The History of England

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This is completely new so of  course you will understand that I can't claim to have read it, but it is one of the great moments in British history and Antonia Fraser is a very good author. Plus The Times recommended it thus: 

It is a remarkable story told by an excellent storyteller, with a flair for character and rare sympathy for context. 

I certainly intend to get hold of it, so hopefully it won't disappoint us all. 

 

I can recommend Audible with all my heart. It’s wonderful having someone read to you, it takes the mind off pain, like cycling, or boredom, like ironing.  There’s the price – Audible is so much more affordable than the audio CDs, there’s a massive the range – over 60,000 titles so something for everyone. And you can get a free audiobook for 30 days when you sign up for a free trial, with absolutely no commitment. All I ask is that you click on an image below to sign up for your free trial, so they know you heard about it from me. 

94 The Reign of Isabella and Mortimer

After Edward II's abdication in January 1327, England was ruled on behalf of the new King Edward III by Queen Isabella. But while Isabella probably wanted a life of respect, comfort and personal wealth Mortimer was hungry for power. This wasn't to be a story about the forces of life overturning the power of darkness. It was to be a new tyranny. 

 

94 The Reign of Isabella and Mortimer

 

Deposition - and abdication

In high drama, at the parliament at Westminster Hall, Mortimer staged a session where it was demanded that Edward II must be replaced with good king Edward III. And so a solemn group went to meet with Edward at Kenilworth Castle. Poor Edward did not take it in a manly. There was a lot of sobbing, and sorrow that his people were grumpy with him. And then, helpfully, Edward abdicated. And so he became Edward of Caernarfon again, and by September 1327 he had died in Berkeley castle - of which more later. Edward III was duly crowned.

 

The Scots

Bruce and the Black Douglas continued to dance rings round the English. The campaign of 1327 was a fiasco for the English. The English marched to the north of England to teach the Scots a lesson. But the Scots danced around the English and Mortimer, probably quite sensibly refused to allow the English to attack when the Scots held strong positions. The result was peace with Scotland at last. Edward III was furious. 

The fall of Henry of Lancaster

Henry of Lancaster, brother of Thomas of Lancaster, believed himself to be the obviously choice for royal adviser to Isabella. But in the end his supporters proved no more steadfast in the face of the name of the king, and January 1328 saw him kneeling in the January mud in front of Isabella, begging for mercy. He kept his life, but lost any political power

The tournament at Wigmore

By 1328 Mortimer was in his pomp. He had been made Earl of March. he had land and power. He sat by his lover the Queen in the guise of King Arthur. The chronicler Geoffrey le Baker says it all: 

Roger Mortimer shone with all too transient honour and as Isabella’s chief Adviser his word was law…No one dared to address him by name, but only by the title of earl of March. Indeed as the earl went about he was accompanied by a greater band of courtiers than the king himself. He condescended to rise in the king’s presence; when walking with the king he would arrogantly walk at his side never giving him precedence but sometimes indeed walking before him. 

His son Geoffrey called him King of Folly. 

The Execution of the Earl of Kent

in March 1330, the Earl of Kent, half brother to the king, was dragged before the court. The evidence against him was pretty clear - for some reason, he'd become convinced that Edward of Caernarfon was alive and living at Corfe Castle. He was tried, and found guilty - but everyone expected him to be let off, after all he was the king's uncle and of royal blood. But Mortimer forced the young Edward to have him executed. 

From that point, Edward and Mortimer were irreconcilable. 

 

 

 

93 The Wages of Tyranny

With the fall of Lancaster, the Despencers were off the leash, and able to vent the full force of their avarice on England. Their power and Edward's inability to control them even came between the king and Isabella - so that after a diplomatic mission to France Isabella refused to return. And then in 1326, she landed in England with 1,500 men and her rebel lover, Roger Mortimer. 

