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Buy Hammered Edward I (1272-1307) Plantagenets Coins

Edward I was born in June 1239 to King Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. He's remembered as a great king and for good reason. He managed to bring about progressive changes to the legal system and organised the Model Parliament, which began the representative system of Parliament that lives on to this day. Edward also made attempts to bring together the British Isles; he managed to secure Wales and created the title of Prince of Wales for his son, Edward, but couldn't quite annex Scotland successfully.

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Edward I (1272-1307) Info

Named Edward after his father's favourite saint, Edward the Confessor, Edward I was born in June 1239 to King Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. 

King Edward I's Early Life 

When Edward was 15, he went to Spain to marry nine-year-old Eleanor of Castile. The new couple spent a year living in Gascony.

A few years later, Edward spent time helping his father defeat the opposing barons in the Second Baron's War. Henry and Edward were both captured during the battle of Lewes in 1264, while the French-born baron, Simon de Montfort, ensured a fair and representative parliament. In 1265, Edward managed to escape and defeated de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham. 

Though his father was still king, it was Edward who worked to restore the peace after the war. By 1267, he'd managed just that.

A Reign of Change

Henry III died in 1672 and Edward succeeded to the throne. He proved to be a king determined to bring about peace in his kingdom and spread royal authority across the British Isles – a concept that had wide support throughout England. Edward's reign saw big changes and great advances in a civilised society. He brought about a number of legal and administrative reforms, including codifying the legal system to promote justice. 

Model Parliament

Edward's vision of peace, unity and royal power necessitated many battles, all of which needed a lot of funding. It was this need that led to the growth of Parliament. To pay for his wars, Edward needed more money than he alone could come up with so he needed permission from Parliament to issue new taxes. Throughout his reign, he called for frequent parliamentary meetings, which ended up becoming a valued norm by the end of his reign. 

Despite de Montfort being one of Edward's greatest enemies, he had a lot of time for de Montfort's ideas surrounding Parliament. 

In 1275, just a few years after he was crowned king, Edward called his first Parliament. It consisted of nobles and churchmen and he also requested two representatives from each county to be elected, which were referred to as the knights of the shire, and two men from each town, who were referred to as the burgesses.

Parliamentary meetings weren't common for quite a few years; it wasn't until 20 years later that the knights of the shire and the burgesses were summoned together once again. But from there on out, the meeting of these representatives became known as the Model Parliament and set the standard for future Parliaments. This was one of the biggest successes of Edward I's time on the throne. 

Uniting England and Wales

Throughout his reign, Edward tried harder than any had before him to bring together the British Isles and create a United Kingdom. He was successful in many ways but couldn't quite pull off the full union. 

After years of battles, Edward managed to defeat Llewellyn ap Gruffyd and his brother, David, once and for all in 1282. Two years later, Wales was finally brought into the English legal and administrative system – Edward was one step closer to his vision. This was also the year that Edward and Eleanor had a son, who they also named Edward. As a peace offering, the title of Prince of Wales was created and given to the young Edward in 1301. 

Hammer of the Scots

While Wales was brought into the kingdom, Scotland was the prize that Edward wasn't quite destined to secure.  

In 1292, Scotland was in the middle of a succession dispute, with several people putting a claim to the crown. King Edward was brought in to settle it and he eventually declared John Balliol as the King of Scots. In return, John swore allegiance to Edward and became somewhat of a puppet. Disliking King Edward's demands, the Scottish nobility overthrew John and formed an alliance with France. Wanting desperately to secure Scotland, Edward invaded and put the country under English rule, gaining him the nickname of ‘Hammer of the Scots'.  

William Wallace was the next in Scotland to oppose Edward, but he was soon captured and executed. Then came Robert the Bruce. Robert was a Scottish nobleman, part of the council of the new Scottish government. In 1306, Robert killed another nobleman and was crowned King of Scotland. Realising he had another battle on his hands, Edward made his way to Scotland, ready to fight Robert. It was during this journey that King Edward I died of dysentery, on the 7th of July 1307.  

Edward was 68 when he died. He left behind widowed Margaret of France, who the king had married after the death of his first queen, Eleanor of Castile, and a number of children from both marriages, including the next king, Edward II. 

Edward I is remembered as a great king, even one of the best Plantagenets. Many of the moves he made as king made a lasting impact on the country and how its run, most notably in establishing a representative parliament and shaping a more just legal system.

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