General Notes

1  _UID 4ACEF0E23C78D511AD2400036D1D4CBFED04
Edward I, King of England, 1272-1307, nicknamed Longshanks, due to his lo
ng legs. In 1254, age 15, Edward was given the duchy of Gasony, the Fren
ch Oleron, The Channel Islands, Ireland, and land in Wales, and the earld
om of Chester, as well as several castles. Edward had been on a crusade wh
en his father died in 1272 and did not return until August 2, 1274. He w
as crowned king at Westminster on August 19, 1274. In the last years of Ed
ward's reign, a peace was negotiated with France based on a double marria
ge agreement; Edward himself married Margaret, sister of King Phillip I
II of France, and his son Edward, the future king was to marry Phillip's d
aughter, Isabella. Edward and Margaret had children, among them was Edmo
nd of Woodstock, Earl of Kent, who was beheaded. Edward died on his w
ay to subdue a rebellion in Scotland
Edward I, nicknamed "Longshanks" due to his great height and stature, w
as perhaps the most successful of the medieval monarchs. The first twen
ty years of his reign marked a high point of cooperation between crown a
nd community. In these years, Edward made great strides in reforming gover
nment, consolidating territory, and defining foreign policy. He possess
ed the strength his father lacked and reasserted royal prerogative. Edwa
rd fathered many children as well: sixteen by Eleanor of Castille before h
er death in 1290, and three more by Margaret.
Edward held to the concept of community, and although at times unscrupulou
sly aggressive, ruled with the general welfare of his subjects in min
d. He perceived the crown as judge of the proper course of action for t
he realm and its chief legislator; royal authority was granted by law a
nd should be fully utilized for the public good, but that same law also gr
anted protection to the king's subjects. A king should rule with the advi
ce and consent of those whose rights were in question. The level of intera
ction between king and subject allowed Edward considerable leeway in achie
ving his goals.
Edward I added to the bureaucracy initiated by Henry II to increase his ef
fectiveness as sovereign. He expanded the administration into four princip
al parts: the Chancery, the Exchequer, the Household, and the Council. T
he Chancery researched and created legal documents while the Exchequer rec
eived and issued money, scrutinized the accounts of local officials, and k
ept financial records. These two departments operated within the king's au
thority but independently from his personal rule, prompting Edward to foll
ow the practice of earlier kings in developing the Household, a mobile cou
rt of clerks and advisers that traveled with the king. The King's Counc
il was the most vital segment of the four. It consisted of his principal m
inisters, trusted judges and clerks, a select group of magnates, and al
so followed the king. The Council dealt with matters of great importan
ce to the realm and acted as a court for cases of national importance.
Edward's forays into the refinement of law and justice had important conse
quences in decreasing feudal practice. The Statute of Gloucester (1278) cu
rbed expansion of large private holdings and established the principle th
at all private franchises were delegated by, and subordinate to, the crow
n. Royal jurisdiction became supreme: the Exchequer developed a court to h
ear financial disputes, the Court of Common Pleas arose to hear property d
isputes, and the Court of the King's Bench addressed criminal cases in whi
ch the king had a vested interest. Other statutes prohibited vassals fr
om giving their lands to the church, encouraged primogeniture, and establi
shed the king as the sole person who could make a man his feudal vassa
l. In essence, Edward set the stage for land to become an article of comme
rce.
Edward concentrated on an aggressive foreign policy. A major campaign to c
ontrol Llywelyn ap Gruffydd of Wales