Edward,
the eldest surviving son of Henry III
and Eleanor of Provence, was born in 1239. When Edward was fifteen
he married Eleanor of Castile. The couple had sixteen children but
most of them did not reach adulthood.
At first, Edward supported the barons in their struggle with Henry
III.
In May 1258 the barons went to see the king. They demanded that in
future the king should not make decisions without consulting his barons.
Fearing a civil war that he would lose, Henry accepted their demands
for reform (the Provisions of Oxford).
Fifteen barons, including
Simon de Montfort, were selected to
become members of this advisory council. However, it was not long
before Henry was ignoring his advisers. When the barons complained,
Henry bribed them with gifts.
Montfort refused to change
his mind over the need for a permanent council. He had a reputation
for being sympathetic to the needs of ordinary people. This helped
him gain the support of the majority of people who lived in the large
towns and cities. For example, in London
the people rebelled against Henry and handed over the city to Montfort.
After rallying his supporters,
the king decided to take on Montfort's army. The two sides met at
Lewes in Sussex on 14th May 1264. The bishops
of Chichester, London and Worcester, who were all supporters of Simon
de Montfort, attempted to negotiate a truce before the battle started.
However Henry, who had a much larger army and was confident of victory,
refused to do a deal.
Simon
de Montfort had recently broken his leg falling from a horse and
had to direct operations while sitting in a cart. However, it did
not stop him winning a famous victory. At the end of the battle the
king had been captured and those members of his army that had survived
had fled from the battlefield.
After
his victory, Simon
de Montfort organised a new parliament. As well as barons and
leaders of the church, two representatives from each town were invited
to attend parliament. The day-to-day running of the country was carried
out by three men: Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Gloucester and the
Bishop of Chichester. However, within a few months the barons started
to complain that Montfort was acting like a king. Gilbert
the Red, his second in command, argued with Simon and left London.
Prince Edward had been
imprisoned after the Battle of Lewes but
on 26th May 1265 he managed to escape. In June 1265 Gilbert
the Red met Edward in Ludlow. The two men raised
an army and began their campaign by capturing Gloucester.
When Simon de Montfort heard about the
size of his enemy's army, he is reported to have said: "Let us
commend our souls to God, because our bodies are theirs."
A dawn attack at Kenilworth
on 2nd August 1265 took forces led by Montfort's son by surprise.
The following day Montfort's main army was attacked at Evesham.
Prince Edward's army had an easy victory and Montfort's outnumbered
army was slaughtered. After Simon de Montfort had been killed, his
body was mutilated. His head was cut off and displayed round the country
as a warning of what happened to people who rebelled against their
king.
Edward improved his reputation as a knight during the Eighth
Crusade in 1270. Henry III died
in 1272 but Edward did not return to England for his coronation until
1274. Soon after assuming power Edward employed commissioners to tour
the country in an effort to obtain information on local officials.
This information was then used by the king to try and end efficiency
and corruption in local government.
Edward became concerned
about the power of Gilbert the Red
who controlled over 500 manors in England, Wales and Ireland. He decided
that he had to find a way of guaranteeing his loyalty. In 1283, the
king suggested that Gilbert should divorce his wife Alice, disinherit
his children, and marry Joan, his 11 year old daughter.
Gilbert was unhappy with
King Edward's proposal. Gilbert was 40 years old and he knew that
if he died before Joan had a child, all his lands would become the
property of the king. Before Gilbert could get divorced and remarried
he had to obtain permission from the Pope. Gilbert hoped that the
Pope would say no but after a six year delay, permission was at last
given for the marriage to take place.
A
talented military commander, Edward fought campaigns in Wales (1277-82
and 1294-95) and Scotland (1296-1305). Edward was also involved in
a long war to protect his lands in Gascony against Philip V of France.
Edward's military campaigns proved to be very expensive and resulted
in much higher taxation. In an effort to gain acceptance of this taxation,
Edward held regular meetings of Parliament.
In 1290 Edward
obtained considerable wealth by expelling the Jews
from England and then seizing their property.
In
1306, Robert the Bruce had himself crowned
king of Scotland. Although sixty-seven
and in bad health, Edward marched north with his army but died near
Carlisle in August, 1307. He was buried in Westminster
Abbey with the inscription 'Hammer of the Scots'.
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