 
Thomas of Lancaster's brother.[30] Edmund took part in the trials of the two 
Despensers, and in the council transferring power to Prince Edward, who was 
crowned King Edward III.[2] For his participation in the coup, Edmund received a 
reward of land belonging to the Despensers, and the Earl of Arundel, who was also 
executed as a supporter of Edward II.[2] As the Northern situation was still difficult, 
Edmund was given joint command of the Scottish Border with Lancaster, but the two 
fell out, and Lancaster was soon after given sole command.[31] It did not take long for 
Edmund to grow disenchanted with the new regime; one source of contention was the 
dominant position at court of Mortimer, who has been described as Isabella's lover.
[32] In the autumn of 1328, Edmund and his brother Thomas joined Henry of Lancaster 
in a conspiracy against Isabella and Mortimer. The conspiracy was a product of 
shared interest, however, rather than strong personal ties. Once it became clear that it 
would fail, the two brothers abandoned the venture.[33]

Death and aftermath[edit]

After participating in the planned rebellion, Edmund became less popular at court. He 
was still allowed to accompany the king's wife Philippa to her coronation in January 
1330, but his appearances at court became less frequent.[2] At this point he became 
involved in another plot against the court, when he was convinced by rumours that his 
brother was still alive.[34][g] It later emerged that Roger Mortimer himself was 
responsible for leading Edmund into this belief, in a form of entrapment.[35] The plot 
was revealed, and in the parliament of March 1330 Edmund was indicted and 
condemned to death as a traitor.[34] Upon hearing that the verdict was death, the 
condemned earl pleaded with Edward III for his life, offering to walk from Winchester 
to London with a rope around his neck as a sign of atonement. Edward III however 
knew that leniency was not an option for the aforementioned entrapment utilized by 
Mortimer could extend to him and potentially be subversive to his own kingship if his 
father, Edward II truly was alive. Thus Edward III sanctioned the killing of his uncle. It 
was almost impossible to find anyone willing to perform the execution of a man of royal 
blood, until a convicted murderer eventually beheaded Edmund in exchange for a 
pardon.[2] Edmund's body was initially buried in a Franciscan church in Winchester, 
but it was removed to Westminster Abbey in 1331.[36]

The execution of a royal prince was a great provocation to the seventeen-year-old 
Edward III, who had not been informed about the decision, and it probably contributed 
to the king's decision to rise up against his protector.[37] In 1330, Edward III carried 
out a coup installing himself in personal control of government, and Mortimer was 
executed.[38] Among the charges against Mortimer was that of procuring Edmund's 
death, and the charges against the late earl of Kent were annulled.[39] In late 1325, 
Edmund had married Margaret Wake, sister of Thomas Wake, Baron Wake of Liddell, 
and the couple had several children.[2] His lands and titles descended on his oldest 
son by the same name, but this Edmund himself died in October 1331. The earldom 
then passed to the younger son John.[40]

Edmund was not particularly popular while he was alive, nor did he enjoy a good 
reputation after his death. His unreliability in political issues, and repeated shifts in 
allegiance, might have contributed to this. His household was also said to behave in a 
way that caused popular resentment, taking provisions as they passed through the 
countryside while offering little compensation.[2] At the same time, it has been pointed 
out that Edmund showed a great deal of loyalty to Edward II, in spite of receiving 
relatively little rewards and recognition from his brother.[41]

Children[edit]


Name

Birth date

Death date

Notes

Edmund, 2nd Earl of Kent 1326 bef. 5 October 1331  
Margaret 1327 1352 Was to marry Arnaud Amanieu, Lord of Albret but the plans fell 
through. 
Joan of Kent 28 September 1328 7 August 1385 Known as "The Fair Maid of Kent". 
Married Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, and later Edward, the Black Prince, son of 
Edward III. 
John, 3rd Earl of Kent 7 April 1330 26 December 1352  

Ancestry[edit]

In fiction[edit]

Edmund is a character in Les Rois maudits (The Accursed Kings), a series of French 
historical novels by Maurice Druon. He was portrayed by Eric Kruger in the 1972 
French miniseries adaptation of the series.

Parents
PLANTAGENET Edward I "Longshanks" (17 Jun 1239 - 7 Jul 1307)
OF FRANCE Margaret (Marguerite) (1282 - 14 Feb 1318)

Siblings
PLANTAGENET Thomas "of Brotherton" (1 Jun 1300 - 4 Aug 1338)
____ Edmund "of Woodstock" (5 Aug 1301 - 19 Mar 1330)

Marriage To WAKE Margaret (ABT 1297 - 29 Sep 1349)
    m.  

Notes

Parents
WAKE John (ABT 1268 - ABT 10 Apr 1300)
DE FIENNES Joan (ABT 1273 - 1309)

Children by WAKE Margaret ABT 1297 - 29 Sep 1349
____ Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" (29 Sep 1328 - 8 Aug 1385)

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