 

93 The Wages of Tyranny

 

Edward and Hugh Despencer fled to despencer's power base, the Welsh marches. But even there, they could find no support.  they were eventually captured trying to get back to Despencers powerful fortress at Caerphilly. Despencer was given the same treatment Edward had given Lancaster - refused the chance to speak in his defence, and hanged, drawn and quartered. 

 

 

 

The most despised English historical figure

There's something of a debate going on at the moment on the History of England Facebook group about who's the most despised English historical figure. Here are the results of the jury so far ...Bloody Mary (rather unfairly I feel) leading the pack by a nose at the moment. .

 

 

The despised one	Votes
Bloody Mary	4
King John	3
James II	3
Edward II	3
Edward I	2
Henry VI	2
Charles I	2
William I	2
Margaret of Anjiou	1
The Barons of Henry I	1
Matilda	1
Isabella	1
The bloke who shot Richard I	1
Thomas Becket	1
Richard II	1
Eadric Streona	1
The Duke of Wellington	1
Field Marshal Haig	1
Michael Grade	1
Mary Whitehouse	1
People who said nasty things about Oscar Wilde	1
Neville Chamberlain	1
Vortigern	1
Ed, some guy fron London who is a jerk	1
Aethelred	1
Henry VIII	1

 

92a The Cult of Thomas of Lancaster

Medieval man loved their saints. Remember the Anglo Saxons? Saints popping up all over the place. The Martyrdom of Thomas Beckett I suppose is reasonable,  but cult of Simon de Montfort and bit more odd. Edward II, unpopular though he is, also had a period of saintliness. In this episode, Hannah looks at the afterlife of Thomas of Lancaster - how a pretty miserable bloke got a following that saw him as a saint. Hannah looks at the Brut, and how the chronicler subtly positions Lancaster's story to support his new status. 

 

92a The cult of Thomas of Lancaster by Hannah Kilpatrick

 

92 The Fall of Lancaster

Lancaster and Edward have been picking at each other for years. In 1322, things finally came to a head, and rebellion was out in the open. Lancaster must have had a fighting chance, but it all goes to show that the reign of Edward is essentially about a struggle between mediocrities. 

92 The fall of Lancaster

Rebellion, 1322

Edward and the Despencers played it pretty well. They provoked rebellion, and picked off the rebels one by one. 

The first was Bartholomew of Badlesmere. Isabella gave Edward a causus bellum when refused entry from Badlesmere's wife to Leeds Castle (brilliant place to visit, by the way). Edward moved to take Leeds, while Mortimer, Hereford and Badlesmere dithered, and Lancaster ordered them to leave Badlesmere to his fate - he hated Badlesmere. And so Leeds surrendered, and Edward strung them up. 

Defeat in the Marches

Next up were Mortimer and Hereford. They had now retreated beyond the River Severn, looking to hold all the crossing's against the king. Still no help from Lancaster. But a lord called Gruffudd LLewyd in Wales remained loyal, and in their rear captured  castles for the king. Mortimer threw in the towel, on the promise of the king's leniency - and then Edward chucked him in the Tower anyway. So Hereford fled north to join Lancaster. 

Boroughbridge

Lancaster had found that the phrase 'King in the North' was just a phrase, not reality. He found it impossible to raise men against the king. He failed to realise that Edwrad would not just smile nicely, call him cousin and let him off. Lancaster's retainer Clifford eventually had to shake a sword in his face to get him to see sense - and Lancaster and Hereford fled north, heading for Dunstanburgh. 

Sadly for them, Edward's Sherrif in Cumberland, Andrew Harclay held the bridge and ford at Boroughbridge. Lancaster attacked the ford, and Hereford the bridge. As Hereford laid about him, a spearman snuck underneath the bridge, and shoved his spear into Harclay's backside.

Lancaster called a truce to gather his energy overnight. In the morning he found that his army had melted away. Edward found him kneeling in a chapel. 

