King Edward Carnarvon ENGLAND, II

   Other names for Edward were CARNARFON, ENGLAND King, WALES Prince and AQUITAINE Duke.

   Ancestral File Number: 8WKN-JD.

   General Notes:

Prince of WALES, Duke of AQUITAINE, King of ENGLAND Reigned 1307 Deposed 1327.

Of the sixteen children of Edward I and Eleanor only Edward and Mary outlived their parents for any length of time.

KQGB Deposed and Killed 1327 Berkeley Castle.

INTERNET
http://www.findagrave.com/claimtofame/2.html; http://www.findagrave.com/pictures/1956.html.

BOOKS
A Concise History of England, FE Halliday, 1980, Thames & Hudson, p62:
"Edward II, 1307-27, the effigy in Gloucester Cathedral."

A History of the Plantagenets, Vol III, The Three Edwards, Thomas B Costain, 1958, Doubleday & Co
p14 Family Tree: "Edward II of Caernoarvon, Prince of Wales, 1284-1327, Ruled 1307-1327, Mar Isabella, Daughter of Philip IV of France..."
p22: "There is a disagreement among authorities as to the number of child- ren presented to Edward by his queen, some saying fifteen, others claiming a total of seventeen. On one point there is accord, however. Only four of the children were sons. Of the eleven or thirteen daughters, as the case may be,a number died in their infancy and nothing is known about them, not even their names..."
"Edward loved all his daughters devotedly, but he must have looked them over with an uneasy eye. Daughters made poor successors to a throne as contentious as that of England."
p31: "...A year later the tall fortress of Caernarvon was ready for occupancy. A grim reminder of the power of the conquerors, it stood on the sea, with one gate looking out over the Menai Strait and the other commanding a view of the white summit of Snowdon, where the bravest of the Welsh leaders still held out. As Eleanor was with child again, Edward took her to Caernarvon. The impending event was not considered of any greater importance than the many other accouchements. There was an heir to the throne, Prince Alfonso, named after the queen's brother in Castile. As several years had passed over his head, it was hoped that he would achieve the maturity denied his two older brothers.
"At this point the story reaches debatable ground. Of recent years historians have been disposed to cast aside the best elements in the generally accepted legend of the birth of a fourth son in Caernarvon Castle who was to become king in his turnunder the title of Edward II, the contention being that the early annals contain no mention of it and that it may, on that account, be an invention of some later writer. The legend, as it has been so often told, is set down for what it is worth.
"The queen made her entrance into the castle through the east gate, a strong imposing structure. The natives of this part of Wales, who have not yielded in their adherence to the original story, still call this Queen Eleanor's Gate. Itgave direct entry to the Eagle Tower, a lofty and menacing pile of masonry high enough and strong enough to awe (if such had been possible) the proud chieftains who still refused to accept the fetters of Saxon servitude. Rather high in the Eagle Tower is a suite of rooms which is pointed out today as the queen's; in one of them, a tiny chamber twelve feet by eight sunk into the thick stone walls, she gave birth to the new child...The child was a boy, a healthy specimen. He was placedin a cradle of oak, hung by rings to two upright posts, the whole of somewhat crude workmanship. This first couchof the royal infant has been kept and proudly displayed down through the centuries.
"Edward had left his wife at Caernarvon and had returned to Rhuddlan, where matters of state demanded his presence. It was here that he received word of the birth of a son...Even though the newborn infant would not be heir to the throne, it was well to have the succession doubly secured; and it is probable also that the continuous arrival of daughters had achieved a certain monotony for the royal father. It may have been concern for the state of health of his much-loved queen that caused Edward to depart in great haste forCaernarvon rather than the elation he felt over teh arrival of another boy. He found Eleanor well and the new prince sleeping in abounding health in his plain cradle.
"The legend has it that when the new son was three days old a number of Welsh chieftains came to Caernarvon to make their submissions to Edwar. They begged him, if he would have peace in the land, to find for them a prince above reproach who would speak neither English nor French. The king was resourceful, as he was to prove innumerable times during his eventful reign. He listened to the plea of the tribesmen, and an ingenious plan took form in his mind. Heaccordingly left the reception chamber where the chieftains were assembled and, much pleased with himself, returned almost immediately with his newborn son in his arms. He held the infant out for their inspection. Here, he declared, was the prince they had asked for, the new Prince of Wales.
"`He has been born a native of your country,'he said. `His character is unimpeachable. He cannot speak a word of English or French. If it please you, the first words he utters shall be Welsh.'
"The chieftains, realizing they had been caught in a skillful trap, made the best of things. They knelt in turn and kissed the hand of the royal infant, swearing fealty to him.
"Such is the legend. It is a pleasant one, the kind that, once heard, is never forgotten. It is one of the favorite stories of English history..." "Four months later Prince Alfonso died, and the healthy child who may or may not have been displayed proudly to the Welsh chiefs in Caernarvon Castle became heir to the throne of England."

