Edward II Interesting Facts

1 First Prince of Wales

Edward II was named as the first Prince of Wales by his father Edward I. There has been an English Prince of Wales ever since.

2 Wedding night upset

Edward II chose to spend his wedding night, not in the arms of his new wife, but with his best friend Piers Gaveston. Piers’ flamboyant behaviour during the day upset Isabella’s family so much that they walked out of the celebration. Perhaps it is unsurprising that Queen Isabella appeared to have mixed feelings about him…

3 Scorned woman

Despite conspiring to murder him, Edward’s wife Queen Isabella gave him a lavish funeral which she attended. When she died, she was buried with his heart laid upon hers.

4 The Queen’s reputation

Isabella was obviously a passionate woman. She was known as the ‘she-wolf of France’ because of her fiery temper. She personally oversaw the death of Hugh le Despenser. He was hung, drawn and quartered.

5 The dowry

The Queen’s father paid Edward £18,000 to marry his daughter. She was just 12 when she married 23 year old Edward.

6 So unlike his dad his paternity was questionned

Edward may have been tall and good-looking like his father but that’s where the similarities ended. Edward was not a good tactician on the battlefield or able to bear the weight of office on his own. His relationship with his father was fraught, on one occasion at least Edward was physically abusive to his son. It has been suggested that this might be why Edward was so willng to give his devotion and royal power away to others.

7 Most humiliating defeat in 250 years

Whilst a brave soldier, Edward lacked skill. He confronted Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn with the intention of liberating the castle at Stirling. Robert the Bruce had declared himself King of Scotland after William Wallace’s murder. Edward’s army were not well led and two thirds of them perished on the battlefield. England had not been so humiliated since the Conquest.

8 Body of Evidence

Edward was so devoted a friend that when Gaveston was murdered, he was completely distraught. He could not bear to part with Gaveston’s body. It stayed with him for weeks until the stench made it unbearable and it was forcibly removed for burial.

9 Edward’s unusual interests

Unusually for a royal at this time, Edward enjoyed manual labour such as hedging and digging ditches. He was comfortable spending time with labourers and other members of the working class. He was a good rider and enjoyed breeding horses but he didn’t hunt or pursue falconry. He loved dogs, particularly greyhounds. He rowed and enjoyed music, especially Welsh music. He also had a pet camel and took a lion to battle in Scotland with him.