Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/762

* EDWARD I. 664 EDWARD II. had outgrown the faults of his youth. In 1208 he assumed the Crusader's cross, and in 1270 set out to join Louis IX. of France on his cru- sade. Louis died on the coast of Africa, and the French Crusaders made peace with the Mo- hauinicdans ; but Kdward jiersistcd in the enter- prise, and landed at Acre in 1271. Nothing, however, of any consequence was achieved, and in the following year he set out on his return to England. In Sicily he heard of his father's death ( 1272), but did not hurry home. In 1273 he proceeded to France, and did homage to Philip 111. for his French possessions. He arrived in England, August 2, 1274. and, with his Queen, Eleanor, was crowned at Westminster on August 19th. His first military expedition after his ac- cession to the throne was directed against the Welsh. After an intermittent contest of nearly ten years — in the course of which the famous Prince Llewllyn (q.v. ) was slain at Radnor, De- cember 10, 12S2 — Wales was finally subdued and incorporated with England. Edward's great ambition was to gain posses- sion of Scotland. The deaths in 1290, of Mar- garet, the llaid of Xorway, granddaughter of Alexander III., who was to have been married to Edward's son, seemed for a time to have frus- trated his design ; but the selfishness of the competitors for the Scottish crown induced them to acknowledge Edward as Lord Paramount of Scotland, each hoping that he would thereby se- cure the English monarch's support. .John Baliol and Robert Bruce were also foolish enough to make him umpire between them; or perhaps it would be more correct to say they were not pow- erful enough to refuse his arbitration. At Ber- wick, November 17, 1292, Edward decided in favor of John Baliol, who immediately took the oatli of fealty to him, and on December 26th did homage to the English King for his crown at Newcastle. The patriotism and jnide of the Scottish nation took fire at such humiliation, and in a short time Baliol was hurried by his subjects into a war with England. In 1296 Edward entered Scotland, devastating it with fire and sword. He penetrated as far north as Elgin, comjielled Baliol to resign the throne, and governed the country by means of a board of regency. It was during this expedition that he carried off from the Cathedral of Scone the celebrated stone on which the kings of Scotland used to be crowned, and which is now in Westminster Abbey. A second rising took place in Scotland in the fol- lowing summer. The leader on this occasion was William Wallace. He was completely successful for a time, chiefly, it is supposed, on account of the absence of F.dward. In the spring of 1298, however, that sovereign again made his appear- ance in Scotfand. and gave battle to Wallace at Falkirk, on July 22d. Partly through treach- ery, and partly, no donlit. through the superior generalship of Edward, who is considered to have been the first military commander of his time in Europe, the Scottish forces were entirely de- feated. The next five years were spent by the Eng- lish in reducing the coxintry to obedience — with very imperfect su<'cess, however. In the sum- mer of 1303 Edward led a third army into Scot- land, and once more spread havoc and ruin to the shores of the Moray Firth. The- last castle that held out against him was Stirling, which did not yield until July 24, 1304. Some time after this Wallace cither fell into his hands or was betrayed, and on August 23. 1305. was exe- cuted. In the beginning of 1306 Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, grandson of the chief rival of Baliol, suddenly left the English Court, unfurled once more the banner of Scottish independence, and on .March 27th of that year was crowned at Scone. An English army under the Earl of Pem- broke was immediately dispatched to Scotland, and at the close of the year the King himself set out to chastise Bruce. But Edward only lived to reach ,i;urg'ii-.:-n-Sands, a village be- yond Carlisle, where he expired July 7, 130T. "in sight of the country," say» Lord Hailes, "which lie had devoted to destruction." As a ruler Edward is eulitled to the highest ))raise. Inunense ])rogress was made during his reign in the estiiblishment and ini])rovenient of law and order throughout the land, in the refor- mation of civil abuses, and in the restriction of the ecclesiastical power. He has been called the English .lustinian. and both Hale and Blaekstone affirm that "the very scheme and model of the administration of conunon justice between man and man was entirely settled by this King."' Ireland and Wales participated in the benefits of English law. It was during Edward's reign, too, that the rei)resentatii)n of the Commons of England first became regular; but probably the greatest advantage obtained by the nation was the declaration that the right of levying taxes resided in Parliament. In general, it may be said that Edward ruled in harmony with the ideas and desires of the best heads among his nobles and burgesses; and though tcnichy on the question of his prerogative, like every Plan- tagenet, and cruel in his treatment of the .Jews, he must be regarded, on the whole, as one of the most enlightened and sagacious mouarchs of his age. Consult: Stubbs_, Constitutionul IJis- tory of England, vol. ii. (Oxford. 1874); id.. The Earl)/ Flantagenets (London and New York, 1877) : Prothero, Simon de Montfort (London, 1877) ; Tout, Edirard J. (London and New York, 1893). See Exgl.xd; SroTL.xn: Baliol; BRrcE : ^loxTFORT. SiMOX DE ; Wallace. EDWARD II. ( 12S4-1327 ) . King of England from 1307 to 1327. Jle was the son of Edward I., and was born at Carnarvon, April 2.5, 1284. In 1301 he was created Prince of ales. being the first heir apparent to the English throne who bore that title. He accompanied his father on his expeditions into Scotland: but after the death of the latter he abandoned the personal conduct of the war and returned to England. .t home Edward's mode of life was contemptible. While still a yoiith he had conceived an extraor- dinary admiration and fondness f(n' a witty, clever, but dissolute court ier calleil Piers de Caveston. the son of a Gascon knight. After Edward became King there was no limit to the honors heaped on the favorite. When the King went to France, in the beginning of 1308, to conclude a marriage with Isabella, daughter of Pliilij) the Fair, (Javeston was left as guardian of the kingdom. The nobles were indignant, and demanded hi^ banishment. Twice Oaveston was forced to leave' England, hut as often he was recalled by the weak monarch, whose love for him amounted to sliccr infatuation. At last the nobles rose in arms, liesieged flaveston in Scarsborough Castle, and, having forced him to surrender, hanged him June 19. 1312. Two years after this Edward in- vaded Scotland at the head of a great anny.