A History of the English Speaking People Winston S Churchill Vol I The Birth of Britain Dodd Mead & Co
p306: "It was beyond the compass of King Edward's resources to wage war with France and face the hideous struggle with Scotland at the same time. He sought at all costs to concentrate on theperil nearest home. He entered upon a long series of negotiations with the French King which were covered by truces repeatedly renewed, and reached a final Treaty of Paris in 1303. Though the formal peace was delayed for some years, it was infact sealed in 1294 by the arrangement of a marriage between Edward and Philip's sister, the young Princess Margaret, and also by the betrothal of Edward's son and heir, Edward of Carnarvon, to Philip's daughter Isabella. This dual alliance ofblood brought the French war to an effective close in 1297, although through Papal complications neither the peace nor the King's marriage were finally and formally confirmed until 1299..."
p318: "Edward [II], for his part began to build up a royalist party, at the head of which were the Despensers, father and son, both named Hugh. These belonged to the nobility, and their power lay on the Welsh border. By a fortunate marriage with the noble house of Clare, and by the favour ofthe King, they rose precariously amid the jealousies of the English baronage to the main direction of affairs. Against both of them the hatreds grew, because of their self-seeking and the King's infatuation with the younger man. They were especially unpopular among the Marcher lords, who were disturbed by their restless ambitions in South Wales. In 1321 the Welsh Marcher lords and the Lancastrian party joined hands with intent to procure the exile of the Despensers. Edward soon recalled them, and for once showed energy and resolution. By speed of movement he defeated first the Marcher lords and then the Northern barons under Lancaster at Boroughbridge in Yorkshire in the next year. Lancaster was beheaded by the King. But by some perversity of popular sentiment miracles were reported at his grave, and his execution was adjudged by many of his contemporaries to have made him a martyr to royal oppression.
"The Despensers and their King now seemed to have attained a height of power. But a tragedy with every feature of classical ruthlessness was to follow. One of the chief Marcher lords, Roger Mortimer, though captured by the King, contrived to escape to France. In 1324 Charles IV of France took advantage of a dispute in Gascony to seize the duchy, except for a coastal strip. Edward's wife, Isabella, `the she-wolf of France,' who was disgusted by his passion for Hugh Despenser, suggested that she should go over to France to negotiate with her brother Charles about the restoration of Gascony. There she became the lover and confederate of the exiled Mortimer. She now hit on the stroke of having her son, Prince Edward, sent over from England to do homage for Gascony. As soon as thefourteen-year-old prince, who as heir to the throne could be used to legitimise opposition to King Edward, was in her possession she and Mortimer staged an invasion of England at the head of a large band of exiles. So unpopular and precarious was Edward's Government that Isabella's triumph was swift and complete, and she and Mortimer were emboldened to depose him. The end was a holocaust. In the furious rage which in these days led all who swayed the Government of England to a bloodyfate the Despensers were seized and hanged. For the King a more terrible death was reserved. He was imprisoned in Berkeley Castle, and there by hideous methods, which left no mark upon his skin, was slaughtered. His screams as his bowels wereburnt out by re-hot irons passed into his body were heard outside the prison walls, and awoke grim echoes which were long unstilled."

The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes, Elizabeth Longford, 1991, Oxford Univ Press, pxix: "Normans and Plantagenets Genealogy: Edward II of Carnarfon, mar Isabelle of France, reigned 1307-1327."

