description

My own life and my opinions are shared at When I was 69.

REMEMBER: In North America, the month of September 1752 was exceptionally short, skipping 11 days, when the Gregorian Calendar was adapted from the old Julian one, which didn't have leap year days.

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Edward I "Longshanks" 23rd great grandfather



Edward I was a tall man for his era, (6 foot, 2 inches) hence the nickname "Longshanks". He was temperamental, and this, along with his height, made him an intimidating man, and he often instilled fear in his contemporaries. Nevertheless, he held the respect of his subjects for the way he embodied the medieval ideal of kingship, as a soldier, an administrator and a man of faith. Modern historians are divided on their assessment of Edward I: while some have praised him for his contribution to the law and administration, others have criticised him for his uncompromising attitude towards his nobility. Currently, Edward I is credited with many accomplishments during his reign, including restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III, establishing Parliament as a permanent institution and thereby also a functional system for raising taxes, and reforming the law through statutes. At the same time, he is also often criticised for other actions, such as his brutal conduct towards the Welsh and Scots, and issuing the Edict of Expulsion in 1290, by which the Jews were expelled from England. The Edict remained in effect for the rest of the Middle Ages, and it was over 350 years until it was formally overturned under Oliver Cromwell in 1657. (Wikepedia)


Find a Grave UK gives a very brief bio of Edward I, 1239-1307.


English Monarch. The eldest son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence, he was known as Longshanks and "Hammer of the Scots". He ascended the throne upon the death of Henry in 1272, but was not formally crowned until August 19, 1274. He married Eleanor of Castile at Burgos, Spain on October 18, 1254. To her he was a loving and devoted, if not entirely faithful, husband and they had 16 children. After Eleanor's death in 1290, he married Margaret of France on September 8, 1299. They had three children. Much of Edward's reign was spent at war. He completed the conquest of Wales, defeating and uniting the Welsh marches, and defended his duchy of Gascony in France.
But the latter half of his reign would be consumed by trouble in Scotland. The death of the young Margaret, Maid of Norway left the throne of Scotland vacant, and Edward siezed upon the opportunity to establish his control. He appointed John Balliol to the throne, but retained direct rule over the Scots and Balliol. In 1297 William Wallace rebelled and recovered much of the country, but Edward crushed the rebellion, captured Wallace and had him executed. He then summoned a complete Parliament, including elected Scottish representatives, and it was decided that a Council would rule Scotland under Edward's supervision. But Robert the Bruce unexpectedly rebelled and murdered his fellow Councillors. Despite failing health, Edward once again went north. He died en route to Scotland at Burgh-On-Sands, Cumbria at the age of 68. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Edward II.

BIRTH
Westminster, City of Westminster, Greater London, England
DEATH7 Jul 1307 (aged 68)
Burgh-by-Sands, City of Carlisle, Cumbria, England
BURIAL

Obviously I want to learn more about this great grandfather times 23 greats.



Early fourteenth-century manuscript initial showing Edward and his wife Eleanor. The artist has perhaps tried to depict Edward's blepharoptosis, a trait he inherited from his father (drooping left eyelid) (Wikepedia)


No comments:

Post a Comment

Looking forward to hearing from you! If you leave your email then others with similar family trees can contact you. Just commenting falls into the blogger dark hole; I'll gladly publish what you say just don't expect responses.