Invasion of England by Queen Isabelle

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Isabelle crosses over to England with her fleet. Illumination from the 15th century.

The invasion of England by Queen Isabelle led to the overthrow of the rule of the English King Edward II. On September 24, 1326 , the English Queen Isabelle , who had become estranged from her arbitrarily ruling husband, landed in England with a small army. This led to a revolt against the king, whose rule collapsed. The king fled to Wales, where he was eventually captured by Isabelle and her allies. The invasion of Isabelle was the first successful invasion of England since the Norman conquest in 1066 . The subsequent deposition of Edward II was the first deposition of an English king by parliament and set a precedent for the deposition of Richard II in 1399, of Henry VI. 1461 and 1471, by Eduard IV. 1470 and Eduard V. 1483.

prehistory

War between England and France

In March 1322 the English King Edward II was able to militarily put down a rebellion of the Marcher Lords and his cousin Thomas of Lancaster . Lancaster and other leading rebels were subsequently executed, others such as Roger Mortimer of Wigmore incarcerated. With this the king had eliminated the organized opposition from the ranks of the magnates . For the next few years he ruled autocratic and tyrannical , supported by his favorites Hugh le Despenser the Elder and his son of the same name Hugh le Despenser . Covered by the king, the Despensers enriched themselves almost unchecked, committing numerous violations of the law and violations. In August 1323 Roger Mortimer escaped from the Tower of London in a spectacular escape and fled to France. The French King Charles IV , who was at a dispute with Edward II over Gascon, which the English kings owned, welcomed Mortimer with open arms. Edward II soon feared that Mortimer would plan an invasion of England from France in order to overthrow him. In addition, border disputes in Gascony led to the Saint-Sardos War between France and England in 1324 .

Alienation between Isabelle and her husband

At the end of 1324 Pope John XXII. the proposal that the English Queen Isabelle should mediate in the conflict between England and France, since she was a sister of the French king. In January 1325, first the English Privy Council and then Parliament approved the proposal. Edward II himself did not want to leave England for negotiations, as he feared that the Despensers would be attacked by their numerous opponents without his protection. Bishop John Stratford of Winchester, who had been the English ambassador to France, reported to the king on January 17 that the French king would accept the homage of the English heir to the throne Edward in place of the English king for the French possessions if the heir to the throne were formally duke would be appointed by Aquitaine . The English king would not have to leave England and could avoid paying homage to the French king, which is humiliating for a king. Finally, before February 7, 1325, the English king agreed to his wife's mediation. The heir to the throne, Eduard, was to follow her to France as soon as an acceptable agreement had been negotiated to perform the homage. However, Eduard II and Isabelle, who had been married since 1308, had become increasingly estranged since 1320, mainly due to the influence of the younger Despenser. Despenser had succeeded in isolating Isabelle to a large extent and finally almost completely eliminated her influence on the king. After the start of the open war with France, the administration of her English property was withdrawn from her in September 1324. The king's favorites justified this with the fact that the queen, who was born in France, might make it easier for the French to land on their south-west English possessions. Deprived of her income, the king granted her only a much lower pension for her maintenance. Isabelle was also deprived of the supervision of the upbringing of her younger children. Eleanor de Clare , the wife of the younger despenser, who was also a niece of the king, came into her household as a lady-in-waiting to watch over her and to spy on her. Isabelle was deeply humiliated by this harassment and despite her status as queen lived almost as a prisoner at the royal court. Her marriage to the king had practically failed. She therefore absolutely wanted to travel to France as an ambassador in order to escape her situation at least temporarily. So she was very friendly towards the younger Despenser so that he would agree to her trip to France. The entourage of around thirty that she was to accompany to France was, however, determined by the king. He chose courtiers whom he trusted.

Isabelle's role in the peace negotiations

On March 9, 1325, Isabelle left Dover for France, which she reached on the same day. In Poissy she met her brother Charles IV, with whom she resumed the stalled peace negotiations. In fact, the negotiators were subsequently able to negotiate a peace by March 31st. There were still renegotiations and disputes over individual points, such as the conditions for extending the armistice, but at the beginning of May the English king reluctantly agreed to the treaty. Isabelle was not directly involved in these or subsequent negotiations, but she remained in France even after the peace was formally concluded in Paris on May 30th. The English king now urged Isabelle to return to England. However, she stayed in France, leaving Paris at the end of July due to her limited financial resources and living in various castles of the French king.

