Edward III of England
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Edward III (13 November 1312–21 June 1377) was a King of England. He ruled for 50 years.
| Edward III | |
|---|---|
| King of England, Lord of Ireland | |
.jpg) Drawing as head of the Order of the Garter, c. 1430 – 1440 in the Bruges Garter Book | |
| King of England | |
| Reign | 15 January 1327 – 21 June 1377 |
| Coronation | 1 February 1327 |
| Predecessor | Edward II |
| Successor | Richard II |
| Regent | Isabella of France (1327 – 1330) |
| Born | 13 November 1312 Windsor Castle, Berkshire |
| Died | 21 June 1377 (aged 64) Sheen Palace, Richmond |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Philippa of Hainault |
| Issue | Edward, Prince of Wales "The Black Prince" Isabella, Dame de Coucy Lady Joan Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster Edmund of Langley, Duke of York Mary, Duchess of Brittany Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Pembroke Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester |
| House | House of Plantagenet |
| Father | Edward II |
| Mother | Isabella of France |
Edward was born on 13 November 1312 to Edward II & Isabella of France. He was the oldest out of 5 children of them. He has 2 younger brothers, Adam FitzRoy & John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall & 2 younger sisters, Joan of the Tower & Eleanor of Woodstock.
He made England the strongest military power during his reign.
Edward was crowned when he was fourteen years old, after his father was forced to abdicate. After his victory against the Scots, he declared himself heir to the French throne in 1337, and so started the Hundred Years' War. The war went very well for England; the victories of Crécy and Poitiers led up to the Treaty of Brétigny, by which he gained a lot of territory. When he became older, he was much less active, mostly a result of his bad health. He died of a stroke in 1377, aged 64.
Edward also established the Order of the Garter, and developed legislature and government. However, during his reign there was the Black Death.
Edward and his wife, Philippa of Hainault, had many children and, as they traveled, the children were generally known by where they were born (though the oldest son, Edward "of Woodstock," became known to later generations as Edward, the Black Prince). Prince Edward died before his father Edward III, and his older son, Edward "of Angouleme," had died a child, so younger son Richard "of Bordeaux" succeeded Edward III as Richard II of England before being deposed by his cousin Henry IV of England, whose father, John "of Gaunt", had married the heiress of Lancaster. His family, the House of Lancaster, fought the Wars of the Roses with the House of York descended from the daughter of Edward III's son Lionel "of Antwerp" (who was older than John) over who was the rightful king.
In his own time and for centuries after Edward III was praised a lot, but by Whig historians he was seen as an irresponsible adventurer. This view has turned, and modern historians see what a good king he was.
Other websites
change- The Medieval Sourcebook[permanent dead link]) has some good sources relating to the reign of Edward III:
- The Ordinance of Labourers, 1349 Archived 2008-05-03 at the Wayback Machine
- The Statute of Laborers, 1351 Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
- Thomas Walsingham’s account of the Good Parliament of 1376. Archived 2008-05-03 at the Wayback Machine
- Man of War: Edward III, King of England Archived 2007-01-17 at the Wayback Machine at myarmoury.com