The Early Years 1307-1312: Piers Gaveston and Edward

Ok so firstly a little background on Piers Gaveston himself. He was the son of Arnaud de Gabaston, a Gascon Knight and Claramonde de Marsan. Arnaud himself fought in Wales in 1282-3 for Edward I (Longshanks), as did his son in 1297 and as such Piers found himself as a servant (or squire I suppose) in the household of Edward by 1300. His family owned estates but they weren't particularly high within the nobility but Gaveston's wit and sharp mind made him an excellent role model for the sixteen year old Prince of Wales. The main problems of the reign in this first period are often attributed to the problems Gaveston's status as Edward's favourite caused amongst the other magnates.

Before Edward had even ascended the throne, he was already in trouble with his father and was even cut off in 1305. Yeah even if the medieval period, cutting your kid's pocket money was in full force. It's nice to know parenting hasn't changed that much! But by 1307 Piers Gaveston's relationship with Edward was already causing the King worry. Edward wanted to give his friend the County of Ponthieu, which wouldn't have been an issue except the guy who was the Lord of Ponthieu was still alive and well. Interestingly enough, Michael Prestwich in his book The Three Edwards says that Edward Longshanks was so angry with his son that he actually tore clumps of the Prince of Wales' hair out! (1980, p.80) Afraid of the influence the Gascon man had over Edward, the old King banished Gaveston from the kingdom. This, unfortuantely for Gaveston, was the first of many exiles he experienced during his life time. Although in all honesty, considering his fate he would have been better finding a nice little castle in Gascony and staying there till old age.

Rumours of a sexual relationship seem to have started with some of the ambiguous phrasing in the contemporary sources themselves. In the fourteenth century the majority of sources we have are chronicles, which were written usually by monks, and usually were not written for a public audience. In Edward's reign there were a number of these chronicles and, unsurprisingly, they all mention Gaveston and Edward's relationship.

The Vita Edwardi Secundi, probably the most well written and accurate of the chronicles, states that Edward was ‘incapable of immoderate favour’ (Vita, p.39) when it came to Gaveston. Another chronicle, the Anonimalle states similarly that ‘this king loved with all his heart certain people whose company his father had frequently forbidden him…’ (Anonimalle, p.81). The Scotichronicon also talks about Edward II’s relationship with Gaveston and his dislike for the man is notable - although you should take note of the fact that this chronicle was highly pro-Scottish at a time when the English were ravaging Scotland and his dislike for Edward anyway is apparent throughout. The line that is most striking within the text is the ‘…king deferred so much to the advice and wishes of the said Peter de Gaveston that practically all his kingdom rose against him’ (Scotichronicon, p.339). Gaveston was as much king as Edward was without wearing a crown and in fact another chronicle, the Annales Paulini, even says that there were two kings ruling in England, one in name, the other in deed (Annales Paulini, p.259). This sentiment doesn't necessarily lend itself to a sexual relationship and indeed, you have to wonder if it is modern day thinking that has taken these words out of context. I will come back to discuss in more detail at a later date the various arguments that have arisen about Gaveston and Edward's sexual relationship at a later date.

Gaveston's Coat of Arms

What is obvious though is that Edward was extremely fond of the man and in fact his first deed as king following the death of Longshanks was to recall Piers from exile in Gascony and give him the Earldom of Cornwall!!! Not bad for a small fry landowner's son. Despite the fact that Cornwall was usually held for the sons of the King, there was no real objection to Gaveston being raised into the peerage. So far so good. Gaveston then went on to marry Margaret de Clare, the sister of the Earl of Gloucester and niece to the King on the 1 Nov 1307 - a fairly substantial marriage considering Piers himself wasn't from high birth.

De Clare Coat of Arms

There was no limit on Gaveston’s rise and he was even left as regent when Edward went to France to complete his marriage to Isabella Capet in December 1307, rather than his own half brothers. Gaveston was becoming deeply involved in dealing with those affairs that usually fell to the king himself. He was even granted the ability to bestow patronage!! Now to put this in context, first you must understand how patronage worked in the middle ages.

In the simplest terms I can think patronage was the kings way of rewarding his subjects for good deeds and loyalty. You behave well, you get a scrap of land to add to your collection. You behave better than well and maybe you'll get a castle out of it. Kings relied on patronage to keep their magnates loyal to them (and barons relied on the favour to gain power). One of the main problems throughout Edward's reign was his inability to correctly use patronage. In fact he used patronage so badly that most of his magnates turned against him. Giving Gaveston control of this was a BIG deal - even if it only was temporary. That said, surprisingly Piers didn't abuse this power at all. I'm not sure if that says more about his respect for Edward, England or simply his disinterest in politics.

Gaveston as well as being 'graceful and agile in body, sharp-witted, refined in manners and well versed in military matters' (Chronicon Galfridi le Baker, p.4) was also great at tournaments. Well they didn't have TV in those days so showing off their military skills was how they had fun. Problem was that Gaveston was a damn good fighter and in a tournament in Wallingford on the 2 December 1307 Gaveston beat the Earls of Arundel, Hereford and Warenne. This did not go down well. It's men and testosterone I think, but the humiliation of being beaten by Gaveston did not sit well, and in fact Warenne never liked him from that point on.

