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Biography

Edward III Plantagenet, King of England, was born 13 November 1312 in Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom to Edward II of England (1284-1327) and Isabella Capet (c1295-1358) and died 21 June 1377 Sheen Palace, Surrey, England, United Kingdom of stroke. He married Philippa of Hainaut (1311-1369) 1 January 1328 JL in York Minster, North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom.

Edward III Plantagenet became King of England, etc., upon his father's abdication in January 1327. In 1337 he also claimed the title of King of France, although he was never able to make good on the claim. He reigned until his death.

Edward III is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II of England (1284-1327). Edward III transformed the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe; his reign also saw vital developments in legislation and government—in particular the evolution of the English parliament—as well as the ravages of the Black Death. He is one of only five British monarchs to have ruled England or its successor kingdoms for more than fifty years.

Edward was crowned at age fourteen after his father was deposed by his mother and her consort Roger Mortimer. At age seventeen he led a successful coup against Mortimer, the de facto ruler of the country, and began his personal reign. After a successful campaign in Scotland he declared himself rightful heir to the French throne in 1337, starting what would become known as the Hundred Years' War.

He ordered his uncle to be beheaded; he usurped his father's throne; he started a war which lasted for more than a hundred years, and taxed his people more than any other previous king. Yet for centuries Edward III was celebrated as the most brilliant king England had ever had, and three hundred years after his death it was said that his kingship was perhaps the greatest that the world had ever known.

Marriage and Family

Early modern half-figure portrait of Edward III in his royal garb

Edward III as he was depicted in the late 16th century

He seems to have been unusually devoted to his wife, Queen Philippa. Much has been made of Edward's sexual licentiousness, but there is no evidence of any infidelity on his part before Alice Perrers became his lover, and by that time the queen was already terminally ill.[1] This devotion extended to the rest of the family as well; in contrast to so many of his predecessors, Edward never experienced opposition from any of his five adult sons.[2]

Sons

His eldest son, Edward the Black Prince, died before him, and so the throne passed to his grandson, Richard II of England (1367-1400). Two other sons became patriarchs of the House of Lancaster and the House of York whose descendants would battle for control of the throne in the War of the Roses.

  • Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales (1330-1376) AKA: Edward the Black Prince, eldest son and heir apparent, born at Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire. He predeceased his father, having in 1361 married his cousin Joan, Countess of Kent, by whom he had issue: King [[King Richard II of England|RichardTemplate:NbsII]].
  • William of Hatfield (1337-1337), second son, born at Hatfield, South Yorkshire, died shortly after birth and was buried in York Minster.
  • Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338-1368) third son (second surviving son), born at Antwerp in the Duchy of Brabant, where his father was based during his negotiations with Jacob van Artevelde.[3] In 1352 he married firstly Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster, without male issue, but his female issue was the senior royal ancestor of the Yorkist King EdwardTemplate:NbsIV: Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster. Descent from Lionel was the basis of the Yorkist claim to the throne, not direct paternal descent from the 1st Duke of York, a more junior line. Secondly, in 1368, Lionel married Violante Visconti, without issue.
  • John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399), fourth son (third surviving son), born at "Gaunt" (Ghent) in the County of Flanders, which city was an important buyer of English wool, then the foundation of English prosperity. In 1359, he married firstly his distant cousin the great heiress Blanche of Lancaster, descended from the 1st Earl of Lancaster, a younger son of King HenryTemplate:NbsIII. By Blanche he had issue: Henry of Bolingbroke, who became King [[Henry IV of England|HenryTemplate:NbsIV]], having seized the throne from his first cousin King RichardTemplate:NbsII. In 1371, he married secondly the Infanta Constance of Castile, by whom he had issue. In 1396, he married thirdly his mistress Katherine Swynford, by whom he had illegitimate issue, later legitimised as the House of Beaufort. His great-granddaughter Margaret Beaufort was the mother of Henry VII, who claimed the throne as the representative of the Lancastrian line. See also House of Lancaster.
  • Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341-1402), fifth son (fourth surviving son), born at Kings Langley Palace, Hertfordshire. He married firstly the Infanta Isabella of Castile, by whom he had issue, sister of the Infanta Constance of Castile, second wife of his elder brother John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. Secondly in 1392 he married his second cousin Joan Holland, without issue. His great-grandson (the 4th Duke of York) became King [[Edward IV of England|EdwardTemplate:NbsIV]] in 1461, having deposed his half-second cousin the Lancastrian King HenryTemplate:NbsVI. EdwardTemplate:NbsIV's daughter Elizabeth of York was mother of King HenryTemplate:NbsVIII. See also House of York
  • Thomas of Windsor (1347-1348)[4] (1347–1348), sixth son, born at Windsor Castle, died in infancy of the plague and was buried at King's Langley Priory, Hertfordshire.
  • William of Windsor (1348-1348) - died young.
  • Thomas of Woodstock (1355-1397), eighth son (fifth surviving son), born at Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire; in 1376 he married Eleanor de Bohun, by whom he had issue. His eventual heir was the Bourchier family, Earls of Bath, of Tawstock in Devon, today represented by the Wrey baronets, who quarter the arms of Thomas of Woodstock[lower-alpha 1] and continue as lords of the manor of Tawstock.

