Edward II
King of England
"I have not yet been so hard pressed that I cannot flee."
Biography
The son who inherited his father's Scottish war possessed almost none of his father's ability. Preoccupied with court favourites and quarrelling barons, Edward II let the English position in Scotland decay until, in 1314, he marched a magnificent army north to relieve Stirling Castle — and led it to catastrophe at Bannockburn, fleeing the field and barely escaping to England by sea. He was routed again on his own soil at Old Byland in 1322, nearly captured a second time, and forced onto the defensive everywhere. His reign disintegrated into baronial revolt; deposed in 1327 by his own wife Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer, he was imprisoned and murdered, by grim tradition horribly. His humiliations were the making of Scottish independence.
Did you know?
As the first English Prince of Wales, presented (by legend) to the Welsh as a prince born in Wales who spoke no English, he began a royal tradition that continues today.
Key Battles
Battle of Bannockburn
Kingdom of Scotland victoryJune 23–24, 1314 · 11,000 total casualties
Bannockburn was the decisive victory of the wars — the greatest defeat English arms had yet suffered — securing Bruce's throne and Scotland's de facto independence. It became the founding legend of Scottish nationhood.
Battle of Old Byland
Kingdom of Scotland victoryOctober 14, 1322 · 2,000 total casualties
Old Byland humiliated Edward II on his own soil and pressed England toward recognizing Scottish independence, achieved in the 1328 Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton.
Life Journey
Timeline
April 25, 1284
🌅 Birth
Born at Caernarfon Castle
June 1314
⚔️ Battle
Routed at Bannockburn
September 1327
✝️ Death
Deposed and murdered at Berkeley Castle