His spurious reputation. (Stubbs ii, 335, 355, 365-6.) e. Parlt. of York 1322 VictoryofAbsolutism by constl. means. (Stubbs ii, 266.) 3. Edward's downfall. a, Causes. (Stubbs ii, 360.) b, Deposition in Parlt. 1327. friend, and Lancaster's misgovernment had ruined his popularity. Edward and the Despensers called a general levy at Coventry and hastened northwards against him. Crossing the Trent, not at Burton where the Earl was waiting to intercept him, but a few miles higher up, he suddenly appeared in the earl's rear. Lancaster hurriedly fled and three days afterwards was overtaken, defeated, and captured, at Boroughbridge. No mercy could be shown him, and his head was struck off beneath the walls of his own castle of Pontefract. His death shattered the opposition. Some other Barons were put to death. Roger Mortimer was imprisoned. In spite of Lancaster's violence, selfishness, and incapacity, he was reverenced almost as a saint and a martyr. Having been the chief opponent of royal folly the people forgot his faults and venerated his memory as though he had been the champion of popular rights. For these he cared nothing at all. His reputation rested on his opposition to a worthless king, not on his character or his real aims. Edward went to York and Parliament was summoned. There the Despensers made common cause with the people against the Baronage, and won by asserting a great and valuable constitutional principle. (1) On the plea that the Commons had not been consulted the Ordinances were revoked. Act of 1321 against the Despensers was annulled. right of the Commons to a share in Legislation was asserted. (2) The (3) The definitely Edward and his new Ministers had asserted a great constitutional principle. But they had done so for purely selfish objects. For a time it placed them in power, but there could be no stability. 1. The King's own incompetency and folly grew no less. 3. Lancaster's party was desirous of revenge. 4. The Queen had proved faithless and treacherous. She went to France, where she was joined by Roger Mortimer who had escaped from prison, and the two plotted to depose both King and ministers. They secured the person of young Prince Edward and returned to England. Many of the Barons joined them. The Despensers were seized and hanged. The King himself was taken prisoner and Prince Edward was proclaimed the "Guardian " of the realm. Parliament met and the King was put on trial. The following charges were brought against him: 1. Incompetency. 3. Neglect of duty. 4. Foreign losses in Scotland, Ireland, and Gascony. He was adjudged guilty, and was deposed. Of course there (Green 211.) in Parliament. The moral justice of the sentence cannot be (Stubbs ii, 380.) denied, and it is therefore idle to question its legality. He was murdered later in Berkeley Castle. Edward's reign is a period of transition : (a) It completed much that had been begun by Edward I. : 2. The Statute of York completed the work of the Parliament of 1295—which had declared that the consent of Commons was necessary in taxation— by declaring that it was also necessary in legislation. (b) It was the seed-time of influences which ripened afterwards: (i) The murders of Gaveston and Lancaster were the first steps of movements which resulted in I. the deposition of Edward II., 2. the quarrels of John of Gaunt and his son with. 3. the Wars of the Roses. (ii) The way was prepared for the outbreak of the "Hundred Years War" with France, by Edward's marriage with Isabella, and by the weakness which allowed Aquitaine to be over-run by the French (p. 72). c, His death. IV. Significance of 1322. c. Halidon Hill 1333 d. Franco-Scottish Alliance 1334 e. Neville's Cross 1346 f. Burnt Candlemas 1356. iv. War with France (" Hundred Years War" 1337-1453) a. Causes I. commercial 2. political 3. dynastic b. Results v. Periods of Edward III.'s War with France (i.) Desultory fighting 1339-1345; Victory of Sluys (1340) secures England's Naval Supremacy (ii.) The Campaign of Cressy a. Cressy 1346-effects of the victory b. Capture of Calais 1347-its importance c. Success in Aquitaine d. The Black Death 1349 e. Truce with France (iii.) Renewal of Hostilities a. Defeat of Spanish Fleet off Winchelsea 1350 b. Scottish Invasion-" the Burnt Candlemas " (iv) The Poitiers Campaign 1356 a. The Black Prince's March b. Victory at Poitiers 1346 (v.) Invasion of North East 1359 b. Peace of Bretigny 1360 (vi.) The Black Prince in Aquitaine a Spanish Expedition 1367 b Misgovernment and discontent c French assertion of Overlordship and declaration of War 1369 d. Bertrand du Guesclin e. Decline in English power f Massacre of Limoges 1370 (vii.) John of Gaunt a. His Spanish policy b. Naval defeat off La Rochelle 1372 c. His disastrous march from Calais to Aquitaine d. Treaty of Bruges 1375 vi. Causes of English Failure vii. Anti-Papal Legislation Provisors 1351 Premunire 1353 Repudiation of Papal Tribute 1366 Mortimer. 