English King, William I

William I (Old Norman: Williame I; Old English: Willelm I; c. 1028, 9 September -- 1087 AD), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087.

William I coin

A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy (as Duke William II) from 1035 onward.

After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England six years later. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son.

William was the son of the unmarried Robert I, Duke of Normandy, by Robert's mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and his youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as did the anarchy that plagued the first years of his rule. During his childhood and adolescence, members of the Norman aristocracy battled each other, both for control of the child duke and for their own ends.

William I coin

In 1047 William was able to quash a rebellion and begin to establish his authority over the duchy, a process that was not complete until about 1060. His marriage in the 1050s to Matilda of Flanders provided him with a powerful ally in the neighbouring county of Flanders. By the time of his marriage, William was able to arrange the appointments of his supporters as bishops and abbots in the Norman church. His consolidation of power allowed him to expand his horizons, and by 1062 William was able to secure control of the neighbouring county of Maine.

William I coin

In the 1050s and early 1060s William became a contender for the throne of England, then held by the childless Edward the Confessor, his first cousin once removed. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson, who was named the next king by Edward on the latter's deathbed in January 1066. William argued that Edward had previously promised the throne to him, and that Harold had sworn to support William's claim.

William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066, decisively defeating and killing Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. After further military efforts William was crowned king on Christmas Day 1066, in London. He made arrangements for the governance of England in early 1067 before returning to Normandy. Several unsuccessful rebellions followed, but by 1075 William's hold on England was mostly secure, allowing him to spend the majority of the rest of his reign on the continent.

William's final years were marked by difficulties in his continental domains, troubles with his eldest son, and threatened invasions of England by the Danes. In 1086 William ordered the compilation of the Domesday Book, a survey listing all the landholders in England along with their holdings. William died in September 1087 while leading a campaign in northern France, and was buried in Caen.

William I coin

His reign in England was marked by the construction of castles, the settling of a new Norman nobility on the land, and change in the composition of the English clergy. He did not try to integrate his various domains into one empire, but instead continued to administer each part separately. William's lands were divided after his death: Normandy went to his eldest son, Robert Curthose, and his second surviving son, William Rufus, received England.

French King, Philip V

PHILIP V of France
Philip V (c. 1293 – 3 January 1322), the Tall (French: Philippe le Long), was King of France and King of Navarre (as Philip II). He reigned from 1316 to his death and was the penultimate monarch of the main line of the House of Capet.

Philip V

 As the second son of king Philip IV, he was entitled to an appanage, the County of Poitiers, while his elder brother, Louis X, inherited the throne in 1314.

When Louis died in 1316, he left a daughter and a pregnant wife, Clementia of Hungary. Philip the Tall successfully claimed the regency. Queen Clementia gave birth to a boy, who was proclaimed king as John I, but the infant king lived only for five days.

At the death of his nephew, Philip immediately had himself crowned at Reims. However, his legitimacy was challenged by the party of Louis X’s daughter Joan. Philip V successfully contested her claims for a number of reasons, including her youth, doubts regarding her paternity (her mother was involved in the Tour de Nesle Affair), and the Estates General's determination that women should be excluded from the line of succession to the French throne. The succession of Philip, instead of Joan, set the precedent for the French royal succession that would be famously known as the Salic law.

Philip V

Philip V restored somewhat good relations with the County of Flanders, which had entered into open rebellion during his father’s rule, but simultaneously his relations with Edward II of England worsened as the English king, who was also Duke of Guyenne, initially refused to pay him homage.

A spontaneous popular crusade started in Normandy in 1320 aiming to liberate Iberia from the Moors. Instead the angry populace marched to the south attacking castles, royal officials, priests, lepers, and Jews.

Philip V engaged in a series of domestic reforms intended to improve the management of the kingdom. These reforms included the creation of an independent Court of Finances, the standardisation of weights and measures, and the establishment of a single currency.

Philip V died from dysentery in 1322 without a male heir and was succeeded by his younger brother Charles IV. Philip was also to play a role in the ongoing crusade movement during the period. Pope John XXII, the second of the Avignon popes, had been elected at a conclave assembled in Lyons during 1316 by Philip himself, and set out his renewed desire to see fresh crusades.

Philip IV had agreed to a joint plan for a new French-led crusade at the Council of Vienne in 1312, with his son Philip, a "committed crusader," taking the cross himself in 1313. Once king himself, Philip was obligated to carry out these plans and asked John for and received additional funds after 1316. Both Philip and John agreed, however, that a French crusade was impossible whilst the military situation in Flanders remained unstable. Nonetheless, John continued to assure the Armenians that Philip would shortly lead a crusade to relieve them.

Philip V coin

An attempt to send a naval vanguard from the south of France under Louis I of Clermont failed, however, with the forces being destroyed in a battle off Genoa in 1319. Over the winter of 1319–20 Philip convened a number of meetings with French military leaders in preparation for a potential second expedition, that in turn informed Bishop William Durand's famous treatise on crusading.

By the end of Philip's reign, however, he and John had fallen out over the issue of new monies and commitments to how they were spent, and the attentions of both were focused on managing the challenge of the Shepherds' Crusade.