Daughters



Children


Offspring of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainaut (1311-1369)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales (1330-1376) 15 June 1330 Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom 8 June 1376 Palace of Westminster, England, United Kingdom Joan of Kent (1328-1385)
Isabella de Coucy (1332-1382) 16 June 1332 Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom April 1379 England, United Kingdom Enguerrand VII de Coucy (1339-1397)
Joan of England (1335-1348) 19 December 1333 Tower of London, London, England, United Kingdom 1 July 1348 Loremo, Bordeaux, France
William of Hatfield (1337-1337) 16 February 1337 Hatfield, South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom 3 March 1337
Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338-1368) 29 November 1338 Antwerp, Belgium 7 October 1368 Alba, Piedmont, Italy Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster (1332-1363)
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399) 6 March 1340 Ghent, East Flanders, Flanders, Belgium 3 February 1399 Leicester Castle, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom Blanche of Lancaster (1345-1369)
Constance of Castile (1354-1394)
Catherine De Roet (1350-1403)
Marie de Saint-Hilaire (c1340-aft1399)
Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341-1402) 5 June 1341 Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom 1 August 1402 Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom Isabel of Castile (1355-1392)
Joan Holland (c1380-1434)
Blanche of England (1342-1342) March 1342 Tower of London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom March 1342 Tower of London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
Mary of England (1344-1362) 10 October 1344 Waltham, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom December 1362 England, United Kingdom Jean IV de Bretagne (1339-1399)
Margaret of England (1346-1361) 20 July 1346 Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom 1361 England, United Kingdom John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1347-1375)
Thomas of Windsor (1347-1348) 1347 Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom 1348 Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
William of Windsor (1348-1348) 24 June 1348 Windsor, England, United Kingdom 5 September 1348 London, Greater London, England
Thomas of Woodstock (1355-1397) 7 January 1355 Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom 9 September 1397 Calais, Brittany, France Eleanor de Bohun (c1366-1399)



Siblings


Offspring of Edward II of England (1284-1327) and Isabella Capet (c1295-1358)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Edward III of England (1312-1377) 13 November 1312 Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom 21 June 1377 Sheen Palace, Surrey, England, United Kingdom Philippa of Hainaut (1311-1369)
John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (1316-1336) 15 August 1316 Eltham Palace, Kent, England, United Kingdom 13 September 1336 Perth, Scotland, United Kingdom
Eleanor of England (1318-1355) 18 June 1318 22 April 1355 Reinoud II van Gelre (c1295-1343)
Joan of England (1321-1362) 5 July 1321 Tower of London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom 7 September 1362 Hertford Castle, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom David II of Scotland (1324-1371)


Offspring of Edward II of England (1284-1327) and unknown parent
Name Birth Death Joined with
Adam FitzRoy (c1307-1322) 1307 England, United Kingdom 19 August 1322 England, United Kingdom


See Also

Bibliography

  • The Plantagenet Ancestry - Being Tables of over 7000 ancestors of Princess Elizabeth by Lt Col Turton, - Google Books
  • The Perfect King - The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation - by Ian Mortimer, Publ 2010 by Random House

External Links


Ancestry Trees

Contemporary References

There are several excellent contemporary references on the life of King Edward III of England, including:

  1. "The Chronicles of Froissart" - This is a detailed account of the Hundred Years' War, including Edward III's campaigns in France, written by the French historian Jean Froissart. Froissart was a contemporary of Edward III and had access to many of the primary sources, including eyewitness accounts of the battles.
  2. "The Life and Times of Edward III" by Paul Johnson - This is a modern biography of Edward III, which provides an in-depth look at his life, reign, and legacy. Johnson is a respected historian who has written extensively on English history.
  3. "Edward III and the Triumph of England" by Richard Barber - This is another modern biography of Edward III, which focuses on his military campaigns and their impact on English history. Barber is a noted medieval historian and provides a fresh perspective on Edward III's reign.
  4. "The Wars of Edward III: Sources and Interpretations" edited by Clifford Rogers - This is a collection of primary sources on the Hundred Years' War, including letters, chronicles, and other documents related to Edward III's campaigns in France. Rogers is a respected military historian and provides valuable insights into the sources and interpretations of this period of English history.

Royal Succession Chart

Edward III of England (1312-1377)
Born: 13 November 1312 Died: 21 June 1377
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Edward II
Duke of Aquitaine
1325–1360
Treaty of Brétigny
Count of Ponthieu
1325–1369
Succeeded by
James
King of England
Lord of Ireland

1327–1377
Succeeded by
Richard II
Preceded by
Edward the Black Prince
Duke of Aquitaine
1372–1377
Treaty of Brétigny Lord of Aquitaine
1360–1362
Edward the Black Prince
Pretenders to the title
Preceded by
Charles IV of France
as undisputed king
— TITULAR —
King of France
1340–1360
1369–1377
* Reason for succession failure *
Capetian dynastic turmoil 
Succeeded by
Richard II of England


References

  1. ^ Mortimer (2006), pp. 400–401; Prestwich (1980), p. 241.
  2. ^ Prestwich (2005), p. 290.
  3. ^ Wikisource-logo One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. "Antwerp (city)". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2. Cambridge University Press. pp. 155–156. 
  4. ^ Cawley, Charles. "Medieval Lands Project: Kings of England, 1066–1603". Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. http://www.fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLAND,%20Kings%201066-1603.htm#_Toc283485377. 


Footnotes (including sources)

John Kenney, MainTour, Robin Patterson, AMK152, Phlox, Rtol, Thurstan, Afil, Pmalish



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