03 December, 2005

Introduction to the Blog

Hi there! This blog is my attempt to salvage the reputation of one of England's most-maligned kings, Edward II. Edward reigned from 1307 to 1327, and was famously deposed (and probably murdered) by his French queen, I sabella, and her lover Roger Mortimer. Now, I'm not denying that Edward was a disastrous king, but, in my opinion at least, he was a fascinating personality with many excellent character traits. He really gets it in the neck these days on-line, especially from people who assume that he wasn't really the father of his children - a charge which is endlessly recycled, and which annoys me immensely as there isn't a shred of evidence for it. I also believe there's a lot of homophobia (conscious or not) implicit in the criticism of him. I'll be looking at Edward's life and reign, his relationships with Gaveston and the Despensers and most importantly with Isabella, his deposition and presumed murder, and anything else which occurs as I go along...his strange (for his time) hobbies, the motives of the barons who opposed him, the legacy of his famous father....:-)

3 comments:

Susan Higginbotham said...

Ran across your blog while surfing today. Please check out my website, which contains lots of information about Edward II. It's at www.susanhigginbotham.com. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts!

Susan Higginbotham said...

Thanks for your kind comment on my website! I'm looking forward to discussing your posts with you. E-mail me at boswellbaxter@bellsouth.net if you want me to add this blog as a link on my site.

MRats said...

Beware! I'm about to read every post starting at the beginning. You know what that will mean: questions, questions, questions.

But fear not! Because I realize you constantly update your blog with information you find in your research, I'll write down all my inquiries and wait until I've finished before I ask. That way I can be certain I've found your latest word on the subject. Two years ago I discovered your explanation for Edward's absence from Wallingford Tournament AFTER I e-mailed you about it.

And rather than bombard you with further e-mails, I'll post comments instead. After all, others might want to know the answers, too.

Cheers to Susan Higginbotham for finding you so quickly!