Homage to the English heir to the throne instead of the English king

The English king initially wanted to travel to France himself in August 1325 to pay homage to the French king for his French possessions. Probably at the urging of the Despensers, he did not cross over to France, but sent the Earl of Richmond and Bishop Stratford to France for further negotiations. On September 1, Isabelle met Richmond and Stratford in Paris and again proposed that the heir to the throne be sent in homage instead of the father. Stratford and Isabelle submitted the proposal to Charles IV, who approved on September 4th. Stratford now traveled back to England, where his proposal was received with suspicion at the royal court. Even the king did not want to let his son travel to France alone, as he feared that he would be influenced by his mother there. The Despensers, however, were taken with the idea. Since the younger despenser had been banished from France in 1321, he was not allowed to travel to France, and he feared that his opponents would attack him again while the king was absent. Thereupon Edward II also gave his consent that his son and heir should travel to France in his place. On September 10, 1325, the twelve-year-old Edward was made Duke of Aquitaine , and on September 12, he set out for France with Stratford and Bishop Stapeldon , Henry de Beaumont and other barons. The heir to the throne promised his father on departure that he would fulfill his wishes. On September 14th he reached Boulogne , where his mother received him and escorted him to Paris. At the same time, Stratford brought the queen to the king's request to return to England with the heir to the throne immediately after the homage. On September 22nd, Isabelle and the heir to the throne reached Paris, where Charles IV received them. The formal homage followed on September 24th.

The French King Charles IV welcomes his sister Isabelle as she enters Paris. Representation from the 15th century.

Unauthorized further stay of Isabelle and the heir to the throne in France

During her stay in France, Isabelle met her French cousin Robert von Artois several times , as well as English exiles such as John Maltravers and John de Ros . Their main supporter was the Earl of Richmond, who had become the opponent of the Despensers and who ignored the king's repeated requests to return to England, as the Queen ignored. On August 25th, the Earl of Kent , a half-brother of the king, returned to France. He married Margaret Wake in December 1325 , whose brother Thomas Wake was also in Paris at the time. Bishop Airmyn , John Cromwell, and Henry de Beaumont did not return to England either and remained in Isabelle's retinue. Richard Bury , the former teacher of the heir to the throne Eduard and now the tax officer responsible for Gascony, had given income from Gascony to Isabelle in England without permission. When this was revealed, he narrowly escaped arrest and fled to Isabelle in France. Isabelle discussed her situation with these supporters. She did not want to return to England while the Despensers had dominant influence over the king there. Since the underage heir to the throne did not want to return to England either, his mother had a bargaining chip against her husband. It was probably at this time that Isabelle was apparently convinced by her supporters that not only the Despensers but also her husband Edward II had to be overthrown. The king had consistently supported his favorites, ignoring agreements he had made with his domestic opponents. In England the king ordered the arrest of Airmyn and Richmond, who he accused of having deceived him about the actual content of the peace treaty, which was unfavorable for England. At first he was apparently disturbed by his wife's continued refusal to return to him. At the end of September 1325 he again ordered her and his son to return, and on October 18 he informed the Pope of his astonishment and concern about their stay in France. He ordered Bishop Stapeldon to go to Paris and bring back his wife and son. As a favorite of the Despensers in France, Stapeldon felt threatened and withheld the money he was supposed to bring with him to pay Isabelle's debts in France. Before October 22nd, Isabelle met Stapeldon and openly refused to return to England. Then she traveled with her son to Le Bourget and Reims . Stapeldon returned to England on October 31, unsuccessful, convinced that he was no longer safe in France in the face of the exiles who surrounded the Queen. On November 14th, the king stopped the disbursement of funds in favor of the queen. In November, Bishop Stratford returned to France. Isabelle is said to have told him openly at the French royal court that she was not returning to England because a person had slipped between her and her husband. She is now demanding that this person, who was clearly referred to as Despenser, be removed. The French king who was present added that he would not send his sister away as long as she voluntarily wanted to stay in France. Stratford returned to England and reported to the King about this scandal, which was enormous for the time. Isabelle subsequently stated that she would return to England at her own discretion and after the Despensers had been exiled. The King of England convened Parliament on November 18th. Before it was relocated to Westminster on December 5th , the King had briefly reported to the congregation of the Queen's disobedience, which he could not understand. He defended the Despensers against the Queen's allegations, which he declared to be unjustified. In further letters to the queen, to his son and to the French king, he now tried to achieve the return. The French king lent his sister 1,000 livres for her expenses and now demanded that the despensers be removed.