1328. For some three years the disgraceful Queen and her favourite I. Regency of Mortimer ruled. But such a rule could not continue. It was moreover as incapable as it was immoral. They failed to keep the Scots in check and had to make with them the Treaty of Northampton. By this Robert Bruce was acknowledged King and Edward's sister Joan was promised to Bruce's son David. Mortimer offended the other Barons by his arrogance, and young Edward took advantage of the general discontent to seize Mortimer at Nottingham Castle. He was hanged at Tyburn, and Isabella was kept a prisoner at Castle Rising. Young Edward was handsome, accomplished and brave. II. Edward's He was not without political ability, but he was heartless, selfish, and extravagant. He would have aimed at making himself a tyrant but that he needed popular support for his military projects; and he would have become a voluptuary sooner than he did but for his military ambition. His character grew worse as he grew older. Character, (Stubbs ii, 391. Scotland first demanded his attention. Robert Bruce died III. Scotland. in 1329 and his young son David was crowned as King. But a a, David Bruce 1329 party of discontented nobles set up Edward Balliol as a rival, and gained Edward III.'s assistance by acknowledging the b, Edward Balliol English Overlordship. The Scots refused to accept Balliol, but Edward sent troops to his aid and defeated them at Halidon Hill. He made the Scots attack, and after shooting c, Halidon Hill 1333 them down with his archers charged them with his knights. Berwick was taken. and English Overlordship. (Barnard 69.) (Oman 586.) Alliance, 1334. Bruce fled to France: there he renewed the alliance of 1295 d, Franco-Scottish and began that long period of Franco-Scottish friendship which lasted for many centuries. Balliol maintained a difficult position for some years, but in 1341 was driven out by the patriotic party, and David Bruce returned. The Scottish policy was to harass the English in the north when they were occupied with the French in the south. The outbreak of war between France and England soon gave them ample opportunities of pursuing this plan. e, Neville's Cross, 1346. (Oman 587.) When Edward was away on the Campaign of Cressy David Bruce led an invasion of England. He was defeated and captured at Neville's Cross, again because he led the Scots to attack whereas their strength lay in defence. The English archers so riddled his left wing that it fled, and left the centre exposed to the flank attack of the men-at-arms. David himself was captured, but the Franco-Scottish alliance continued. In 1355 when war was renewed between England and France the Scots recaptured Berwick. Next year Edward took it back and in revenge ravaged the Lothians in what was f. "Burnt Candlecalled the "Burnt Candlemas." But Scottish Independence remained intact. Many causes besides Edward's military spirit led to the mas," 1356. IV. War with ("Hundred Years War," 1337-1453.) a, Causes. (Ashley Edw. iii. and his wars.) 1. Commercial. 2. Political. 3. Dynastic. outbreak of the war with France which lasted with brief inter- . missions for over a century. They are not easy to disentangle, for the avowed reasons were not always the real ones, and the real ones are not the apparent ones. Commercial motives and dynastic pretexts both played their part in beginning and in maintaining the struggle. English trade had enormously increased in two directions. To the north-east of France, the woollen trade with Flanders was important; in the south-west there was the wine trade with Aquitaine. In both directions trade was much injured by the French pirates, and was now endangered by the growing desire of the French for national unity. Just as Edward I. had desired to unite all Britain, so the French Kings were endeavouring to unite all France. This led them to make attempts on the vassal English province of Aquitaine, and on the vassal provinces of Flanders. England was bound to support the latter for in the manufacturing towns of Bruges, Ghent, Ypres, etc., the English wool was manufactured into cloth. There were other sources of irritation on both sides. The attacks of French pirates in the Channel, irregular enough, but not wholly disapproved of by the French authorities, led inevitably to reprisals. Edward revived the old title of "Lord of the Narrow Seas which the English Kings had borne when they had held both sides of the Channel, and organised a navy to enforce it. The alliance between Scotland and France for mutual advantages has already been mentioned. Difficulties increased, and only an excuse was needed for a formal declaration of War. The excuse was readily found. Philip VI. had claimed absolute supremacy as King of France over Aquitaine and had actually occupied the province during the weak reign of Edward II. Edward III. retaliated by denying his title to be King of France at all, and asserted that he himself was the rightful king. The claim was a transparent excuse. It was based on the fact that his mother Isabella was the daughter of Philip IV., whereas Philip VI. was only the nephew. The French rule of male succession, called the Salic Law," of itself barred Edward's title, but even if, as he asserted, the Salic Law did not apply, the direct descendant was Joanna Queen of Navarre, Philip IV.'s grand-daughter. Philip iii. (1270-1285). |