Political History of England 1216-1377, T F Tout, Vol III, 1905, AMS Press,
p230: "...[1306] Clement despatched the Cardinal Peter of Spain to England, that he might attempt to arrange a general pacification, and complete the marriage of the Prince of Wales to isabella of France, which had been agreed upon in 1303..."
p236: "Edward of Carnarvon was over twenty-three years of age when he be- came king. Tall, graceful, and handsome, with magnificent health and exception- al bodily strength, the young king was, so far as externals went, almost as fine a man as his father. Yet no one could have been more absolutely destitute of all those qualities which constitute Edward I's claims to greatness. An utter want of serious purpose blasted his whole career. It was in vain that his father subjected him to careful training in statecraft and in military science. Though not lackingin intelligence, the young prince from the first to the last concerned himself with nothing but his own amusements. A confirmed gambler and a deep drinker, Edward showed a special bent for unkingly and fivolous diversions. Save in his devotionfor the chase, his tastes had nothing in common with the high-born youths with whom he was educated. He showed himself a coward on the battlefield, and shirked even the mimic warfare of the tournament...Of the befitting comrades of his youth,the only one of the higher aristocracy with whom he had any true intimacy was his nephew, Gilbert of Clare, while the only member of his household for whom he showed real affection was the Gascon knight, Peter of Gaveston. Attributing his son'slevity to Gaveston's corrupting influence, the old king had banished the foreign favourite early in 1307..."
p239: "Early in 1308 Edward crossed over to France, leaving Gaveston as regent, and was married on January 25, at Boulogne, to Philip the Fair's daughter Isabella, a child of twelve, to whom he had been plighted since 1298. The marriage was attended by the French king and a great gathering of the magnates of both countries. Opportunity was taken of the meeting for Edwardto perform homage for Aquitaine. After the arrival of the royal couple in England, their coronation took place on February 25. Time had been when the reign began with the king's crowning; but Edward had taken up every royal function immedi- ately on his father's death, and set a precedent to later sovereigns by dating his own accession from the day succeeding the decease of his predecessor. The coronation ceremony, minutely recorded, provided precedents for later ages. It was some recognition of the work of the last generation that the coronation oath was somewhat more rigid and involved a more definite recognition of the rights of the community than on earlier occasions..."
p301: "...Edward was captured on November16, [1327] in Neath abbey. With him the younger Despenser was also taken. On November 20 the favourite was put to death at hereford...The king was entrusted to the custody of Henry of Leicester, who conveyed him to his castle of Kenilworth, where the unfortunate monarch passed the winter, `treated not otherwise than a captive king ought to be treated'...
p302: "...An effort to persuade the captive monarch to abdicate before his estates, was defeated by his resolute refusal. Thereupon a committee of bishops, barons, and judges was sent to Kenilworth to receive his renunciation in the name of parliament. On January 20, Edward, clothed in black, admitted the delegates to his presence. Utterly unmanned by misfortune, theking fell in a deep swoon at the feet of his enemies. Leicester and Stratford raised him from the ground, and, on his recovery, Orleton exhorted him to resign his throne to his son, lest the estates, irritated by his contumacy, should choose astheir king someone who was not of the royal line. Edward replied that he was sorry that his people were tired of his rule, but that being so, he was prepared to yield to their wishes, and make way for the Duke of Aquitaine. On this, Sir William Trussell, as proctor of the three estates, formally renounced their homage and fealty, and Sir Thomas Blount, steward of the household, broke his staff of office, and announced that the royal establishment was disbanded. Thus the calamitous reign of Edward of Carnarvon came to a wretched end. His utter inefficiency as a king makes it impossible to lament his fate. Yet few revolutions have ever been conducted with more manifest self-seeking than that which hurled Edward from power.The angry spite of the adulterous queen, the fierce vengeance and greed of Roger Mortimer...can inspire nothing but disgust. Among the foes of Edward, Henry of Leicester alone behaved as an honourable gentleman, anxious to vindicate a policy, but careful to subordinate his private wrongs to public objects. Though his name and wrongs were ostentatious- ly put forward by the dominant faction, it is clear from the beginning that he was only a tool in its hands, and that the reversal ofthe sentence of Earl Thomas was but the pretext by which the schemers and traitors sought to capture the government for their own selfish ends..."
p303: "...[1327] Even in the first flush of victory, Isabella and Mortimer were too insecureand too bitter to allow Edward of Carnarvon to remain quietly in prison under the custody of the Earl of Lancaster. As long as he was alive, he might always become the possible instrument of their degradation. At Orle- ton's instigation the deposed king was transferred in April from his cousin's care to that of two knights, Thomas Gurney and John Maltravers. He was promptly removed from Kenilworth and hurried by night from castle to castle until, after some sojourn at Corfe, he wasat last immured at Berkeley. Every indignity was put upon him, and the systematic course of ill-treatment, to which he was subjected, was clearly intended to bring about his speedy death. But the robust constitution of the athlete rose superiorto the persecutions of his torturers, and to save further trouble he was barbarously murdered in his bed on the night of September 21. Piercing shrieks from the interior of the castle told the peasantry that some dire deed was being perpetrated within its gloomy walls. Next day it was announced that the lord Edward had died a natural death, and his corpse was exposed to the public view that suspicion might be averted. He was buried with the state that became a crowned king in the Benedictine Abbey Church of St. Peter, Gloucester. A few years later the piety or remorse of Edward III erected over his father's remains the magnificent tomb which still challenges our admiration by the delicacy of its tabernacle work and the artistic beauty of the sculptured effigy of the murdered monarch."
p304: "The tragedy of Edward's end soon caused his misdeeds to be forgot- ten and ere long the countryside flocked on pilgrimage to his tomb, as to the shrine of a saint. Bya curious irony the burial place of Edward of Carnarvon rivalled in popularity the chapel on the hill at Pontefract where Thomas of Lancaster had perished by Edward's orders. Like his cousin, Edward became a popular, though not a canonised, saint. From the offerings made at his tomb the monks of Gloucester were in time supplied with the funds that enabled them to recast their romanesque choir in the newer `perpendicular' fashion of architecture, and embellish their church with all the rich additions which contrast so strangely with the grim impressiveness of the stately Norman nave."

