Edward II (25 April 1284 â€" 21 September 1327), also called Edward of
Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in
January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir
apparent to the throne following the death of his elder brother
Alphonso. Beginning in 1300, Edward accompanied his father on
campaigns to pacify Scotland. In 1306, he was knighted in a grand
ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Following his father's death, Edward
succeeded to the throne in 1307. He married Isabella, the daughter of
the powerful King Philip IV of France, in 1308, as part of a
long-running effort to resolve tensions between the English and French
crowns.Edward II (25 April 1284 â€" 21 September 1327), also called
Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was
deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the
heir apparent to the throne following the death of his elder brother
Alphonso. Beginning in 1300, Edward accompanied his father on
campaigns to pacify Scotland. In 1306, he was knighted in a grand
ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Following his father's death, Edward
succeeded to the throne in 1307. He married Isabella, the daughter of
the powerful King Philip IV of France, in 1308, as part of a
long-running effort to resolve tensions between the English and French
crowns.Edward had a close and controversial relationship with Piers
Gaveston, who had joined his household in 1300. The precise nature of
their relationship is uncertain; they may have been friends, lovers or
sworn brothers. Edward's relationship with Gaveston inspired
Christopher Marlowe's 1592 play Edward II, along with other plays,
films, novels and media. Gaveston's power as Edward's favourite
provoked discontent both among the barons and the French royal family,
and Edward was forced to exile him. On Gaveston's return, the barons
pressured the king into agreeing to wide-ranging reforms, called the
Ordinances of 1311. The newly empowered barons banished Gaveston, to
which Edward responded by revoking the reforms and recalling his
favourite. Led by Edward's cousin Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, a
group of the barons seized and executed Gaveston in 1312, beginning
several years of armed confrontation. English forces were pushed back
in Scotland, where Edward was decisively defeated by Robert the Bruce
at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Widespread famine followed, and
criticism of the king's reign mounted.The Despenser family, in
particular Hugh Despenser the Younger, became close friends and
advisers to Edward, but Lancaster and many of the barons seized the
Despensers' lands in 1321, and forced the king to exile them. In
response, Edward led a short military campaign, capturing and
executing Lancaster. Edward and the Despensers strengthened their grip
on power, formally revoking the 1311 reforms, executing their enemies
and confiscating estates. Unable to make progress in Scotland, Edward
finally signed a truce with Robert. Opposition to the regime grew, and
when Isabella was sent to France to negotiate a peace treaty in 1325,
she turned against Edward and refused to return. Instead, she allied
herself with the exiled Roger Mortimer, and invaded England with a
small army in 1326. Edward's regime collapsed and he fled to Wales,
where he was captured in November. The king was forced to relinquish
his crown in January 1327 in favour of his 14-year-old son, Edward
III, and he died in Berkeley Castle on 21 September, probably murdered
on the orders of the new regime. Edward II of England Top Movies & Young Movies