Edward II The Man: A Doomed Inheritance

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Edward II is one of the most controversial kings of English history On numerous occasions he brought England to the brink of civil war Author Stephen Spinks argues that Edward & the later murdered Piers Gaveston were lovers not merely brothers-in-arms' Influenced by successive royal favourites & with a desire for personal vengeance his rule became highly polarised & unstable His own wife took a lover & invaded his kingdom resulting in his forced abdication; the first in British history Edward's prevailing legacy remains the warning that all kings can fall from power & yet war debt & baronial oppression before 1307 ensured that Edward II inherited a toxic legacy that any successor would have found almost impossible to wrestle with Stephen Spinks explores that legacy using contemporary & later sources By focusing on Edward's early years as much as on his reign & exploring the conflicting influences of those around him Stephen shows the human side of this tale against a backdrop of political intrigues & betrayals He peels back the layers to reveal the man who wore the crown Edward's belief in his unchallengable right to rule increasingly at odds with those at his court & his undeniable thirst for revenge creates a fourteenth-century tragedy on a grand scale