Aftermath

The aftermath was a bloodbath. Lancaster was 'tried' - although he wasn't allowed to say anything in his defence - and beheaded. 6 more people were executed at the same time as Lancaster, and afterwards 117 families lost their lands. 

The Declaration of Arbroath and a truce

In 1320 Bruce had issued the Declaration of Arbroath - a magnificent document well worth reading, and you can find it here or below. Edward had one more go at retrieving his reputation - taking north an army of over 20,000 men. He found a country empty of food, and was forced to retreat. Once again as he did so, the Scots re-appeared and fired the north of England. So at last Edward signed a truce - but no recognition yet of Bruce as a king. 

Download The Declaration of Abroath

 

 

 

91 The New Favourites

In the 1310's, Robert Bruce's ambitions grew - not simply content with throwing the English out of Scotland, or burning the north of England - he now wanted to establish his own Empire. And so his brother Edward was sent to invade Ireland, where he would face the king's friend - Roger Mortimer. Meanwhile in England Edward and Lancaster tried to work it out and live together in peace and harmony - and failed. 

 

91 The New Favourites

 

 The invasion of Ireland, 1315-1318

Edward Bruce landed in the north west of Ireland and tried to call on a sense of Irish-Scottish brotherhood. 

Our people and your people, free since ancient times, share the same national ancestry and are urged to come together more eagerly and joyfully in friendship by a common language and by common custom.

Bruce initially carried all before him, defeating an army of the Irish allies of the English, and then defeating the English Earl of Ulster.  The Scots went on the rampage heading toward Dublin. In their way was Mortimer's great fortress at Trim and at Kells the combined army of the de Lacy's and Mortimers. The ensuing battle was again a triumph for the Scots. The Lacys abandoned Mortimer during the battle and as far as Mortimer was concerned it was treachery. At Ardscull in 1316, the Scots again defeated the English, but in fact this was the high water mark. Bruce was left in a devastated countryside, but unable to take Dublin castle, and forced to retreat. Mortimer took his revenge on the Lacys. 

The final defeat of Bruce came in 1318 at the hands of John de Bermingham at the battle of Faughart. His head is surgically removed and sent back to Edward II, and the dream of a Scottish Empire is dead for the moment. 

90 How to hold a parliament

The modus tenendi parliamentum is a very unusual document from around this time. It describes how parliaments should be held, but also includes a number of very interesting claims about the primacy of the commons. It's interesting for the procedures and atmosphere around parliaments - as long as we take it with a pinch of salt. Also this week we hear and the political war with Lancaster, the physical war with the Scots  and defeat at Bannockburn.

90 How to hold a parliament

Bannockburn, 1314

Edward's defeat at the hands of the Scots undid all the good work he'd achieved since the death of Gaveston. But if you want to hear about the battle itself, you aren't going to hear about it from me, no more than I'd do a blog on David Sole and his 5 Nations win against England all those years ago.

But I know a man who will - so go and visit Zack Twambley's When Diplomacy Fails podcast. There are lots of other goodies there as well.

http://whendiplomacyfails.libsyn.com/wdf-0-5-bannockburn

89 The Great Famine

For a long time we have been having a ball, economy wise - the medieval warm period, towns springing up all over the place, prices gently rising, population growing. So the Great Famine of 1315-1317 came as a terrible shock. Over 500-750,000 people died, as years of bad weather destroyed the feeling of economic well being. The question is whether or not this was a blip or part of a wider trend?

 

89 The Great Famine

 

 

88 Politics, Scandal, Intrigue and Turmoil

The period between 1308 and 1311 was dominated by the attempts of the barons to resolve the issues left unsolved from Edward I's reign; and by the scandal and disruption caused by the king's favourite, Piers Gaveston. The conflict and turmoil led to another constitutional shuffle forward with the powers and role of parliament in the Ordinances of 1311. 

