Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Miscellaneous Frontmatter
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Character of Edward II: The Letters of Edward of Caernarfon Reconsidered
- 2 The Sexualities of Edward II
- 3 Sermons of Sodomy: A Reconsideration of Edward II's Sodomitical Reputation
- 4 The Court of Edward II
- 5 Household Knights and Military Service Under the Direction of Edward II
- 6 England in Europe in the Reign of Edward II
- 7 The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel? Edward II and Ireland, 1321–7
- 8 Edward II: The Public and Private Faces of the Law
- 9 Parliament and Political Legitimacy in the Reign of Edward II
- 10 The Childhood and Household of Edward II's Half-Brothers, Thomas of Brotherton and Edmund of Woodstock
- 11 Rise of a Royal Favourite: the Early Career of Hugh Despenser the Elder
- 12 The Place of the Reign of Edward II
- Index
- YORK MEDIEVAL PRESS: PUBLICATIONS
1 - The Character of Edward II: The Letters of Edward of Caernarfon Reconsidered
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 September 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Miscellaneous Frontmatter
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Character of Edward II: The Letters of Edward of Caernarfon Reconsidered
- 2 The Sexualities of Edward II
- 3 Sermons of Sodomy: A Reconsideration of Edward II's Sodomitical Reputation
- 4 The Court of Edward II
- 5 Household Knights and Military Service Under the Direction of Edward II
- 6 England in Europe in the Reign of Edward II
- 7 The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel? Edward II and Ireland, 1321–7
- 8 Edward II: The Public and Private Faces of the Law
- 9 Parliament and Political Legitimacy in the Reign of Edward II
- 10 The Childhood and Household of Edward II's Half-Brothers, Thomas of Brotherton and Edmund of Woodstock
- 11 Rise of a Royal Favourite: the Early Career of Hugh Despenser the Elder
- 12 The Place of the Reign of Edward II
- Index
- YORK MEDIEVAL PRESS: PUBLICATIONS
Summary
Edward of Caernarfon came to the throne as King Edward II upon the death of his father on 7 July 1307. At the time of his accession he was twenty-three years old, and he would reign for twenty years until his deposition in January 1327. In recent years a great deal has been written about the reign in general and Edward's kingship in particular. Much of this recent work has focused on prominent individuals, and questions of character and personality have been of great importance in shaping our understanding of the reign. Interestingly, however, very little has been written about the lengthier portion of Edward's life, prior to his accession. What little that has been written on the early life of Edward II has followed in large part the impressions laid down by Hilda Johnstone. It is now more than half a century since Johnstone wrote her study Edward of Carnarvon 1284–1307, yet this slim volume, supplemented by the introduction to Johnstone's earlier edition of the Letters of Edward, prince of Wales, 1304–1305, has continued to shape our picture of a diffident, disinterested prince who grew inevitably into an incompetent and unacceptable king. In this paper I wish to return to the letters of Edward of Caernarfon preserved for 1304–5, and in the process to challenge Johnstone's portrayal of an increasingly dissolute prince.
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- Information
- The Reign of Edward IINew Perspectives, pp. 5 - 21Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2006