Edward II: The Unconventional King

by Kathryn Warner, Ian Mortimer (Foreword by)

Overview

He is one of the most reviled English kings in history. He drove his kingdom to the brink of civil war a dozen times in less than twenty years. He allowed his male lovers to rule the kingdom. He led a great army to the most ignominious military defeat in English history. His wife took a lover and invaded his kingdom, and he ended his reign wandering around Wales with a handful of followers, pursued by an army. He was the first king of England forced to abdicate his throne. Popular legend has it that he died screaming impaled on a red-hot poker, but in fact the time and place of his death are shrouded in mystery. His life reads like an Elizabethan tragedy, full of passionate doomed love, bloody revenge, jealousy, hatred, vindictiveness and obsession.He was Edward II, and this book tells his story. Using almost exclusively fourteenth-century sources and Edward’s own letters and speeches wherever possible, Kathryn Warner strips away the myths which have been created about him over the centuries, and provides a far more accurate and vivid picture of him than has previously been seen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781445666723
Publisher:	Amberley Publishing
Publication date:	08/01/2017
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	787,612
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Kathryn Warner holds two degrees in medieval history from the University of Manchester. She is considered a foremost expert on Edward II and an article from her on the subject was published in the English Historical Review. She has run a website about him since 2005 and a Facebook page about him since 2010 and has carved out a strong online presence as an expert on Edward II and the fourteenth century in general. Kathryn teaches Business English as a foreign language and lives between Dusseldorf and Cumbria.Ian Mortimer is the bestselling author of The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 8

Foreword Ian Mortimer 9

A Note on Wages and Prices 13

Introduction 14

1 Heir to the Throne and Accession 17

2 The New King and His Favourite 26

3 Exile and Intrigue 38

4 Another Exile 54

5 Death, Birth and Reconciliation 66

6 Military Disaster and Famine 83

7 Conflicts, Marriages and an Abduction 100

8 Robbery, Holy Oil and an Impostor 112

9 Household and Homage 127

10 The Despenser War 137

11 The King's Revenge 147

12 Tyranny, Miracles and an Escape 161

13 Catastrophe in Gascony 180

14 The Queen Takes a Favourite 197

15 Invasion, Abdication and Imprisonment 216

16 Four Conspiracies and a Funeral 232

17 The Curious Case of the King Who Lived 248

Notes 263

Select Bibliography 301

Index 311

Editorial Reviews

"... a rich portrait of Edward II, the man... an excellent job in searching for the king's own voice in correspondence and chronicles, and has made particularly good use of chamber accounts housed in the library of the Society of Antiquaries...Warner's book is a highly readable biography of Edward II. ...will appeal to a broad reading public searching for the man behind the regal trappings, the unconventional king.

The Medieval Review