King Edward II (1284 - 1327)

King Edward II was born on 25 April 1284 at Caernarvon Castle in Wales. His parents were King Edward II and Eleanor of Castile.

In 1301 his father named him as the first Prince of Wales, a title bestowed on the eldest son of a king or queen since that time.

Edward II became king on 8 July 1307 aged 23 years. He was crowned king on 25 February 1308 at Westminster Abbey.

King Edward can be said to have a tumultuous reign.

On 25 January 1308 he married Isabella (1295-1358) daughter of the King Phillip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre.

Edward and Isabella had two sons - Edward (later King Edward III) and John - and two daughters - Eleanor and Joan who married King David II of Scotland.

Edward also had relationships with men. When young he was known to be under the influence of Piers Gaveston until the barons intervened and Gaveston was executed in 1312. Some years later Hugh le Despenser, son of the Earl of Winchester, used the power created with his relationship with the king to take over a large section of south Wales.

In 1314 Edward and his army once again ventured into Scotland where they were defeated at the Battle of Bannockburn by Robert Bruce.

View in 2014 of where the battle took place.

In 1320 the independence of the Scots was confirmed when the Declaration of Arbroath was signed.

King Edward continued to face opposition from the barons. In 1310 Parliament established a committee of Lords Ordainers to control the King and improve the administration of the country to favour the barons. A leader of the barons was the King's cousin, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. He was probably more concerned with increasing his power base than in reforming parliament.

As the influence of Hugh le Despenser and his father over the king increased the barons rebelled. In 1321an attempt was made to invade London. The troops of the barons camped outside London's walls. They were unable to break into the city, but having come so were not prepared to back down on their demands.

Inside the city walls was the king was unable to force the besiegers to leave. He was also unwilling to meet their principle demand: to get rid of Hugh le Despenser. Eventually Queen Isabella intervened, publicly pleading with the king to exile Hugh for the sake of the kingdom. Eventually King Edward finally agreed to the barons' demands and the Despensers were exiled.

Unrest continued. In 1322 the Baron's Rebellion led by Thomas Earl of Lancaster was defeated at the Battle of Boroughbridge in Yorkshire.

Hugh le Despenser returned and took vengeance on those who previously opposed him. In 1324 after King Edward had ordered that all French aliens should be arrested, Despenser had put the queen under house arrest.

Meanwhile the French king (Isabella's brother) threatened Edward's possessions in Gascony. Isabella agreed to return to France to negotiate a peace treaty.

The peace treaty was approved provided that the king's eldest son went to France to pay homage to the French king. Now that she had her son with her, Queen Isabella, with Roger Mortimer, returned to England with an army to challenge the king.

King Edward II was captured in Wales and imprisoned at Berkeley Castle where he died on 21 September 1327 aged 43 years. He may have been murdered. he had been king for 20 years. 

King Edward II was buried at Gloucester Cathedral.