88 Politics, scandal, intrigue and turmoil

 

The outrageous Piers Gaveston

How outraegous was Piers Gaveston? At one end of the spectrum is the view that Gaveston and Edward were in a homosexual love affair, Gaveston stole the queen's jewels and exported treasure from the kingdom; he controlled all access to the king and was insufferably arrogant. 

The reality is probably rather less dramatic. It's really impossible to know if Edward and Gaveston were lovers in a physical sense - what's clear is that they loved each other, and Edward idolised Gaveston. 

The stuff about stealing the queens jewels and exporting treasure from the kingdom is probably not true - the chroniclers vie with each other to do the guy down. But there's little doubt the guy was guilty of hideous arrogance. Here's a quote: 

He adopted such a proud manner of bearing towards them that the Earls coming before him to discuss business were forced to kneel in order to bring their reasons before him because he did not value them and did not heed the advice of the sage who said A sudden reverse awaits those who, raised high in pride from poverty know neither reason nor measure and have no care

Gaveston had to go becuase he upset the system of patronage and access to the king on which medieval politics relied. 

Here's a quote from the Annales Paulini that Hannah Kilpatrick emailed me, with some comments from Hannah also on the langauge used. 

... In an excess of love, the king called Piers his brother; the common people, however, called him the king's idol ("regis ydolum"), whose displeasure the king feared as that of a father, and whom he sought to please as one would a master [awkward idiom, but that's the sense of it]. The king gave to this Piers the bestowal on his subjects of many kinds of favours/graces [gratia], which by royal prerogative belonged to the king himself alone and ought not descend to others. For example, if any one of the earls or magnates would request any particular grace [gratiam] of the king regarding the proceedings of any business [aliquo negotio expediendo], the king would send him to Piers; and anything that Piers said or instructed would soon be enacted, and the king would allow it [acceptaret, which is a beautifully passive verb that you could almost justify as translating 'would submit to it'].

[And just in case we've missed why this corruption of the less physical royal coinage is a bad thing:]

And so all the people [populus universus] were resentful [indignatus, which is this chronicler's favourite adjective for this period], seeing two kings reign in one realm, both in word and in action.  

The Coronation Oath

The Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Winchelsea was still in France, since he was ill and had been in dispute with Edward I and the Pope. So the oath was administered by the Bishop of Winchester, assisted by the Bishops of Chichester and Salisbury.

By and large the oath is pretty standard – preserving the laws and customs, the church and administering justice. The rather radical thing was the phrase in bold below – ‘the just laws and customs that the community of your realm shall determine’. Now that’s very new, and sounds like something of a hostage to fortune.

The phrase derives from the Boulogne Declaration by a group of magnates and church leaders that they were loyal to the crown as much as the monarch – itself a new idea. Essentially, the barons wanted no repeat of Edward I’s reign where the king broke promises he had made to reform; and there were already signs that Edward II was not to be trusted.

Sire, will you grant and keep and by your oath confirm to the people of England the laws and customs given to them by the previous just and god-fearing kings, your ancestors, and especially the laws, customs, and liberties granted to the clergy and people by the glorious king, the sainted Edward, your predecessor?

I grant and promise them.

Sire, will you in all your judgments, so far as in you lies, preserve to God and Holy Church, and to the people and clergy, entire peace and concord before God ?"

I will preserve them.

Sire, will you, so far as in you lies, cause justice to be rendered rightly, impartially, and wisely, in compassion and in truth?

I will do so.

Sire, do you grant to be held and observed the just laws and customs that the community of your realm shall determine, and will you, so far as in you lies, defend and strengthen them to the honour of God?

I grant and promise them.

The Ordinances, 1311

The Ordinances were an attempt by the Barons to both resolve the problems and differences they had had with Edward I and which had continued into the new reign, and put an end to the crisis caused by Edward II’s reckless favouritism towards Piers Gaveston.