Preparations for Isabelle's invasion

Affair between Isabelle and Mortimer and alliance with Hainaut

In the meantime, Queen Isabelle had met Roger Mortimer of Wigmore in France, possibly when he had traveled to Paris at the end of 1325 in the wake of Countess Johanna von Hainaut for the funeral of her father Charles of Valois . He had previously been in Hainaut and Holland for a year and is only mentioned again in France in December 1325. Isabelle and Mortimer had known each other since 1308, when Mortimer's wife, Joan, was serving as the queen's maid, but in all likelihood they had not been closely related before. In France they started a relationship. Mortimer probably proposed to Isabelle to ally with Count Wilhelm von Hainaut and to marry the heir to the throne to a daughter of the count, as the English king had planned several years ago.

Defensive measures by the English king

In January and February 1326, several members of Isabelle's remaining entourage returned to England because they rejected the shocking affair with Mortimer. It was probably through her that the king found out about his wife's affair. He was reinforced in his fears by this scandal and tried to prepare his empire for a defense against an invasion. In January 1326 he ordered the transfer of Margaret de Fiennes , the imprisoned mother of Mortimer, to the interior. At the beginning of 1326 it became known in England that Isabelle was negotiating with the Count of Hainaut about the marriage of the heir to the throne. The king then announced in February that the queen had allied with Mortimer, the convicted traitor. He ordered that Isabelle, the heir to the throne and the Earl of Kent should be treated with honor if they landed in England. Foreign soldiers, on the other hand, should be hanged as enemy invaders when landing in England. Royal castles were provided with supplies and with stronger garrisons, and on February 8, 1326 the king ordered greater surveillance of the coasts. Archbishop Reynolds of Canterbury reported to the king that Mortimer and Isabelle wanted to land in England from Normandy, supported by the Count of Hainaut and the King of Bohemia . On February 5, the Archbishop asked Isabelle to return to her husband, which she refused again. Over the next few months, Edward II wrote several letters to his son asking for his return, which, however, he refused.

Isabelle and Mortimer diplomatic activities

From February 1326, Isabelle stayed in letter contact with Countess Johanna, probably to advance the plans for an invasion of England. Officially, their only goal remained to drive the Despensers from the court. Before February 25, 1326, Isabelle and Mortimer in France agreed with the Scottish ambassador Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray , that the Scots would not take advantage of an invasion of England to invade northern England themselves. In return, Isabelle and Mortimer promised to officially recognize the Scottish King Robert Bruce as king as soon as they gained power in England. Knowing that Edward II would never recognize Robert the Bruce as King of Scotland, Isabelle knew that she was secretly working to overthrow her husband. Isabelle and Mortimer were meanwhile supported by other Englishmen who fled England in 1322 after the failure of the Lancaster rebellion, including John de Kingston , John Botetourt and William Trussell .

Mediation attempt by the Pope

By March 1326, the affair between Isabelle and Mortimer had become an open secret. The heir to the throne, Eduard, apparently refused Mortimer, but neither this nor the talk moved Isabelle to end the affair. Pope John XXII. had appointed Archbishop Guillaume de Laudun of Vienne and Bishop Hugues of Orange as nuncios on February 15 , in order to make another attempt to mediate between Isabelle and Edward II. But even papal envoys could not convince Isabelle to return to her husband. She set two conditions for a return: the removal of the Despensers from the royal court and that the king would guarantee her position as queen and return her possessions. Mortimer is said to have been so angry about the possibility that Isabelle could give in to the Pope's insistence that he probably threatened Isabelle with death in the presence of the papal envoy. The papal envoys then traveled to England in May, but Edward II continued to refuse to ban the Despensers. Instead, he tried to bribe the Pope, possibly to have his marriage annulled. Before June 10, it became clear that the Pope's attempt at mediation had failed.