But it was the Coronation of Edward on the 25 Feb 1308 were tension starts to become noticeable and resentment starts to grow amongst the Earls. Gaveston was given the crown of St Edward the Confessor to carry, redeemed the curtana sword and fasten the spur to the king's left foot. His attire at the coronation itself was loud and his behaviour offended Isabella's family so much so that they left angrily. It sounds like any family gathering doesn't it? Either way by the Spring of 1308 the magnates were starting to voice objections about Piers and the Earl of Lincoln presented the King with articles, pressing for Gaveston's exile once more.

What Scarborough Castle could have looked like

Under the looming threat of civil war, and also the possibility of an Anglo-French war with Isabella's family, Edward had no choice. Piers was given his marching orders and told he had to leave the kingdom by the 24 June, and that if he returned he would be excommunicated by Archbishop Winchelsey.

But Edward wasn't content to let his friend go without a fight and immediately started searching for a way to bring Gaveston back. He appointed him the King's Lieutenant in Ireland, despite the fact the position had already been filled by the Earl of Ulster. Not a bad exile this second one. Gaveston ended up with more power than when he left the kingdom, despite supposedly being in disgrace. He was granted LOTS more power than Ulster had been in the same position but still did not abuse it.

Scarborough Castle today

By 1309, Gaveston was allowed to return back to England thanks to Edward's attempts to have his exile revoked. It was in this time that Gaveston's smart mouth got him into a lot of trouble. He kind of reminds me of the lippy teenager of the group, pushing the boundaries because he knows Edward will protect him. But anyway, he made up names for the Earls - none of which were particularly flattering. The Earl of Warwick was gifted the wonderful title of the 'Black dog of Arden', Pembroke was 'Joseph the Jew', and Lancaster was 'the churl'. Obviously, this caused a lot of tension between the earls and Gaveston - and inevitably the King - and it REALLY didn't help that our Piers was damn good at fighting and beat the lords in a number of tournaments prior to Edward's coronation. In this day and age I think I would have probably melted at the sight of Mr P. Gaveston. The chroniclers say that he was good looking, he can fight AND win, and he's got a sense of humour. He's practically husband material for me right now!

View of Warwick Castle, Warwickshire - Originally a Norman stronghold

This latest slur against the magnates lead to the Ordinances. I'll come back to these at a later date in more detail, but essentially they were a list of reforms, aimed at shaking the Royal household - and the kingdom - back to its former glory. Edward, knowing he had no choice but to listen to his earls, decided avoidance was the best tactics and instead of sitting down and talking about it he organised a campaign into Scotland. But the Scots wouldn't fight and Edward was forced to face the music. Piers was exiled for the third time on the 1 November 1311 under clause 20 of the Ordinances, and was never allowed to step foot in England or any of the districts owned by England under the threat of excommunication.

Artists impression of the execution of Gaveston

Piers was back in England by the 13 January 1312 - no more than two months after being banished forever from the kingdom. In understanding this return, we must realise that Gaveston's wife, Margaret de Clare, had just given birth to his daughter, Joan and that he did spend his time at her side in York. Perhaps his return was for her and not Edward. I guess we will never know the motivation of Gaveston in this incident. The romantic half of me hopes it was for his wife's sake that he risked breaking the terms of his exile.

Blacklow Hill - Where Gaveston was executed. The monument is dedicated to him

Edward's cousin, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster led the opposing force against Gaveston's reinstatement. Gaveston under the threat of Lancs and other barons ran and hid out in Scarborough, whilst the King went to York. Finally Piers had to surrender and was taken into custody by the Earl of Pembroke. However, Warwick decided he wanted to be involved and seized Gaveston from Pembroke, taking the man back to his own castle in Warwick. A brief deliberation was held between Warwick, Lancaster and Hereford and on the 19 June 1312, Gaveston was led down the road to Kenilworth and was executed at Blacklow Hill.

A lot of blame has been placed at Gaveston's feet for the political unrest in this period and the dissention amongst Edward and his nobility. However it is important to note that Edward followed a formidable ruler and was also left a country that was in dire financial straits. Gaveston's execution certainly affected the King badly and his thirst for revenge against the lord's who had instigated his favourite's downfall was consuming. According the Vita Edwardi Secundi, Edward was reported to have said 'When this wretched business is over, we will turn our hands to other matters. For I have not forgotten the wrong that was done to my brother Piers’ (Vita, p.104) and he did get his revenge.

Sources Used:

• The Anonimalle Chronicle 1307-1334: from Brotherton Collection MS. 29, ed. Childs, W, Taylor, J, Yorkshire Archaelogical Society Record Series, cxlvii, (1991)
• The Annales Paulini, February 1308
• Bower, W, Scotichronicon, vol. 6, Books XI and XII, ed. Watt, D.E.R, (1991, Aberdeen University Press)
• Childs, W, Vita Edwardi Secundi: The Life of Edward the Second, (2005, Claredon Press, Oxford)
• Denholm-Young, N, The Vita Edwardi Secundi: the Life of Edward the Second by the so-called Monk of Malmesbury, (1957, Thomas Nelson and sons LTD, London)
• Hamilton, J.S, ‘Gaveston, Piers, earl of Cornwall (d. 1312)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
• Marlowe, C, Edward the Second, (1594), ed. Forker, C.R, (1999, Manchester University Press)
• Prestwich, M, The Three Edwards: War and State in England 1272-1377, (1980, Methuen and Co. Ltd, London)
• Tuck A, Crown and Nobility, 1272-1461 (Oxford Blackwell, 2nd edition 1999).