It has been described as ‘oligarchical’; the phrase ‘community of the realm’ doesn’t appear, the ordinances stress the role of the baronage in parliament. In fact, it’s doubtful that the barons had any intention of removing the powers and rights of knights and towns; more that they were simply not present at the parliament where the barons forced acceptance on Edward.

The ordinances have a number of groups of issues they try to address:

• Exactions of the king – the vexed questions of impositions such as prise and purveyance
• Control of royal officials – such as forest officials, household officers
• Legal reform – such as trying to stop malicious accusations
• Specific individuals – the ‘evil counsellors’ the barons didn’t like

In the end, the ordinances started a period of conflict – between Thomas, Earl of Lancaster and his supporters, and the king, rather than bringing one to an end. But despite the fact that there are few innovations in the Ordinances, most clauses hark back to the Articles on the Charters of Edward I’s reign, there are significant changes. Never before had the king been required to answer to parliament so comprehensively – such as appointing his officials, or leaving the country, or changing the currency.

Your can Download The Ordinances, 1311 or link to the Documents website. The version of theis not complete –  omissions are marked through lacunae and numbering.

87 Scandal was brought upon the Kingdom

This week, and introduction to Edward II, quite probably the most reviled king in English history. So this week he have a bit of a survey of how history has treated the lad, and the chroniclers that have given him his reputation. And then we kick of the reign. 

87 Scandal was brought upon the People

 Edward Ist by Ranulf Higden

This extract from the contemporary chronicler has formed the basis of opinion for many other contemporaries. I've taken it from Seymour Phillip's book 'Edward II'. 

King Edward was a man handsome in body and of outstanding strength, but, if common opinion is to be believed, most inconsistent in behaviour. For shunning the company of the nobles, to sought the society of jesters, singers, actors, carriage drivers, diggers, oarsmen, sailors and the practitioners of other kinds of mechanical arts. He indulged in drink, betrayed confidences lightly, struck out at those standing near him for little reason and followed the counsel of others rather than his own. He was extravagant in his gifts, splendid in entertainment, ready in speech but inconsistent in action. He was unlucky against his enemies, violent with members of his own household, and ardently attached to one of his familiars, whom he sustained above all, enriched, preferred and honoured. From this obsession opprobrium came upon the lover and obloquy to the loved one; scandal was brought upon the people, and the kingdom was damaged. He also promoted unworthy and incapable men to office in the church, a practice which was to be a beam in his eyes and a lance in his side. In his days there was also to be a dearth of grain and constant mortality among farm animals, such as had scarcely been seen before.  

The books I've used for Edward II

Here are the main books I've used: 

• Michael Prestwich, 'Plantagent England' - general survey, textbook, and bit dull
• Seymour Phillips, 'Edward II' - everything you ever wanted to know in 600 pages
• Michael Prestwich, 'The Three Edwards' - really good - not too long, the main themes and sweep of history
• Ian Mortimer, 'The Greatest Traitor' - Lively, immediate and a great read as ever with Ian Mortimer.

Then there's a quite amazing blog, Edward II by Kathryn Warner. Slightly chippy it must be said, but brilliantly written, incredibly comprehensive and easy to find whatever information you want. The best history blog I have come across by some distance. 

86 Handing over

In 1305 two Scottish lords had a fall out next to the altar of a church in Dumfries. One them, Robert Bruce, resolved the argument by sticking a knife in the other, John the Red Comyn. Robert then raised the standard of rebellion and with the support of Robert Wishart, and the Scottish war was back on. Two years later, campaigning in Scotland, Edward finally reached the end of his death. Hate him or loathe him, Edward can at least say that no-one could ignore him. And there is something relentless about his tomb and inscription that sums up the man. 

86 Handing over

 The tomb of Edward I 

The tomb of Edward I is really rather remarkable edifice. It is surrounded in Westminster Abbey by gorgeous gilt tombs and shrines; the Shrine of Edward the Confessor for example is a gilded monstrosity, nearby Henry III's tomb is less grand but certainly covered in gilt. Edward I gets an almost unmarked black granite block, with no effigy. It has been said that the reason was that the feckless Edward II couldn't be bothered to tart it up, but that's very doubtful. And when you look at it, perched high above the ambulatory, it's somehow entirely appropriate. Here lay a man of substance, an implacable opponent. 

