EDWARD III (1312–1377; r. 1327–77)
Edward achieved stunning military success against Scot-
land and France while maintaining domestic harmony
for most of the 50 years he ruled. His early years were
overshadowed by the political storms that had engulfed
Edward II. When he was sent to France in 1325 to do
homage for Gascony, he joined his mother, Isabella,
who engineered Edward II’s overthrow the following
year. The young Edward was crowned on 25 January
1327, only fourteen years old, after parliament had
deposed his father. A year later he married Philippa
of Hainault, whose father had contributed heavily to
Isabella’s invasion.
Edward was tightly controlled by his mother and her
lover, Roger Mortimer, sparking new confl ict. Henry
of Lancaster led an abortive rebellion in 1329, and
Edward’s uncle the earl of Kent was summarily executed
in 1330 for plotting against them. Finally Edward and
a group of young courtiers seized Mortimer in October
- He was tried in parliament and executed. Isabella
received a generous estate, where she lived until her
death in 1358.
Edward then turned his attention to Scotland. After
co-vertly aiding Edward Balliol, a claimant to the Scot-
tish throne, and the “Disinherited” (Balliol’s followers)
in their attempt to recover power he marched northward
in 1333, defeated the Scots at Halidon Hill on 19 July,
and captured Berwick. It was the fi rst English victory
in years, but it did not subdue the Scots. Subsequent
campaigns likewise failed to deliver a decisive blow.
France also demanded Edward’s attention. The last
Capetian king, Charles IV, had died in 1328 without
descendants, and his cousin Philip of Valois had taken
the throne. Edward had a claim through his mother,
Charles’s sister, even though he had twice performed
homage for Gascony. When Philip moved to seize Gas-
cony as well as aid the Scots, Edward won parliamentary
approval in 1337 to pursue his claim. The enterprise was
a disaster. He spent lavishly but achieved little. Despite
a victory over the French fl eet at Sluys on 24 June, by
the end of 1340 he was broke and forced to conclude
an ignominious truce.
This fi asco precipitated a political crisis in 1341.
Unjustly blaming his offi cials for the failure, Edward
stormed back to England, fi red them, and launched an
investigation into their misconduct. His anger focused
in particular on his chancellor, the archbishop of Canter-
bury, John Stratford. In reality the wartime demands had
been excessive. A restive population spurred Commons
to demand reforms. Edward was forced to concede a
statute limiting his power, though he overturned it later
in the year.
The disputed inheritance of Brittany in 1342 gave
Edward an opportunity to return to campaigning, and
when the truce with France expired in 1345 he was
ready for war. Armies under the earls of Lancaster and
Northampton were successful in Gascony and Brit-
tany. The greatest victory came in 1346, when Edward
defeated the much larger French army at Crecy on 24
August. Then, on 17 October, the English defeated the
Scots and captured King David at the Battle of Neville’s
Cross, The following year Calais fell to Edward.
Despite these brilliant victories Scottish resistance
continued and the French refused to accede to Edward’s
demands, especially after Philip died in 1350 and John
II (1350–64) came to the throne. Though Edward’s
prestige had risen tremendously, throughout the 1340s
Commons still complained about taxation and purvey-
ance. The complaints did not provoke confl ict, but
Edward had to negotiate carefully. Furthermore the
Black Death struck in 1348–49, causing widespread
death and havoc.
The war with France resumed in 1355, when Edward
dispatched two armies under his son Edward the Black
Prince and his cousin Henry of Lancaster. They were
smaller than earlier ones but more destructive. The cam-
paigns, called chevauchées, were intended to disrupt the
enemy, rather than engage in set battle. The French army
under King John, however, on 19 September managed
to catch the Black Prince at Poitiers, where the English
again prevailed over superior forces and even took John
prisoner. Despite the triumph the French refused to give
in to Edward’s demands. He led another army to France
in 1359 with the aim of being crowned at Reims, but
the mission failed. In 1360 he concluded the Treaty
of Brétigny, which gave him some of the territory and
authority he sought.
Despite these disappointments Edward was at the
peak of his career. His fame spread throughout Europe,
and he was popular at home. Through his military tri-
umphs, his participation in tournaments, and his found-
ing of the Order of the Garter in 1346–47 he had become
a chivalric hero. During the 1350s and 1360s revenues
from customs and the ransoms of David of Scotland and
John of France allowed him to reduce the level of direct
taxation, producing greater harmony with parliament.
His family was large and illustrious.
The end of his reign was less glorious. Queen Philip-
pas death in 1369 seems to have affected him deeply,
though he took a mistress, Alice Perrers. When war
resumed with France in 1369, the English position
disintegrated. Edward’s son John of Gaunt, who took
over leadership, was less capable than his ailing elder
brother, the Black Prince, and expeditions in 1369 and
1373 produced little. England was forced to give ground.
Moreover discontent at home increased as high taxation
resumed. Plague struck again in 1360–61 and 1374.
The court was dominated by a small group of courtiersEDWARD III