The Shepherds' Crusade, or the Pastoreaux, emerged from Normandy in 1320.

Philip V

 One argument for the timing of this event has been that the repeated calls for popular crusades by Philip and his predecessors, combined with the absence of any actual large scale expeditions, ultimately boiled over into this popular, but uncontrolled, crusade.

Philip's intent for a new crusade had certainly become widely known by the spring of 1320, and the emerging peace in Flanders and the north of France had left a large number of displaced peasants and soldiers.

The result was a large and violent anti-Semitic movement threatening local Jews, royal castles, the wealthier clergy, and Paris itself. The movement was ultimately condemned by Pope John, who doubted whether the movement had any real intent to carry out a crusade.

Philip was forced to move against it, crushing the movement militarily and driving the remnants south across the Pyrenees into Aragon.

English Queen Philippa of Hainult

When the time came for Edward to marry, his mother, Queen Isabella, would opt for a match with the house of Hainault. Edward was married to Philippa of Hainult, daughter of William Count of Hainault, Holland and Zealand. The marriage was not a love match at first rather a political move arranged by Isabella and her lover Mortimer of whom I shall discuss in due time. Edward was reputed to have visited the home of the count with his father years before and met the young Phillipa.

Michael Packe in his book King Edward III gives us a delightful description of the king and queen's first meeting: "He spied on the unwitting sisters, and pounced on the youngest of them, Philippa by name', at the time eight years old and nearest in age to Edward, who was nearly seven years. He had then subjected her to a minute and terrifying scrutiny.

Apart from some criticism of her remaining baby teeth (they were 'not so white', he had found little fault with her solid physiognomy. Her hair betwixt blue-black and brown and not uncomely', her forehead large; her eyes blackish brown and deep, her nose though 'somewhat broad at the tip and also flattened', was 'yet no snub-nose'; her mouth was wide and generous, her ears and chin were 'comely enough', her mouth was wide and generous, she was of middle height for her age, well taught, and of 'fair carriage'.

'Her neck, shoulders, and all her body and lower limbs are reasonably well shaped; all her limbs are well set and untamed; and nought is amiss so far as a man may see.

King Edward III

 Moreover, she is brown of skin all over, and much like her father; and in all things she is pleasant enough to look at it seems to us'." The seven years later the marriage was negotiated by Isabella in a desperate attempt to gain assistance for the disposal of her husband, King Edward II.

For Philippa it was a love match, even crying at the departure of the boy king after the arrival at her home.

Isabella quickly took advantage of the betrothal and hired an army of Hainulters 700 strong for her landing in England.

Phillipa and Edward were first married by proxy at her home in Valenciennes in 1327. She would be escorted to her new home in London by her uncle, Sir John of Hainault. On Sunday 24 January 1328 Edward and Phillipa were married in York Minister by Archbishop Melton. She would not be crowned Queen for two years until February 1330 at time 5 months pregnant with her first born, The Black Prince. Her postponed coronation is attributed to the refusal of Isabella who refused to relinquish her Crown. She would be a good wife to Edward, always sweet of temperament and Edward was supposedly very fond of his Douce Couer, as he would call her.

She was reputed not to be a great beauty as husband's mother, but very warm hearted and loyal. She would bear him 12 children and have a good relationship with her children.

King Edward III

 It said the peace between Edward's Children as opposed to Henry II's children would be due to Philippa’s loving care. Edward himself, would value her not only as his wife, but as a valuable adviser.

She would accompany him on his many expeditions one of them being Calais where she would stop Edward from executing the famous Burghers of Calais.

Their marriage would be a happy in on the whole, however, this would not stop of him from sharing his bed with other women, notably Alice Perrers, once one of Phillipa's lady in waiting. It is not known how Philippa felt at her husband's obvious indiscretions.

It is known that at her death she provided for her many ladies with the exception of Alice, who she probably resented for the affair with her husband. Philippa would die in August 1369 only accompanied by 2 of her children, Prince Edward and Thomas. Her death was deeply felt by all especially the King who lost a great and wise adviser. Bottom right: The Black Prince, one of the 12 children produced by Queen Philippa for King Edward III.

English King, Edward III & Edward the Black Prince

EDWARD III OF ENGLAND
Edward was born at Windsor Castle on 13 November 1312, and was often referred to as Edward of Windsor in his early years.

Edward the Black Prince

The reign of his father, Edward II, was a particularly problematic period of English history. One source of contention was the king's inactivity, and repeated failure, in the ongoing war with Scotland. Another controversial issue was the king's exclusive patronage of a small group of royal favourites.

The birth of a male heir in 1312 temporarily improved Edward II's position in relation to the baronial opposition. To bolster further the independent prestige of the young prince, the king had him created Earl of Chester at only twelve days of age.

In 1325, Edward II was faced with a demand from the French king, Charles IV, to perform homage for the English Duchy of Aquitaine. Edward was reluctant to leave the country, as discontent was once again brewing domestically, particularly over his relationship with the favourite Hugh Despenser the Younger. Instead, he had his son Edward created Duke of Aquitaine in his place and sent him to France to perform the homage.