All of which is reinforced by the inscription:

 Edwardus Primus Scottorum Malleus hic est, 1308. Pactum Serva

Here lies Edward Ist, hammer of the Scots. Keep the faith.

Now the inscription you see was actually  put onto the tomb in the 16th century but it's entirely possible it reflected an inscription of the time. Here was edward grimly telling his folk to remember the feast of swans, and their vow to avenge the death of John Comyn. 

 

85 Crime and Punishment

A digression this week - the state of the crime and punishment in 14th century, and the story of the theft of the crown jewels in 1303. We also get the final and rather gruesome end of William Wallace in 1305. 

 

 

85 Crime and Punishment

 

The statute of Winchester, 1285

The Statute of Winchester was one attempt by Edward to control the rising tide of crime; in fact war and the focus of the king on Wales, France and Scotland meant that the crime wave continued. But it gives an interesting insight. 

Download a PDF of Statute of Winchester 1285 or

Visit it online online of the Documents in English History site

 

84 War, Tournaments and Victory

We spend a bit of time in this episode having a bit of a catchup up - about arms, armour and armies, and about warfare for real and for pretend. Despite that we also find time to talk about the seeming final surrender of the Scots in 1305  - so how about that for value then? 

84 War, Tournaments and Victory

83 Crisis

From 1297, things became harder for Edward. The relentless pressure of external wars led to increased taxation. This continuous pressure on the magnates, church and people eventually led to a resistance. Edward's personality didn't help; up to now, he had carried everything before him - now, suddenly, he's faced with the concept of compromise. Meanwhile in the north it's come-uppance time for Wallace at the battle of Falkirk. 

83 Crisis

82 The Sucker Punch

Since the Treaty of Paris in 1259, England and France had been friends, united by a monarchy with close ties and relationships. So when in 1293 a dispute blew up over a sea fight in the Channel, Edward clearly didn't expect it to become a problem.  But in fact Phillip IV (the Fair) of France was keen to strengthen the power of the French monarchy - and that didn't include having Gascony controlled by a foreign king. 

82 The Sucker Punch

The Sucker Punch

Edward sent his brother Edmund of Lancaster  to negotiate with Phillip. Together it sounded as thought they'd stitched up a nice face-saving deal. Publicly, Phillip would confiscate Gascony from his  vassal, Edward Duke of Gascony, to keep his nobles happy and his brother Charles of Valois. But then he'd invite Edward to Amiens, where he'd hand them back again on favourable terms. 

Edward spent no time discussing any of this with his magnates; as far as he was concerned, Phillip was family and Edmund was of course his brother. So what could go wrong? Duly in 1294, Gascony and almost all its towns where handed over in 1294. 

To Edward's horror there was no invitation to Amiens - Gascony was confiscated, and stayed confiscated. With only Bourge, Blaye and Bayonne left in English hands, Edward had been suckered out of his French possessions and would have to win them back. 

The Cinque Ports

The cinque ports, and their delightfully medieval character, are a constant companion through English history. There's a great map and article at Wikipedia here

Scotland and 1296

John Balliol has gone down in history as a weak king, but there's no doubt he was in a hideous position. In 1294 Edward demanded he hand over 3 castles. In 1296, Balliol refused, and made alliance with the French. 

In response, Edward invaded with an army of 5,000 cavalry and 30,000 foot. His campaign was almost entirely successful - Berwick fell in March, and in April John of Warenne, Earl of Surrey, defeated the Scots at Dunbar. 

By August, Balliol had been stripped of his royal rank by Edward and imprisoned in the Tower of London, and Edward had established direct rule.