And yet, war, debt and baronial oppression before 1307 ensured that Edward II inherited a toxic legacy that any successor would have found almost impossible to wrestle with. Stephen Spinks explores that legacy using primary sources.
By focusing on Edward's early years and exploring the influence of those around him, Stephen shows the human side of this tale of political intrigue. Stephen Spinks is unequivocal in his assertion that Edward and the murdered Piers Gaveston were lovers, not merely "comrades-in-arms."
Where he saw virtue, his contemporaries saw betrayal...Historian Ian Mortimer's description of Edward II is the starting point of Stephen Spinks' new analysis of this ultimately tragic story of sex, revenge and savagery.
What could he possibly have done to make a success of his reign?
He was, it seems, doomed by his inheritance.
Stephen Spinks explores that legacy using a wide breadth of contemporary and later sources. By focusing on Edward’s early years as much as on the reign itself, and exploring the conflicting influences of those around him, Stephen shows the human side of this tale against a backdrop of political intrigues, betrayals and revenge. He peels back the layers and seven hundred years of opinion to reveal the man who wore the crown.
Edward’s belief in his unchallenged right to rule, increasingly at odds with those at his court, and his undeniable thirst for revenge creates a 14th-century tragedy on a grand scale.
Stephen Spinks works for the National Trust and manages three Medieval heritage sites. He started researching the fourteenth century in his teens, and has a monthly column in a Midlands magazine. Find out more at Stephen's website
Edward’s belief in his unchallenged right to rule, increasingly at odds with those at his court, and his undeniable thirst for revenge creates a 14th-century tragedy on a grand scale.
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About the Author
Stephen Spinks works for the National Trust and manages three Medieval heritage sites. He started researching the fourteenth century in his teens, and has a monthly column in a Midlands magazine. Find out more at Stephen's website
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