Securing The Throne
Technically Edward III became King of England in 1327 when his father Edward II was dethroned and subsequently murdered on the orders of his mother. Instead of Edward III holding power from the onset of the reign his mother Isabella and her partner in crime / lover Roger Mortimer were effectively in charge of England. She made herself regent to prevent Edward III avenging his father’s death.
Edward III succeeded in removing his mother's regency in 1333, and as both she and Roger Mortimer feared avenged his father's death. Isabella was forced into exile whilst Mortimer was hastily executed for treason. The young King then decided to show his military prowess by gaining the French throne by virtue of his mother being a French princess.
The Hundred Years War Begins
Edward III was determined not only to regain the French territories that had been lost by King John; he wanted the French throne as well. Just like his grandfather Edward I was an accomplished military leader, and his son Edward the Black Prince would prove to be even better than he was. The French did not take Edward III's threat to gain their throne seriously, which was certainly a grave miscalculation upon their part.
The French were confident that their well-armed and heavily armoured knights would easily crush the English with their smaller number of knights and larger detachments of archers. Edward III unlike the French was well aware of the devastating firepower of the longbow used by his English and Welsh archers.
Crecy, Poitiers and the Black Death
The efforts of Edward III to gain the French throne were marked by stunning military victories at Crecy, Poitiers, and Sluys. These victories amply demonstrated the awesome firepower of the longbow and its devastating impact on heavily armoured French cavalry units.
A temporary break in the Hundred Years War was brought about by the cataclysmic consequence of the Black Death. In England and Wales the Black Death reduced the population by around a third. It had profound social and economic impacts that reduced the wealth and the military power of England.
Despite significant victories over the French, Edward III was not able to gain control of France. The last years of his reign were marked by his own personal decline, due to his mental incapacity England was effectively ruled by John of Gaunt, his fourth son. His eldest son Edward the Black Prince died before him, so the throne passed to his grandson Richard II.
Bibliography
Crystal D (1998) Chambers’ Biographical Encyclopedia, 2nd edition, Edinburgh
Holmes R, (2007) Battlefield, Oxford University Press, Oxford
Gardiner & Wenborn (1995) The History Today Companion to British History, Little, Brown & Co, London
Lenman B, (2004) Chambers Dictionary of World History, Edinburgh
