Hero or villain?
The ‘Hammer of the Scots’ sought to exert his will over the entire British Isles by ruling with an iron fist
Did King Edward I rule with an iron fist or was he a loving monarch?
Edward I stands as one of the most celebrated and vilified kings of Medieval England. Fêted at home for his military skill and governance, he his remembered as a tyrannical invader by those unfortunate enough to get in his way. A fierce warrior and capable administrator, he was also ambitious to a fault.
Edward’s large stature gave him the nickname ‘Longshanks’ and he loomed over his advisors and England’s neighbours in equal measure, constantly looking to expand his the borders of his realm. While this behaviour was not unusual for the period, Edward’s reckless spending and heavy-handed approach to dealing with, in his eyes, unruly subjects, has seen him painted as more of a pantomime villain than heroic king.
Edward was not the first English monarch with his name but was the first of Norman descent. Before William the Conqueror came in 1066, the Anglo-saxon rulers of England used epithets rather than numbers so although Edward the Confessor and several others predated him, Edward was known as the first once his son came to the throne.
A warrior through and through, much of Edward’s reputation comes from his various campaigns in England, Wales, Scotland, France and the Middle East. Early in his life he forged his reputation as a military man in the defeat a rebellious group of barons led by Simon de Montfort. Edward then travelled to the Holy Land to fulfil his crusading vows. By the time he reached Acre, there was little zeal left in the Christian forces and after a 10-year truce was signed with the Mamluks, Edward returned home.
As king, his army was renowned throughout Europe as one of the largest and most disciplined — a force that would see him crush a fermenting rebellion and bring Wales into his sphere of influence.
His castle-building project in Wales would become one of his lasting legacies and these fortresses loomed over the countryside as a grand statement of English military might. As imposing as the castles were, they were more costly than any that were built in England and almost bankrupted the kingdom.
The wars in Scotland would earn him his most infamous nickname, ‘The Hammer of the Scots’, although this doesn’t seem to have been used in his lifetime. Brought in to adjudicate a succession crisis in Scotland, Edward saw an opportunity to seize the kingdom and launched an invasion. Initially successful against William Wallace after his victory at Falkirk, his grip was loosened by Robert the Bruce, who declared himself monarch and sought to drive the invaders out. During his subjugation of the kingdom, Edward lost the Great Seal of Scotland, used to officiate laws, and many legal documents — a setback for royal governance.
Ownership of Scotland would remain Edward’s driving ambition, even after death. One account of his death sees the king leaving instructions that his body was to be taken on campaign so that he would be present when Robert the Bruce was defeated. Unfortunately his dreams would come to naught as his son Edward II was defeated at the Battle of Bannockburn. It could be argued that Edward was responsible for the centuries of warfare and enmity between England and Scotland as although there had been conflict before, there had been friendship, too.
His unscrupulous and untrustworthy nature earned him another nickname, ‘Edward the Leopard’, highlighting his braveness and ferocity as well as his canny ability to get himself out of sticky situations. One of his contemporaries states that “when he is cornered he promises anything you like but once he has escaped he goes back on his word. The lying by which he gains his ends he calls prudence, whatever he wants he holds to be lawful as if there are no legal bounds to his power.” In the civil war during Henry III’S reign, a young Edward initially sided with the rebels, led by Simon de Montfort, but later switched to crush the revolt. At the Battle of Evesham, Edward employed subterfuge by approaching de Montfort under his son’s banner, which had been captured at Kenilworth. This rather duplicitous act won the Edward the day but ended up marring his reputation somewhat.
Edward acted less than honourably during the war, agreeing to terms only to turn on his word when it suited him. During the siege of Gloucester, he parlayed with a rebel army larger than his own that was sent to relieve the town — but once the rebels left and the danger had passed, he broke his word and took the town, imprisoning and heavily ransoming its inhabitants.
Edward was also quick to fight a psychological war as well as a physical one. King Arthur, the mythical saviour of the Britons, was still venerated in Wales and during Edward’s invasion there was hope that this would be the hour of need in which he would return. To quash this hope, Edward had Arthur and Guinevere’s supposed bodies reburied at Glastonbury — a statement that ensured the old legend stayed dead.
Edward also refused to let the garrison at Stirling Castle admit defeat until he had experimented with his new siege engine, the War Wolf. This giant trebuchet, possibly the largest ever built, so intimidated the defenders that they sought terms of surrender — only Edward’s reply was, “You don’t deserve any grace, but must surrender to my will.”
Not a man known for his mercy, Edward had a reputation for cruelty and brutality and his coldblooded treatment of his captives was well known. When Robert the Bruce’s sister and the countess of Buchan were captured, they were suspended in cages above the towns of Berwick and Roxburgh —
“Murdering his rivals was part and parcel of Edward’s campaigns, although he would have seen them as traitors”
a treatment that Edward didn’t consider that harsh as he had provided them with latrines.
Brutally murdering his rivals was part and parcel of Edward’s campaigns, although he would have seen them as traitors as they refused to bend to his will and so deserving of their fate. Rebels like Simon de Montford, Dafydd ap Gruffydd and William Wallace were all hung, drawn and quartered — a horrific execution method that involved hanging the unfortunate victim until he was almost dead, disembowelling him and finally cutting the body into pieces. These would be displayed around the kingdom as a warning to others considering defying his will.
The norm in European Medieval warfare was that noblemen were not killed but rather ransomed when captured. Edward saw an end to this by not only killing those he saw as traitors, but also organising squads of men to specifically seek out and kill nobles on the battlefield.
Edward possessed a fiery temper that could flare up at any moment. Always disturbed by his son’s infatuation with Piers Gaveston, an outsider at court raised beyond his station, Edward exploded with anger at hearing that the man was being granted lands in France. “You bastard son of a bitch!” he raged, “Now you want to give lands away — you who never gained any? As the lord lives, were it not for the fear of breaking up the kingdom, you should never enjoy your inheritance.”
Other outbursts included chasing a hunting companion with a drawn sword after the unfortunate man lost control of his falcon and striking a page at his daughter Margaret’s wedding — although he did pay compensation to the dazed boy for this incident. Edward’s temper and size would have been incredibly intimidating and during dispute with the clergy, the elderly and frail dean of St Paul’s was said to have died in the king’s presence his temper was so great.
Edward’s temperament was also decidedly cold at times. When he heard about the death of both his father and young son, his grief was only evident towards the late Henry III. After being asked why this was, he replied, “It is easy to beget sons but when a man has lost a good father it is not in the course of nature for god to send another.”
1290 saw one of Edward’s most heartless acts, the Edict of Expulsion. This called for all Jews to leave his kingdom, forcing thousands to flee abroad or practise their faith in secret. Edward’s motives do appear to have been primarily financial — his nobles would only agree to pay their taxes if he forced the Jews to leave. The edict was also not an isolated incident, but the culmination of 200 years of anti-semitic persecution in England. In fact, it was welcomed by the vast majority of the country’s population. However, Edward was the first king in Europe to expel Jews, setting a dangerous precedent that would haunt the continent for centuries.
Aside from his cruelty and warmongering, Edward did seem to have a vested interested in the wellbeing of his subjects. As king he issued the Hundred Rolls, a census to seek out corrupt royal officials and appoint more trustworthy men to their places. This magnanimity is tempered by the fact that his own wars and castle building programmes nearly brought his kingdom to financial ruin.