Here is the next in my series on the kings of England:
Fascinating Facts: Edward I [1272-1307]
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He was named after the saintly Edward the Confessor, but took after Richard the Lionheart.
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He made a political marriage to Eleanor of Castile, but became devoted to her and they had 16 children.
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At 26, he won a decisive battle in the civil war, and took over the reins of the kingdom, his father King Henry III took a back seat.
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He went on crusade and operated out of Acre for sixteen months.
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He became known as ‘the greatest lance in the world’.
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He returned to England nearly two years after the death of his father, to a hero’s welcome and a magnificent coronation.
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At the coronation he removed the crown and vowed never to wear it until he restored all the lands his father had given away.
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He had the entire country surveyed and brought in new laws on landholding, military recruitment and obligation, and civil and criminal procedure. This was unprecedented, and became the foundation of the British legal system.
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In 1284 Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was killed and Edward annexed Wales. Edward’s fourth son and eventual successor, Edward, was given the title Prince of Wales.
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William Wallace and Robert Bruce fought against him.