In France, Isabelle and Mortimer attended the wedding of King Charles IV on May 11th with Johanna von Évreux . In further letters to his son and to the French king, Edward II tried to achieve the return of the heir to the throne. Isabelle and Mortimer have since received news from England that the regime of Edward II and Despensers was so hated that they could count on broad support in the event of an invasion. The French king was reluctant to give military support to Isabelle's invasion. When the Pope apparently ordered Isabelle to return to England and threatened to excommunicate anyone who supported her in her absence , Isabelle traveled first to Cambrai in the summer of 1326 and then to Hainaut, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire and therefore not, at the beginning of August was subordinate to the French king.

Creation of an army in the Netherlands

Before July 24, Mortimer had traveled to Zealand , which was owned by the Count of Hainaut. There, at the end of July, Mortimer chartered ships in his and on behalf of Count Wilhelm and ordered supplies. The ships should be ready by September 1st in various ports between Rotterdam and Dordrecht . At the beginning of August, Isabelle traveled through Holland, Zealand and Brabant to recruit more troops and procure equipment. On August 3, Isabelle was in Mons in Hainaut, where she confirmed the charter of 132 ships and eight warships. She met Jean de Beaumont , a younger brother of Count Wilhelm. Jean de Beaumont took them to his brother in Valenciennes . There the engagement of the heir to the throne to Philippa , a daughter of the count, was negotiated again. The engagement took place on August 27th in Mons with the condition that the marriage should take place within two years. The engagement was supported by the French king, who was a cousin of Count Wilhelm's wife. On September 7th, Isabelle met Count Wilhelm again in Dordrecht, and on September 20th she was in Brielle . The core of their army consisted of 700 mercenaries who Jean de Beaumont had recruited in Hainaut and Germany. In addition there were the English exiles, so that the army was between 1000 and 1500 men strong. Jean de Beaumont, against the opposition of his brother, was determined to personally participate in the invasion of England, which the Count reluctantly approved in the end. On September 21 or 22, the army left the Netherlands on 95 ships from Brielle and Dordrecht.

Reinforcement of the defense measures of Edward II.

In August 1326, Edward II again guarded the coast more closely and had the castles on the coast reinforced. To report the invaders, he ordered beacons to be prepared. For this he had the preparation of the contingents transferred to the individual counties to various barons and prelates. In early September an English force invaded Normandy . The force was under the command of John Felton and consisted of 133 ships with 4,200 sailors and 1,600 soldiers. The King himself was in Portchester until September 17th , but the exact aim of the operation against Normandy is unclear. Possibly the heir to the throne Eduard, who was allegedly staying in Provence, should be seized. The attack was probably repulsed by the French, and the heir to the throne was already in the Netherlands at that time. Edward II had probably learned that Mortimer and Isabelle's fleet might land at the mouth of the River Orwell in Suffolk . On September 21, he ordered 1,300 archers and 700 foot soldiers to defend the coast there for a month, and on September 10, he ordered a fleet of twelve ships to Orfordness to attack enemy ships. Further ships were ordered to Hunstanton in Norfolk and the Isle of Thanet in Kent . The English fleet on the east coast apparently did not act actively against the invasion fleet, although Robert Wateville , the commander of the English ships, initially tried to support Edward II even after the invasion.

The invasion of Isabelle and the escape and capture of Edward II.

The landing of the invaders in Suffolk

In fact, on September 24th at noon, the invasion fleet landed at the mouth of the River Orwell. The ships were unloaded quickly, after which the fleet returned to Holland except for one ship. This ship sailed for London, where the crew probably announced the news of Isabel's landing on September 27th. Isabelle's army did not meet an army in Suffolk to repel the invasion, because instead of the 2000 men that the king wanted to raise, only 55 soldiers had answered the call. Instead, numerous men from all walks of life rushed to Suffolk to support the invaders. This support quickly averted the danger that the small invading force could easily be defeated. On the afternoon of September 24th, Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk , the second half-brother of Edward II, also arrived in Orwell and joined Isabelle. He took her to his Walton Castle , where Isabelle spent her first night on her return to England. The next morning Isabelle moved with her army to Bury St Edmunds , where she confiscated 800  marks which the royal judge Hervey de Staunton had deposited in the abbey . With this money she paid for her troops, but nevertheless her army plundered numerous goods that belonged to the despensers or other allies of the king. Not only the foreign mercenaries are said to have participated in the looting, but also the Earls of Norfolk and Kent, the king's half-brothers. Then Isabelle moved on to Cambridge , where she stayed for three days. At Cambridge the Bishops Orleton of Hereford, Burghersh of Lincoln, Hotham of Ely, Beaumont of Dublin and Archbishop Bicknor of Dublin Isabelle joined. Orleton served as the spokesman for the bishops and openly advocated the invasion. The Queen's army probably reached Oxford on October 2nd, which was the first major English city to open its gates to the invading army. In a sermon in the University Church of St Mary , Bishop Orleton called for the overthrow of Despensers' favoritism. From Oxford, Isabelle reached Baldock in Hertfordshire on October 6th and then moved on to Dunstable in Bedfordshire . While reactions to Isabelle's invasion had initially been divided, the number of supporters now far outweighed those of the opponents. Numerous nobles and knights joined the invading forces.

