4 – Edward II – (1327)
If accounts from the age are accurate, Edward II died one of the most painful deaths of any English monarch. He became king in 1307 upon the death of his father, Edward I. In 1308; he married Isabella of France, daughter of the French King Philip IV, who was one of the most powerful men in Europe at the time.
Edward had a close relationship with Piers Gaveston who had been part of the royal household since 1300. There are suggestions that the two men were involved in a homosexual affair. It is difficult to ascertain whether or not the affair was real but we do know that Gaveston was one of Edward’s favorites. His arrogance and power irritated the French royal family and English nobles to the extent that Edward had to exile him to keep the peace. Gaveston returned, but when he did, the nobles forced the king to agree to the Ordinances of 1311, a series of important reforms.
The barons used their power to banish Gaveston. The outraged king canceled the reforms and welcomed his favorite back to court. However, Gaveston was murdered in 1312 which led to several years of conflict. England was also in the midst of a war against Scotland and suffered a heavy defeat at Bannockburn in 1314. The result was famine and severe criticism of the king. The early part of the 1320s was marked by a war between the Earl of Lancaster and the Despenser Family; the latter emerged victorious after receiving royal backing. Lancaster was executed.
After Edward was forced to sign a truce with Robert the Bruce of Scotland, opposition to him grew. His queen went to France to sign a peace treaty in 1325, but instead of returning, she turned against him. With the help of a former favorite of the king, Roger Mortimer, Isabella, and her army invaded England in 1326. Edward’s army fell apart, and he fled to Wales. He was forced to relinquish his crown and was murdered at Berkeley Castle on 21 September 1327. It is here that the line between fact and fiction becomes blurry.
According to legend, Edward was held down and had a scorching hot poker shoved up his anus. His screams could be heard for miles around according to one chronicler. The tale of the poker was only written between 1330 and 1350. If he died in Berkeley Castle, it was unquestionably in a brutal fashion, but it probably had little to do with a red hot poker. A historian named Paul Doherty believed that Edward was kept alive by Isabella to control his son Edward III.