Securing the Throne and Reasserting Royal Authority
Edward I had to secure the throne for his father before he could claim it for himself. Henry III may have reigned for over fifty years yet he had been guilty of allowing royal authority to decline markedly. Henry III had been defeated by the barons led by his own brother-in-law Simon De Montfort and forced to sign the Provisions of Oxford, which made England a republic in all but name.
Edward I’s first step in securing the throne was defeating Simon De Montfort at the Battle of Evesham, and then he effectively ruled the country during the last years of Henry III’s reign. Edward I therefore had invaluable experience of wielding political power when he gained the throne during 1272.
Longshanks Invades Wales
Edward I was a tall powerful man and was given the nickname Longshanks, he also possessed great skill as a military leader. Amongst his actions as king was to instigate an English invasion of Wales that made rapid territorial gains. The Welsh was used to their independence and resisted the English advances. By 1284 the Welsh had been defeated and was completely under English control, maintained through the construction of seven formidable castles.
After the successful conquest of Wales Edward decided to expel the entire Jewish population from England and Wales by threatening them with execution if they had dared to remain.
The Invasion of Scotland
From the successful invasion of Wales and the expulsion of the Jews, Edward I turned his attention towards Scotland from 1294. Despite the overwhelmingly superiority of the English invaders Edward could not defeat the stubborn Scots. Edward I had apparently crushed all Scots opposition after the Battle of Stirling including William Wallace.
Edward’s plans to gain and maintain control Scotland in the same way as in Wales were to be stopped by a man that had previously been loyal to him, Robert the Bruce. The aging Edward I died in 1307 at the head of the largest English army ever seen, his ineffective son Edward II would prove to be no match for the Scots, and unable to control England. It was only after his death that he earned the title of Hammer of the Scots.
Bibliography
Ashley M, (2002) A brief history of British Kings & Queens, Robinson, London
MacCulloch D, Reformation – Europe’s House Divided (2004) Penguin Books, London
Gardiner & Wenborn (1995) the History Today Companion to British History,Collins and Brown Ltd, London
Morgan K O, (1993) the Oxford Popular History of Britain, Oxford University Press, Oxford
Roberts J.M, (1996) A History of Europe, Penguin, London