The young Edward was accompanied by his mother Isabella, who was the sister of King Charles, and was meant to negotiate a peace treaty with the French. While in France, however, Isabella conspired with the exiled Roger Mortimer to have Edward deposed. To build up diplomatic and military support for the venture, Isabella had Prince Edward engaged to the twelve-year-old Philippa of Hainault. An invasion of England was launched and Edward II's forces deserted him completely. The king was forced to relinquish the throne to his son on 25 January 1327. The new king was crowned as Edward III on 1 February 1327.

Edward the Black Prince

It was not long before the new reign also met with other problems caused by the central position at court of Roger Mortimer, who was now the de-facto ruler of England.

Mortimer used his power to acquire noble estates and titles, and his unpopularity grew with the humiliating defeat by the Scots at the Battle of Stanhope Park and the ensuing Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton, signed with the Scots in 1328.

Also the young king came into conflict with his guardian.

Mortimer knew his position in relation to the king was precarious and subjected Edward to disrespect. The tension increased after Edward and Philippa, who had married at York Minster on 24 January 1328, had a son on 15 June 1330. Eventually, Edward decided to take direct action against Mortimer. Aided by his close companion William Montagu and a small number of other trusted men, Edward took Mortimer by surprise at Nottingham Castle on 19 October 1330. Mortimer was executed and Edward III's personal reign began.

Edward III was not content with the peace agreement made in his name, but the renewal of the war with Scotland originated in private, rather than royal initiative. A group of English magnates known as The Disinherited, who had lost land in Scotland by the peace accord, staged an invasion of Scotland and won a great victory at the Battle of Dupplin Moor in 1332. They attempted to install Edward Balliol as king of Scotland in David II's place, but Balliol was soon expelled and was forced to seek the help of Edward III.

Sitting: Edward the Black Prince

The English king responded by laying siege to the important border town of Berwick and defeated a large relieving army at the Battle of Halidon Hill.

Edward reinstated Balliol on the throne and received a substantial amount of land in southern Scotland.

These victories proved hard to sustain, however, as forces loyal to David II gradually regained control of the country.

In 1338, Edward was forced to agree to a truce with the Scots. Coat of arms with three lions, gold on red, in two quarter, fleurs de lys, gold on blue, in two.thumb. To mark his claim to the French crown, Edward's coat of arms showed the three lions of England quartered with the fleurs-de-lys of France.

One reason for the change of strategy towards Scotland was a growing concern for the relationship between England and France.

Edward the Black Prince

 As long as Scotland and France were in an alliance, the English were faced with the prospect of fighting a war on two fronts. The French carried out raids on English coastal towns, leading to rumours in England of a full-scale French invasion. In 1337, Philip VI confiscated the English king's duchy of Aquitaine and the county of Ponthieu. Instead of seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict by paying homage to the French king, the way his father had done, Edward responded by laying claim to the French crown as the grandson of Philip IV.

The French, however, invoked the Salic law of succession and rejected his claim. Instead, they upheld the rights of Philip IV's nephew, King Philip VI (an agnatic descendant of the House of France), thereby setting the stage for the Hundred Years' War (see family tree below). In the early stages of the war, Edward's strategy was to build alliances with other Continental princes. In 1338, Louis IV named Edward vicar-general of the Holy Roman Empire and promised his support. As late as 1373, the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373 established an Anglo-Portuguese Alliance.

These measures, however, produced few results; the only major military victory in this phase of the war was the English naval victory at Sluys on 24 June 1340, which secured English control of the Channel.

Edward III coin

Meanwhile, the fiscal pressure on the kingdom caused by Edward's expensive alliances led to discontent at home. The regency council at home was frustrated by the mounting national debt, while the king and his commanders on the Continent were angered by the failure of the government in England to provide sufficient funds. To deal with the situation, Edward himself returned to England, arriving in London unannounced on 30 November 1340. Finding the affairs of the realm in disorder, he purged the royal administration of a great number of ministers and judges.

These measures did not bring domestic stability, however, and a stand-off ensued between the king and John de Stratford, Archbishop of Canterbury, during which Stratford's relatives Robert Stratford Bishop of Chichester and Henry de Stratford were temporarily stripped of title and imprisoned respectively. Stratford claimed that Edward had violated the laws of the land by arresting royal officers. A certain level of conciliation was reached at the parliament of April 1341.

Edward III coin

Here Edward was forced to accept severe limitations to his financial and administrative freedom, in return for a grant of taxation. Yet in October the same year, the king repudiated this statute and Archbishop Stratford was politically ostracised. The extraordinary circumstances of the April parliament had forced the king into submission, but under normal circumstances the powers of the king in medieval England were virtually unlimited, a fact that Edward was able to exploit.

Edward the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock KG (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), called the Black Prince, was the eldest son of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, and the father of King Richard II of England. He was the first Duke of Cornwall (from 1337), the Prince of Wales (from 1343) and the Prince of Aquitaine (1362–72). He was called "Edward of Woodstock" in his early life, after his birthplace, and since the 16th century has been popularly known as the Black Prince.