Isabelle and her son Eduard move into Oxford. Representation from the 15th century.

Collapse of the king's rule

When the king heard of the invasion, he ordered an army to be raised on September 27th. He put a £ 1000 bounty on Mortimer, while Isabelle, his son Eduard and half-brother Edmund were not to be injured. The attempts by the king's supporters to raise the army were largely unsuccessful. In Wiltshire and other southern English counties, the king’s officials paid money to troops, but troops soon deserted or defected to the invaders. John Vaux brought equipment and money to Leicester , where he was captured by Henry of Lancaster, Earl of Leicester . Lancaster now equipped a contingent with the weapons and the money to support the invasion. Robert Wateville, sent by the king to East Anglia , was only able to gather sixty men with whom he eventually joined Isabelle's army. In Yorkshire a noteworthy contingent of northern English barons gathered on October 11, but several of them, including William de Ros of Helmsley , joined the invaders a little later.

Uprising in London

When the king's call to raise an army was read out in London, it was met with immediate rejection. On September 30, Archbishop Reynolds of Canterbury, Bishops Gravesend of London and Stratford of Winchester, and the abbots of Westminster and Waltham had a papal bull from 1319 read out in front of St Paul's Cathedral . The bull had originally been directed against the Scots, but now it appeared that it was directed against Isabelle and her supporters. However, the people of London had already learned of Isabelle's landing, possibly through Gilbert Talbot , whom Isabelle had secretly sent to the capital. Large parts of the population hated Despenser, who had violated the privileges of the City of London through royal trials since 1321 . They sympathized with the invaders, so the officer who was supposed to read the bull was yelled down. The Earls of Arundel and Surrey sided with the king, but the first officials and members of the royal household deserted. Edward II realized that he could not survive in London. He commissioned Bishop Stapeldon to defend the city and left the Tower on October 2nd. He fled west with the Despensers, his Chancellor Robert Baldock and a treasure of over £ 29,000. Apparently the east and south of England were lost, but the king wanted to try to get support in the west of England and Wales to repel the invasion. London was now in turmoil. The king had left his young son John of Eltham , Eleanor de Clare , the wife of the younger Despenser and numerous prisoners, including several sons of Mortimer , in the Tower . A letter from the Queen arrived in London on October 9th, asking Londoners for assistance. On October 13, Archbishop Reynolds of Canterbury and the Bishops Stratford of Winchester, Stapeldon of Exeter, Cobham of Worcester, Gravesende of London and Hythe of Rochester met at Lambeth Palace on the south bank of the Thames. They decided that Bishop Stratford should travel to the Queen with another bishop to mediate a balance between her and the king. While Stratford was trying to persuade Bishop Hythe of Rochester to come with him on October 14, riots broke out in London. Mayor Hamo Chigwell was dragged into the Guildhall and forced to publicly profess his support for the Queen. The homes of Despensers supporters were looted and their followers murdered. Bishop Stapeldon, who was supposed to secure the city for the king, was dragged from his horse on October 15 as he was about to ride from the assembly of the bishops in Lambeth to his London townhouse. As a former minister to the king, he was dragged through the streets before he was cruelly murdered. In the face of this violence, the remaining officials and judges, such as Geoffrey Le Scrope, fled the city and the remaining bishops joined them. In London the townhouses of magnates like the Earl of Arundel, but also the branch of the Italian merchants Bardi , who had financially supported the government of Edward II, were looted. On October 16, John de Weston , the Constable of the Tower , handed over the fortress. The prisoners were released while the young John of Eltham was officially entrusted with the administration of the City of London. It was only when Bishop Stratford of Winchester returned to London on November 15 with letters from Queen Isabelle appointing a new Constable of the Tower and Richard de Bethune a new Mayor of London that calm returned to the city.

