One of England’s worst Kings is Edward II.
His reign was known for being one which was terrible, with the country plagued by civil
war and also crisis in his government.
He relied on his closest advisors and rewarded his favourite ones to a huge extent.
However what is shocking is the fact that the King, despite his flaws and terrible leadership
was murdered in cold blood.
So join us today as we look at, ‘The SAVAGE Death of King Edward II.’
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Edward II was the son of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile.
His father is considered today a successful but brutal military leader, who’s linked
to expanding castles and winning many battles.
Edward II himself was born inside the walls of Caernarfon Castle, as the decision for
this to occur was a concious one, with the fact Edward wanted to bring together Wales
and England, as he’d conquered large parts of it.
Edward II became king following his father’s death on the 7th July 1307.
One of his first commands was to recall Piers Gaveston to his court, a man its been rumoured
to have been his lover.
The next year, Edward II married the 12 year old Isabella of France, despite the large
age gap with Edward being 23.
Their marriage was an attempt to relieve tension between England and France and they had four
children, but Edward often left the Queen feeling neglected, whilst spending time with
his favourites.
Piers Gaveston in particular was showered with gifts and titles, and he even began to
insult many of England’s barons, calling the Earl of Warwick the Black Hound of Arden.
However the hound would eventually come back to die him.
Edward and Pier’s relationship was described as ‘a sin against nature,’ and a ‘love
beyond the love of women,’ and it’s thought that Edward loved him.
Gaveston later was captured after he fled for his safety and he was located at Scarborough
Castle.
A number of barons captured him, and they tried to force the King to agree to the Baron’s
demands, and Gaveston was held at Warwick Castle and was sentenced to death.
In nearby woodland, he was then beheaded by sword.
Edward was seen as weak and this was noticed by Robert the Bruce, the Scottish military
leader.
He had lost large amounts of his Kingdom during Edward I’s reign, and wished to take it
back.
In 1314, Edward II and his army marched north to stop the Scots, but Robert had recaptured
most of the castles taken by Edward previously, and had encroached into Northern England.
On the 23rd June 1314, the Battle of Bannockburn erupted, and it resulted in a devastating
loss for the English King.
They were routed and chased by the Scots with Edward II himself forced to run back.
Despite his former friendship with Piers Gaveston, Edward also grew close with another favourite
High Despenser who was given large amounts of land.
This also angered the nobles, and at the time tensions between the French and English had
also deteriorated.
Isabella, Edward’s wife was sent to pay homage to her brother the French King, but
instead she plotted against her now hated English husband.
She along with her lover, Roger Mortimer the Earl of March invaded England and they wished
to oust the King.
Isabella even managed to capture and besiege a number of cities, however he was captured
and was forced to give up the throne.
This left his 14 year old son Edward the King of England.
During this revolt, Despenser was executed being hanged drawn and quartered, and he had
bible verses etched into his skin.
His father was also executed and was fed to local dogs.
King Edward II was then imprisoned inside Kenilworth Castle and then was moved to Berkeley
Castle for his safety in early 1327.
It was here that Edward was murdered and he never left his cell once he was there.
He was kept here as it was believed he was more secure, but we don’t really know how
he was looked after.
Castle records state that he was brought luxury goods, however contemporary accounts claim
he was treated poorly and was kept in terrible conditions.
It was suggested that he was kept in a damp and dark dungeon, and was left to stew in
horrific conditions inside a dirty cell with rotting animals sharing it too.
It was hoped he would catch disease and die from these dead animals rather than for him
to be murdered in cold blood, with his prison guards being then held accountable for the
death of a King.
One thing is certain though, and it’s that Edward II was killed or died inside of Berkeley
Castle.
On the 23rd September 1327, Edward III was told his father had died a few days before
in the evening of the 21st.
Most historians accept he died on that date, but some believe it was later.
The circumstances of his death are slightly unclear.
The most accepted and common story is that Edward II was murdered in cold blood on the
orders of his wife Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
It is believed that an assassin crept into his cell in the middle of the night, and then
murdered him shoving a red hot burning poker up his backside, that slashed his entrails
and caused catastrophic internal bleeding.
It was said that the guards in the castle heard piercing screams from the King’s chambers
that evening, and that these screams were heard miles away.
This rumour began in the 1330s, but there is no evidence that it’s true.
It could have just been propaganda.
Another source claimed that Edward died at Berkeley with no explanation as to how he
died, and others claim that he died from natural causes.
It’s also debated whether he contracted an illness, but some accounts even claim he
died of melancholy and sorrow.
One bizarre account claims that he was murdered by a trick, or killed with suffocation and
strangulation or by violent means.
Another says how he was allegedly even freed from captivity, and that he managed to travel
to Germany with his son later meeting up with him.
The truth behind Edward’s death is that no one can be 100% sure what happened to him,
but it’s mostly accepted that he was murdered inside of Berkeley Castle.
In what manner he was killed remains a mystery today, as it’s up to you whether you believe
the hot poker story or not.
Maybe you think he escaped and fled to Europe, however one day its possible that this medieval
murder mystery will be put to bed.
But it still remains a shocking event, the murder of a King.
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