Edward's Bust

King Edward I

Called "Longshanks", Edward I reigned (1272-1307) was also known as "the Hammer of the Scots". He was the eldest son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. Born on June 17, 1239 in Westminster, he married Eleanor of Castile at the age of 15. During the struggles against the barons against his father, Edward was vacillatating. When war broke out between the crown and the nobility, he fought on the side of his father. Edward won the decisive battle of Evesham in 1265.

In 1272, he left England to join the Seventh Crusade. While away on this crusade, Henry III died in England. Edward was recognised as king by the barons and upon his return to England in 1273, he was crowned king.

The first years of his reign, there was a period of consolidation of his power. He ceased the corruption in the adminstration of justice and passed legislation to allow the feudal barons and the crown to collect taxes from properties that were willed to the church.

Edward I, Longshanks

> Edward begain his conquest of Wales upon the refusal of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, ruler of Wales, to submit to the English crown. This resulted in the annexation of Llywelyn's principality to the English king. Edward expelled all the Jews from England in 1290. In 1293, as a result of the French efforts to curb Edward's power in Gascony, war broke out between England and France. As a result, Edward lost Gascony, but in 1303, it returned to the possession of the duchy. About this same time, the Welsh rebelled.

Edward's Coat of Arms

The disaffection of the people of Scotland was greater than either of these problems. Edward agreed to arbitrate between the claimants to the Scottish throne.

In 1291, he had exacted as a prior condition: that the recognition by all those concerned of his overlordship of Scotland. The Scots later withdrew that recognition, and allied themselves with the French against the English. Edward summoned his first parlaiment, called the Model Parlaiment by historians. Edward, assured by that parlaiment that he had the support of the English people, took the field and suppressed the Welsh rebellion.

After invading and conquering Scotland, Edward made himself king of that realm. He again invaded Scotland in 1298 to suppress a revolt led by Sir William Wallace.

Edward won the battle of Falkirk in 1298 and achived the greatest military triumph of his career, but yet he failed to crush the opposition.

After the death of his queen, Eleanor of Castile, the conquest of Scotland bacame the ruling passion of the remainder of his life. In 1299, Edward remarried.

For his bride, he chose the sister of King Philip III of France. Edward made peace with France and married Margaret in 1299. Freed from war with France, he again placed his sights on Scotland and undertook another conquest of Scotland in 1303. In 1305, Wallace was captured and executed. Edward had established his government in Scotland, but no sooner had he done that, a new revolt erupted in Scotland and culminated in the coronation of Robert Bruce as king of Scotland.

Edward set out for the third time to subdue Scotland in 1307. But, enroute, near Carlisle, he died on July 7, 1307.

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