The movements of Isabelle (green) and Edward II (purple) during the invasion of 1326

The King's Flight and Pursuit

Isabelle's army, however, did not appear to encounter any resistance. In Dunstable, Henry of Lancaster joined their troops with his strong contingent. Now she began to pursue the king after learning of his flight from London. On October 9th, she put a £ 2000 bounty on the younger Despenser at Dunstable.

The King and Despenser traveled rapidly west after fleeing London. On October 6th they were in Wallingford and between October 9th and 12th they reached Gloucester . The king expected that he would be supported by the Welsh in the Principality of Wales , as he had during the rebellion of 1321-1322 , while the younger Despenser owned extensive holdings with several castles in south Wales. Immediately after learning of the invasion, the king had instructed the Welsh Rhys ap Gruffudd and Gruffydd Llwyd to raise troops. On October 15 he had ordered all available soldiers to Gloucester, but on October 11 or 12 he left the city and fled further west. While the older Despenser was supposed to defend Bristol , the King was with Baldock and the younger Despenser on October 15 at Tintern Abbey in southeast Wales . No troops had joined him, instead members of his retinue deserted, including his steward of the Household Thomas le Blount . On October 16, the king reached Chepstow Castle .

Isabelle besieges Bristol with her army. Illumination from the 15th century.

The queen and her troops were hot on his heels. On October 14th she reached Wallingford, where she surrendered the castle without a fight. On October 16, she proclaimed herself the rightful Queen of England together with her son Edward and her brother-in-law, the Earl of Kent, in Wallingford. Her husband, on the other hand, had been negatively influenced by Hugh le Despenser, Robert Baldock and others, abused royal power and violated the law. However, the king himself was not accused in her proclamation. Thus the invasion was still officially directed against the Despensers, while the overthrow of the king was apparently still unthinkable for many. From Wallingford, Isabelle moved with her army to Gloucester. There Henry Percy , Thomas Wake, Henry de Beaumont and numerous other northern English nobles joined their army. The Queen made Thomas Wake marshal of her army, and by October 18 her army reached Bristol, held by Hugh le Despenser the Elder. After a short siege, the city and the castle surrendered and the elder Despenser was captured. Isabelle saw her two daughters Eleonore and Johanna again, who had been in the care of Despenser's daughter Isabel . In Bristol, the London Bishop Stratford of Winchester joined the Queen. He, the Archbishop of Dublin, the Bishops of Ely, Lincoln, Hereford and Norwich , the Earls of Norfolk, Kent and Leicester, Thomas Wake, Henry de Beaumont, William Zouche and numerous other barons and knights declared Edward the heir to the throne on October 26th to the imperial administrator , since the king had fled to Wales and thus left England. Edward II was formally still king, but two days later the heir to the throne called a parliament in Westminster for December 14th. On October 27, the elderly despenser was sentenced to death by William Trussell in the presence of several magnates as a traitor and executed. Isabelle had begged for mercy on the old man, but Henry of Lancaster and other barons reminded Isabelle that she wanted to end the Despensers' favoritism and insisted on his execution.

The capture of the king

On October 20th, the king and his followers left Chepstow by ship. He wanted to travel first to Lundy Island and then possibly on to Ireland, where Justiciar John Darcy was a supporter of the Despensers. Due to adverse winds, the ship could not leave the Bristol Channel , so the king called Cardiff on October 25th . From there he moved to Caerphilly Castle , an almost impregnable castle that was owned by Despenser. From there he issued calls on October 28 and 29 that all available troops should join him. On October 31, the officers who remained with him made the last record. On November 2 or 3, the King left Caerphilly Castle after no troops had joined him. Via Margam Abbey he reached Neath Abbey , where he stayed until November 11th. He had left over half of his treasure in Caerphilly, but he still carried at least £ 6,000 in cash, other valuables and certificates. He deposited part of it in Neath or had it sent to Swansea Castle . Presumably the king still wanted to try to reach Ireland at first. Then he apparently realized how close his pursuers were. Other members of his retinue deserted, and with his last loyal followers he tried to reach Caerphilly again on a path through the South Welsh forests. The Queen had in the meantime commissioned Henry of Lancaster, William Zouche, Master Rhys ap Hywel and two sons of Llywelyn Bren to find the king and take him prisoner. Native Welsh people betrayed the king, so he was captured on November 16 and brought to Henry of Lancaster in Llantrisant . This had him first brought to Monmouth Castle , one of his castles. The younger Despenser, Baldock and others were brought to Hereford , where Despenser was convicted of traitors and executed on November 24th. Baldock was brought to London as a clergyman, where he was to be tried before a spiritual court. In London, a mob seized him, abused him and threw him in Fleet Prison , where he died a few months later. The treasure the king left behind in Neath and other places likely ended up in the hands of local nobles and was never returned. On November 26th, Bishop Orleton presented the great seal to Isabelle, who initially took over the government on behalf of her husband.

