He is one of the most reviled English kings in history. He drove his kingdom to the brink of civil war a dozen times in less than twenty years. He allowed his male lovers to rule the kingdom. He led a great army to the most ignominious military defeat in English history. His wife took a lover and invaded his kingdom, and he ended his reign wandering around Wales with a handful of followers, pursued by an army. He was the first king of England forced to abdicate his throne. Popular legend has it that he died screaming impaled on a red-hot poker, but in fact the time and place of his death are shrouded in mystery. His life reads like an Elizabethan tragedy, full of passionate doomed love, bloody revenge, jealousy, hatred, vindictiveness and obsession. He was Edward II, and this book tells his story. The focus here is on his relationships with his male ‘favorites’ and his disaffected wife, on his unorthodox lifestyle and hobbies, and on the mystery surrounding his death. Using almost exclusively fourteenth-century sources and Edward’s own letters and speeches wherever possible, Kathryn Warner strips away the myths which have been created about him over the centuries, and provides a far more accurate and vivid picture of him than has previously been seen.<br/><br/>REVIEWS <br/><br/>"... a rich portrait of Edward II, the man... an excellent job in searching for the king's own voice in correspondence and chronicles, and has made particularly good use of chamber accounts housed in the library of the Society of Antiquaries...Warner's book is a highly readable biography of Edward II. ...will appeal to a broad reading public searching for the man behind the regal trappings, the unconventional king.
Chapter 1: Heir to the Throne and Accession
Chapter 2: The New King and His Favourite
Chapter 5: Death, Birth and Reconciliation
Chapter 6: Military Disaster and Famine
Chapter 7: Conflicts, Marriages and an Abduction
Chapter 8: Robbery, Holy Oil and an Impostor
Chapter 9: Household and Homage
Chapter 11: The King’s Revenge
Chapter 12: Tyranny, Miracles and an Escape
Chapter 13: Catastrophe in Gascony
Chapter 14: The Queen Takes a Favourite
Chapter 15: Invasion, Abdication and Imprisonment
Chapter 16: Four Conspiracies and a Funeral
Chapter 17: The Curious Case of the King Who Lived