Edward I

1272 - 1307

aka Longshanks

Edward was intimidatingly tall at 1.88m (6ft 2) with a forceful personality. He had black hair, a drooping eyelid and a lisp. He was said to be strong in character, able to make his own decisions but also willing to listen to the opinion of others. He appeared to be fair-minded politically but he was vengeful and had a terrible temper. His legacy reflects his effective leadership as well as his willingness to do battle.

To his great credit, he continued the parliamentary process first overseen by Simon de Montfort whom he defeated and killed at the Battle of Evesham. Edward’s grievances against the de Montfort family ran deep however and he continued to persecute surviving family members. His best friend, Henry of Almain, was killed by de Montfort’s sons in 1271 to avenge the death of their father. In retaliation, Edward held de Montfort’s daughter Eleanor captive as she travelled to marrry Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, only releasing her when Llywelyn agreed to concede to his terms.

In the same year, 1275, he instituted the Statute of Westminster. It represented an overhaul of the legal system, putting a curb on the rising power of official minister. While working to give common people more power, he persecuted the Jewish people in England. This was a continuation of an English prejudice. To begin with he made all Jews wear an identifying yellow star-shaped badge and restricted their money-lending practices. He also taxed them heavily. Four years later he executed 300 influential Jewish men at the Tower of London. By 1290 he had exiled the Jewish people from the kingdom and confiscated their property. This proved to be a lucrative exercise for a king perenially in need of funds.

At the beginning of his reign, his kingdom consisted of Gascony in France and the Channel Islands. He changed this position by concentrating on acquiring Scotland and Wales. Prior to 1282, Wales had a welsh Prince who refused to accept Edward’s sovereignty. This act of rebellion by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, led to his death in battle as well as the wholesale slaughter of the Welsh people. Edward commissioned a chain of castles that annexed Snowdonia, known as the Ring of Iron, thereby depriving the region of its independence. The 1984 Statute of Rhuddlan enshrined Wales as a principality of England, subject to English law. Eventually, the Welsh even had an English monarch’s son as their Prince.

His influence in Scotland was felt when Alexander III died in 1286 and Edward gave his support to John Balliol as his successor rather than Robert the Bruce. Edward was able to make Balliol do his bidding. The Scots rejected Edward’s interference and looked for support to King Philip IV of France, who had just taken control of Gascony. Edward took action. He massacred the people of Berwick, and in 1296 he seized the Stone of Scone. This was a powerful symbol of the Scottish monarchy, which he took back to install at Westminster Abbey. Scotland rebelled against English governance regularly over the next decade under the leadership of William Wallace. After Wallace’s capture and execution, Robert the Bruce declared himself King of Scotland. After killing all of Robert the Bruce’s Engish relatives, King Edward, aged 68, headed north into battle. He was ill on the journey, and must have known he didn’t have long to live. A warrior to the last, he had word sent to his son Edward II to embalm his body and carry it forward into battle.

Edward’s war-mongering in his later years threatened to engulf his legacy as a social reformer. He taxed his subjects heavily and commandeered labour and supplies. His campaign in Wales was the most costly ever recorded and was bitterly resented by his subjects. His ruthless efficiency as a leader extended from the battlefield to the statute books. His personal charisma earned hin the devotion of two wives, who between them, gave him at least 17 children. However his violent temper caused him to be cruel to those closest to him or those who defied him

Edward I Factfile