Isabelle and Roger Mortimer with their army. In the background the execution of Despenser. Illumination from the 15th century.

consequences

During the invasion of Queen Isabelle, there had been no major skirmishes because the king could not raise a large army to repel the invasion. Apart from the two Despensers and Simon of Reading , a close follower of the younger Despenser, the new rulers did not allow any other supporters of Edward II and the Despensers to be sentenced and executed. Roger Mortimer had the Earl of Arundel and his followers Thomas de Micheldever and John Daniel executed without a trial on November 17th . The Earl of Surrey, however, was able to submit to Isabelle and, like numerous other supporters of the king, remained unmolested by the new rulers. However, in addition to the riots in London, raids and assassinations had occurred in other parts of England following the collapse of government power. These were often justified by the fact that the victims had been followers of the king and were hardly punished by the new rulers. Nevertheless, the fall of the rule of Edward II was relatively bloodless. The captured king was taken to Kenilworth , a castle of Henry of Lancaster , in early December . Reinstatement of him as king was out of the question for Isabelle and her supporters, which is why they now had to consider how to deal with him. In January 1327 no majority could be found in parliament for the removal of the king, but on January 20 a delegation consisting of Bishop Stratford, Henry of Lancaster and other nobles achieved that the king abdicated in favor of his son Edward. The younger Eduard was named Eduard III on February 2. crowned king. A Regency Council was formed for the underage king, chaired by Henry of Lancaster, but real power lay with Queen Isabelle and Roger Mortimer. The deposed Edward II remained in captivity. In April 1327 he was moved to Berkeley Castle at the instigation of Mortimer . After several attempts to free his remaining followers, he probably died in September 1327 in Berkeley, apparently he was murdered on the orders of Mortimer.

literature

  • Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003, ISBN 0-521-54806-3 .
  • Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010, ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 .
  • Alison Weir: Isabella. She-Wolf of France, Queen of England . Pimlico, London 2006, ISBN 0-7126-4194-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 241.
  2. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 376.
  3. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 184.
  4. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 164.
  5. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 162.
  6. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 165.
  7. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 179.
  8. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 180.
  9. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 181.
  10. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 184.
  11. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 185.
  12. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 187.
  13. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 194.
  14. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 195.
  15. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 199.
  16. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 198.
  17. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 200.
  18. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 492.
  19. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 493.
  20. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 498.
  21. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 199.
  22. ↑ Weir: Isabella , pp. 200-201.
  23. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 201.
  24. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 201.
  25. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 202.
  26. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 208.
  27. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 213.
  28. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 500.
  29. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 501.
  30. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 494.
  31. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 501.
  32. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 221.
  33. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 502.
  34. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 183.
  35. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 503.
  36. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 503.
  37. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 186.
  38. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 503.
  39. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 504.
  40. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 187.
  41. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 194.
  42. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 226.
  43. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 504.
  44. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 225.
  45. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 188.
  46. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 227.
  47. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 189.
  48. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 187.
  49. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 505.
  50. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 505.
  51. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 505.
  52. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 506.
  53. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 507.
  54. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 507.
  55. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 508.
  56. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 504.
  57. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 509.
  58. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 509.
  59. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 189.
  60. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 509.
  61. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 195.
  62. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 190.
  63. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 234.
  64. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 513.
  65. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 513.
  66. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 236.
  67. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 512.
  68. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 236.
  69. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 516.
  70. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 519.
  71. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 241.
  72. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 233.
  73. ^ Weir: Isabella , p. 243.
  74. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 533.