Edward II
Edward II was deposed by his own wife and murdered at Berkeley Castle. Born at Caernarfon in 1284, he was the fourth son of Edward I and became heir when his brother died, and was the first English prince to be created Prince of Wales. He had no interest in the pursuits expected of a king. He preferred rowing, thatching, hedging, digging and the company of craftsmen, which the chroniclers found unaccountable in a man of his rank. He inherited in 1307 along with his father's war against Scotland, and abandoned the campaign to return to his favourite Piers Gaveston, a Gascon knight whom he made Earl of Cornwall. The relationship — whether sexual is not documented, though contemporaries hinted — enraged the baronage, who resented Gaveston's arrogance and monopoly of patronage. He was exiled three times and, in 1312, seized and killed by the earls. At Bannockburn in June 1314 Edward's much larger army was destroyed by Robert Bruce in boggy ground, ending English domination of Scotland and destroying Edward's standing. He then attached himself to Hugh Despenser the Younger and his father, who used royal power to accumulate land in Wales and the Marches on an enormous scale, and the country turned against all three. His queen Isabella, sent to negotiate in France in 1325, refused to return, took Roger Mortimer as her lover, and invaded in 1326 with a small force. Nobody fought for Edward. He was forced to abdicate in January 1327 in favour of his son, and died at Berkeley that September.
- Lived: 1284 CE – 1327 CE
- Nationality: English
- Roles: king, head_of_state
