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Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377) was one of the most
successful
English monarchs of the
Middle Ages. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his
father,
Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the
Kingdom of England into the most efficient military power in Europe. His
reign saw vital developments in legislature and government—in particular the
evolution of the English parliament—as well as the ravages of the
Black
Death. He remained on the throne for 50 years; no English monarch had
reigned for as long since
Henry III, and none would again until
George III.
Edward was crowned at the age of fourteen, following the
deposition of his father. When he was only seventeen years old, he led a
coup against his
regent,
Roger Mortimer, and began his personal reign. After defeating, but not
subjugating, the
Kingdom of Scotland, he declared himself rightful heir to the French throne
in 1340, starting what would be known as the
Hundred Years' War. Following some initial setbacks, the war went
exceptionally well for England; the victories of
Crécy and
Poitiers led up to the highly favourable
Treaty of Brétigny. Edward’s later years, however, were marked by
international failure and domestic strife, largely as a result of his inertia
and eventual bad health.
Edward III was a temperamental man, but also capable of great clemency. He
was, in most ways, a conventional king, mainly interested in warfare. Highly
revered in his own time and for centuries after, Edward was denounced as an
irresponsible adventurer by later
Whig
historians. This view has turned, and modern
historiography credits him with many achievements. |
