The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England

Edward developed a deliberate culture of kingship, studying and channeling history. He built his image and connection to his nobility through tournaments and pageantry, offering social and military benefits. England was in a bad state following famines and turbulence; lawlessness abounded. Edward supported reforms and took advice. Justice was further institutionalized, establishing permanent offices in the counties.

Edward abandoned plans to re-establish royal authority in Ireland militaristically when rebellion erupted in Scotland. From 1333 to 1337, Edward campaigned fiercely, winning early victories. However, he couldn’t settle or enforce acceptance of his man on the throne. His opponents allied with France, who wanted sovereignty in Edward’s continental territories.

At a parliament in 1337, Edward stated his ethos of mutual support rather than conflict between king and magnates, sharing in the prestige and responsibilities of kingship. He distributed earldoms and honors, preparing a loyal backing for the looming prospect of war with France.

In 1328, the direct Capetian line in France ended; Edward had similarly strong claims to the throne as its new king, Philip, but was powerless at the time. Throughout the 1300s, French and English commercial interests clashed in arenas like the Channel and Low Countries. France supported Scottish opponents to England; Edward sheltered a French fugitive. In 1336, Edward renounced his homage for continental lands—in theory, a statement of war. He moved to secure Flemish and German allies through diplomacy and finance. In 1340, Edward publicly declared himself king of France.

In 1340, Edward’s decisive naval victory at Sluys destroyed the French fleet, which endangered English trade and coastal settlements. However, the cost of war was huge, impacting every level of society in England.

Running out of funds debilitated Edward’s war effort. He blamed his regency government and returned to England to punish them. He initiated a purge and summoned the government’s president, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who refused to cooperate. The situation escalated as they lambasted each other. Edward tried to bar him from parliament and insert his men. However, he relented on this, and parliamentary debate then favored the archbishop. Edward agreed to reconciliation and compromise. The crisis was resolved through parliament without war, showing mutual goodwill existed. Subsequently, parliament granted a lucrative wool tax.

In 1346, a vast English army swept through Normandy and into France, wreaking destruction. They defeated the French forces at Crecy, where Edward’s eldest son, Prince Edward (later the Black Prince), acquitted himself well. Edward’s and England’s reputations soared, though in practical terms, they had not won long-term possession of territory. Later that year, English troops decisively defeated an invading Scottish army, removing the top layers of Scottish leadership. Edward’s siege of Calais succeeded in 1347.

In 1348, Edward staged glorious pageants and tournaments. He had many children, promising a strong line and opportunities for diplomacy and influence through their marriages. However, the plague, later known as the Black Death, swept through Europe, killing his daughter, Joan, on her way to her marriage. Between 1348 and 1351, many villagers lost between a third and half of their populations; some disappeared.

At a St. George’s Day tournament in 1349, Edward formally instituted his new Order of the Garter, inspired by Arthur’s Round Table and a European trend of founding knightly orders. He built the St. George’s Chapel in its honor. Some questioned this expenditure at a time of plague. However, Edward’s predecessors struggled to motivate barons to follow them to battle. He nurtured a culture that bound his knights to him and made foreign service a rewarding badge of honor. He combined the strengths of his different forefathers: military prowess, spiritual devotion, and visual and architectural culture.

In the 1350s, the Black Death threatened to drive up wages, which would damage the wealthy political class on which Edward depended. He issued statutes keeping wages and food prices artificially low, while further judicial reform continued to pool royal authority in the hands of the ruling political class. This caused violent social tension further down the line but served Edward in the short term.

Meanwhile, Edward’s troops continued their military successes, including a huge victory by Prince Edward at Poitiers (1356) in which the French king was brought hostage to England. Ravaged by war, France was in a state of chaos, and England was on the rise. Edward could not completely dictate terms, but in 1360, favorable terms granted many of his demands were agreed upon.