Edward III was, for several centuries regarded as one of the greatest of England’s medieval kings. His long reign is seen as a kind of golden age. This research paper is about the life and significance of Edward III, King of England from 1327-1377.
Edward III, “of Windsor”, King of England, eldest son of Edward II and Isabella of France, was born at Windsor on the 13th of November 1312. During his younger years he was made Earl of Chester in 1320, and Duke of Aquitaine in 1325, but did never get the title of Prince of Wales (Luminarium). After an unfortunate reign of his father, Edward III was able to restore national unity and pride in England during the mid-1300. Edward was a direct descendant of Henry Plantagenet, along with all the English kings of the fourteenth century (Goodman, p 1).
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Edward III got proclaimed warden of the kingdom because of his father’s absence (Luminarium). Edward III ascended to the throne on the 13th of January 1327, after his father, Edward II was forced to abdicate from the throne (Soud, p. 96). The parliament recognized Edward as king, and he was crowned a couple of days later. Edward II had been an indisputably bad king, and never developed a strong core and got persuaded by stronger personalities around him (Soud, p. 95). He was in reality the puppet of Isabella of France, his wife and her lover, Roger Mortimer, the Earl of March, who both ruled England through him and planned Edward II’s downfall (English Monarchs). Edward II agreed to abdicate in favor of his 14-year-old son to restore the power and prestige of the weakened England (Soud, p. 95). During Edward III first few years of his reign, his matters of state remained in the hands of his mother and Mortimer (Soud, p.
The short yet significant reign of Edward bought with it a series of severe changes to England and all those within it, many of them taking a religious nature. As the once unquestionable authority of the church became challenged by both critics and affiliates alike, England witnessed an almost inevitable reformation. However, the impact on the majority was not necessarily beneficial- as Duffy wrote, the Reformation bought with it an ‘assault on traditional religion’, leaving many men that ‘breathed easier for the accession of a Catholic queen’.
When Edward came into power in 1042, England was in a poor state financially and also because of threats of an invasion and this made the first few years of his rule difficult. Edward was faced with many problems which he had to overcome. These problems involved; powerful Earls, (especially the Godwine’s), the foreign policy and the domestic policy. Edward both failed and succeeded in these problems due to a number of factors. These include a lack of knowledge about his kingdom and some may argue that he was naïve in his decisions. With some evaluation, we will be able to judge if Edward was a successful King or not.
He was seen as a financially capable businessman and was therefore able to borrow loans easily from merchants in London. Although Edward was mainly successful with his financial policies and his treatment of the nobility, he was in fact too reliant on the Duke of Gloucester and Northumberland. This led to them becoming over-mighty nobles, giving them the opportunity to eventually depose Edward’s heir from the throne. Although it was not obvious at the time, this was a critical failure as it meant an undisputed succession was not ensured.
After Edward III died in 1377, England experience domestic issues during the reign of Richard II
Firstly, the royal government was small, with perhaps only 1,500 officials in Henry VII’s reign. Additionally, it was also poor and had to ask Parliament’s permission to raise taxes– an attribute commonly seen throughout late medieval and early modern regimes, as kings were more or less consistently in debt. Likewise, coherent with the late medieval setting, Henry’s regime had no centralized police force or standing army– two features prominent of modern nation state powers. As a result, Henry was still very much dependent upon the support of property-owners and the exploitation of land revenue in order to fund royal finances. Moreover, Henry did not establish himself and his new Tudor reign with a complete upheaval of the pre-existing machinery of medieval government, thereby implanting his ‘New Monarchy.’
Henry was elected on 27th November 1308, following an interregnum that had lasted over three decades. After the death of the German king Albert I, King Philip IV of France instigated a campaign to get his brother, Charles of Valois, elected as the new emperor. The prince-electors, having grown increasingly independent with the prolonged absence of a crowned ruler, were reluctant to relinquish this independence to an imperial candidate with any semblance of actual authority, let alone one with links to the French monarchy. King Philip had assumed the support of the French Pope Clement V in this matter. In reality though, Clement, as with the electors, was unwilling to see such an expansion of the Capetians’ power. These fears gave Henry’s
Happy 475th Birthday to Edward VI, Henry VIII's longed for son and heir. Edward was born to Queen Jane Seymour on 12 October 1537 after a long labour and nearly thirty years after his father first embarked on matrimony.
Richard III, by William Shakespeare, is a play based on the amount of power and decisiveness needed to become the king of England. The main character Richard of Gloucester is the brother of the current king. The fact that Richard is evil for no apparent reason troubles readers. Yet overtime, the audience begins to warm up to Richard in part because of his skill with words. Richard's obvious skill of language allows him to successfully manipulate nearly every character in the play. This skill enables him to woo Lady Anne, have Clarence thrown in prison, blame the king for Clarence's death, and achieve Hastings's execution, all without any harm to himself. Although Richard's use of words permits him to manipulate and control those
‘’Edward the VI inherited a flawed kingdom in 1547, besieged by problems and mixed in internal conflict’’ – To what extent do you agree with this statement
Following in the footsteps of an unpopular ruler and being part of a new, not yet fully established, dynasty, Henry VIII’s early reign faced many challenges in terms of public opinion. When his father passed away and he became king, it was very important for him to establish his identity as a ruler and to distance himself from the negative image the previous king carried. This new brand he and his advisors created for him featured important characteristics such as: young, athletic, warrior, just, chivalrous and Christian. This was Henry VIII’s public image that he tried to advertise to not only the nobles of his court but also all of his subjects as well as foreign ambassadors and rulers. In order to do so, Henry used extravagant ceremonies
There was a time when a nobleman fought for a castle in England. His duty was to guard the castle over night to protect the king of the castle. The king 's name was King Morgan II of England. King Morgan was a strong and brave king that can stand his ground if he ever encountered a battle. And the knight 's name was Edward, a adventurous and courageous young man who gaurded the land of the kings castle.
My report is on Richard I, byname Richard the Lion-Hearted. He was born September 8, 1157 in Oxford, England. He died on April 6, 1199 in Chalus, England. His knightly manner and his prowess in the Third Crusade(1189-92) made him a popular king in his own time, as well as the hero of countless romantic legends. He has been viewed less kindly by more recent historians and scholars.
In the January of 1547, King Henry passed away leaving Elizabeth 3rd in line to the throne. The true successor to throne was Edward VI but he was far too young to govern, when
The Arthurian Legend is seen to be extremely influential in benefitting the English people during the Romantic Era. Even if King Arthur is a fictional character of myth and legend in England, his childhood, countless glories and achievements as the king of Camelot, and the final down fall of his strong empire validated his importance to English literature. Proof of King Arthur’s existence would possibly solidify the impact he had on the English culture (Arthurian Legends Vol. 1).
Ideally, a king has an old look, a great amount of power, and naturally rules his domain with an iron fist in literature. In the two works, Le Morte d'Arthur and First Knight see two different versions of how king Arthur is portrayed. Yet the honor and respect that a king should have remains undisturbed, much like how both are products of their time. First Knight is told as a modern retelling of the legend and Le Morte d'Arthur is a minorly altered, much older work. While the depictions of king Arthur are seen as the paramount backbone for arthurian times, these two works have also proven to exhibit differences and similarities, illustrate Arthur’s figure in character, and serve as preservation of the time period.