Edward,
the eldest son of Edward II and Isabella
of France, was born in 1312. Edward was only fourteen when his
father was murdered and for the first three years of his reign was
under the influence of his mother and her lover, Roger
Mortimer. This ended in 1330 when Edward had Mortimer executed
and his mother removed from the royal court.
Edward married Philippa of Hainault.
The couple had twelve children, nine of whom survived: Edward,
the Black Prince, Isabella, Joan, Lional (Duke of Clarence), John
of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster), Edmund (Duke of York), Mary, Margaret,
Thomas (Duke of Gloucester).
A good leader of soldiers, Edward III was soon avenging the defeats
suffered by his father in Scotland. In 1333 Edward defeated David
II of Scotland at the Battle
of Halidon Hill. Five years later Edward invaded France (the start
of the 100 Years War). Edward wanted to win
back land lost by King John and victories
at Crecy (1346) and Poitiers
(1356) turned him into a military hero. His eldest son, Edward,
the Black Prince, also gained a reputation for being a great soldier.
Edward had to deal with the economic problems caused by the Black
Death. Attempts to control wage levels by introducing the Statute
of Labourers Act made him unpopular with the people.
By 1360 Edward was able to negotiate a deal that gave him control
over nearly a quarter of France. However, the king's wars proved expensive
and when English forces suffered defeats in France during the next
few years, Edward began to lose the support of the people. In 1376,
Parliament rebelled against the cost of the war and refused to grant
the king the money needed to continue fighting in France.
Heart-broken by the death of his son, the Black
Prince, Edward's mind began to go during the last years of his
reign. John of Gaunt, took over much of
the responsibility of government until Edward III's death in 1377.
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