King Edward II

The site that examines the events, issues and personalities of Edward II's reign, 1307-1327. Edward is one of England's most maligned kings, and I'm trying to salvage his reputation here and correct some of the misconceptions about him...while remaining as fair and objective as possible!

Home

Mythbusters

Mythbuster 1

Mythbuster 2

Mythbuster 3

Edward II and his reign

Appearance

Books

Character and Hobbies of Edward II

Titles of Edward II

Edward's Generosity

Household

Household Ordinance 1318

Household Ordinance (2)

Edward's Possessions 1312

Chamber Account 1322/23

Chamber, 1325/26 (1)

Chamber, 1325/26 (2)

Chamber, 1325/26 (3)

Executions 1322

Sends son to France

Edward's Possessions 1326

Forms of Address

Edward and Oxbridge

Kings Langley Priory

John of Powderham, the impostor

Edward and St Alban

Despenser War of 1321, part one

Gaveston's first exile

Gaveston's second exile

Gaveston's third exile

Gaveston's nicknames

Tynemouth 1312

Gaveston's Death

Tynemouth 1322

Far-Flung Places

Family of Edward II

Children of Edward II

Children: Betrothals

Birth of John of Eltham

Adam, illegitimate son

Ancestry of Edward II

Ancestry of Isabella

Betrothals

Betrothals 2

Childhood of Edward II

Maternal Family

Brothers and sisters of Edward II, part one

Brothers and sisters of Edward II, part two

Eleanor of Bar

Joan of Acre

Margaret of Brabant

Mary the nun

Elizabeth of Hereford

Relatives Northern Europe

Relatives Southern Europe

Edward's Reign, Aftermath

Edward II in custody 1327, part one

Edward II in custody 1327, part two

1327/1330 Participants 1

1327/1330 Participants 2

1327/30 Participants 3

Freeing Edward, 1327

Dunheved gang (1)

Dunheved Gang (2)

September/December 1327

Oddities, Edward's death

Death?

Kent's Conspiracy, 1

Kent's Conspiracy, 2

Kent's Conspiracy, 3

Isabella 1330 to 1358

Events and Anniversaries

Feast of the Swan

Accession of Edward II

Edward's wedding

Edward's Coronation, 1308

Mortimer's execution

Despenser's execution

Women of Edward's reign

Alice de Lacy

Eleanor de Clare

Margaret de Clare

Elizabeth de Clare

Maud de Chaworth

Eleanor and Margaret de Bohun

Leyburne and Toeni

Leyburne and Sandwich

Joan and Isabel de Verdon, Elizabeth Damory

Isabel MacDuff and others

Joan and Elizabeth Comyn

Men of Edward's reign

Earls in Edward's reign

Lots of Dead Earls

Piers Gaveston

The Younger Despenser

Roger Damory

Hugh Audley

Henry Beaumont

Andrew Harclay

Malcolm Musard

Edmund, Earl of Arundel

Donald of Mar

Dunheved Brothers

Daniel and Micheldever

Redmere and Norton

Fun Stuff

Me Too: Edward II

Me Too: Mortimer

Me, Too: Despenser

Bad Novel Covers

Bad Translations

Five Funny Facts

Medieval Darwin Awards

Seven Facts - Edward II

Seven Facts - Isabella

Trivia

Images of Edward's Reign

Photos

Primary Sources

Coronation Oath

Banishment of Gaveston

Younger Despenser charges

Fieschi Letter

Literature of the Era

Bryd One Brere

Death of Edward I

The Symonie

Timeline

Links

My fictional extracts

Comments/Contact

Hello, and welcome to my King Edward II site! You might be interested in visiting my Edward II blog too. I make regular updates here and on the blog, so please keep checking back!

 

NEW!: I've added a page called Mythbusters, destroying those stories about Edward which crop up in books and online which have little or no basis in fact. This will be regularly updated!


Effigy of Edward II, Gloucester Cathedral
Marriage of Edward II and Isabella
Like my blog, this site is dedicated to Edward II, his life, events and disasters of his reign, his family, and other people who lived at the time.  Edward II was born in April 1284, and was King of England from July 1307 to January 1327, when he was deposed (or abdicated) in favour of his fourteen-year-old son Edward III.  Edward II is most famous for the notorious 'red-hot poker' method of death, which I'm certain didn't happen.

I don't pretend that Edward II was anything but a disaster as a king, but he's often been judged far more harshly than he deserves, and I'm dedicated to presenting a far more positive image of this most maligned of kings than is generally seen.  However, I don't want to whitewash him, and I try to stay as objective as possible! 

What this site is: an in-depth look at many of the events, personalities, and issues of Edward II's life and reign.  I'm not intending to write a short, straightforward chronological history of Edward's reign, which can easily be found elsewhere online (see my Links page).  I collect information from a variety of sources: books and articles on Edward II and his reign, and most importantly, primary sources, such as the Patent, Close, Charter and Fine Rolls, letters of Edward and his contemporaries, fourteenth-century chronicles, Rotuli Parliamentorum, charters, petitions, Chamber and Wardrobe Accounts, and many others.   I'm a BA and MA-qualified medieval historian, and read the sources of Edward's reign in the original French and Latin.

All this gives you a depth and wealth of information you simply won't find anywhere else.  So if you're at all interested in Edward, the people who lived in his era, or just the fourteenth century or the Middle Ages in general, welcome, and enjoy! :)

Last updated: 7 July 2009



Copyright Kathryn 2007-2009