The Later Middle Ages 1272-1485, George Holmes, 1962, Norton Library of England p258: "Appendix B Genealogical Table I The Plantagenets: "Edward II (1307-27) Mar Isabella of France..."

The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England, Antonia Fraser, 1975, Alfred Knopf, p70: "Edward II, 1284-1327, mar Isabella `The Fair' of France..."

The Wall Chart of World History, Edward Hull, 1988, Studio Edition, England 1307: "King of England 1307-1327, Defeated by Scots at Bannockburn, Murdered..."

The Story of Civilization, Will Durant, Vol IV, The Age of Faith, Bk V, The Climax of Christianity, Ch XXV, The Recovery of Europe, SecVIII, England, p678: "It was in this period- from the Norman Conquest to Edward II- that the law and government of England took the forms which they maintained till the nineteenth century. Through the superimposition of Norman feudal upon Anglo- Saxon local law, English law for the first time became national, `the law and custom of the realm'...It is a major credit to English law that torture was not used in examining suspects or witnesses. When Edward II was induced to arrest the English Templars, he could find no evidence by which to convict them. Thereupon Pope Clement V wrote to Edward: `We hear that you forbid torture as contrary to the laws of your land. But no state law can override canon law, our law. Therefore Icommand you at once to submit those men to torture...'"

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1981, Macropaedia, Vol VI, p434, Edward I of England:
"For more than 100 years relations between England and Scotland had been amicable, and the border hadbeen remarkably peaceful. Edward inaugurated 250 years of bitter hatred, savage warfare, and bloody border forays. The deaths of Alexander III of Scotland (1286) and his granddaughter Margaret, the Maid of Norway (1290), whom Edward planned tomarry to his heir, Edward of Caernarvon (afterward Edward II), ended the line of succession..."

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1981, Macropaedia, Vol VI, p436, Edward III England:
"Edward III grew up amid struggles between his father and a number of barons who were attempting to limit the king's power and the strengthen their own role in governing England. His mother, repelled by her husband's treatment of the nobles and disaffected by the confiscation of her English estates by his supporters, played an important role in this conflict. In 1325 she left England to return to France to intervene in the dispute between her brother, Charles IV of France, and her husband over the latter's French possessions, Guyenne, Gascony, and Ponthieu. She was successful; the land was secured for England oncondition that the English King pay homage to Charles. This was performed on the King's behalf by his young son.
"The heir apparent was secure at his mother's side. WithRoger Mortimer, an influential baron who had escaped to France in 1323 and had become her lover, Isabella now began preparations to invade England to depose her husband. To raise funds for this enterprise, Edward III was betrothed to Philippa, daughter of William, Count of Hainaut and Holland.
"Within five months of their invasion of England, the Queen and the nobles, who had much popular support, overpowered the King's forces. Edward II, charged with incompetence and breaking his coronation oath, was forced to resign, and on January 29, 1327, Edward III, aged 15, was crowned King of England..."

ANCESTRY.COM
World Ancestral Chart No. 31759 Ancestors of Warren Cash 1760.

ANCESTRAL FILE
Ancestral File Ver 4.10 8WKN-JD.

   Marriage Information:

Edward married Princess Isabelle FRANCE, daughter of King Philippe FRANCE, IV and Queen Joan Navarre FRANCE, I, on 22 Jan 1307-1308 in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, Pas-De-Calais, France. (Princess Isabelle FRANCE was born in 1292-1296 in Paris, Seine, France, died on 22 Aug 1358 in Castle, Rising, Hertfordshire, England and was buried in Church, Grey Friars, Newgate, London, Middlesex, England.)