tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post7733996465093394230..comments2024-03-14T05:56:44.390+00:00Comments on Edward II: Edward II's Mood, As Revealed By His CorrespondenceKathryn Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-22381881518960702582015-07-27T18:39:52.966+01:002015-07-27T18:39:52.966+01:00Some of those remind me of the letter Heinrich IV ...Some of those remind me of the letter Heinrich IV wrote to Pope Gregory VII. "To bishop Hildebrand ...." :-PGabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-90469071818204390022015-07-27T10:20:15.640+01:002015-07-27T10:20:15.640+01:00I wonder what Louis of Evreux had done or said to ...I wonder what Louis of Evreux had done or said to deserve that joke about being a lover of lazy dogs? It was so utterly different to the letters written later in his reign, and provides a very human aspect to the young Edward, before the duties of kingship really started to affect him. <br /><br />Do we know to who the letter of October 1326 was sent? Presumably to one of Edward's allies, but which one, and was it to a lord or a bishop? I can imagine a bit more formality about Isabella if it had been to a churchman, with Edward continuing to honour the sanctity of marriage. What was he hoping to achieve by it?<br /><br />You can also sense the stress that Edward was under from the tone of the letter to Louis Beaumont in 1323. Edward had been thoroughly trounced by the Scots the previous year, and would have known by then that Andrew Harclay was trying to arrange a peace treaty with Robert Bruce - an act of treason in his eyes. He must have been in total despair at how he was ever going to hold onto the North of England, never mind try to fight back. It would be interesting to know just what sparked that written assault on Louis Beaumont. Was it something specific that Beaumont had done, or was it just general anger at his actual betrayal by Harclay, and the very reluctant support he received from many Northern lords and churchmen? <br /><br />For me, that is both the frustration and the beauty of history. There are always more questions to tax an enquiring mind.<br /><br />Jerry Bennettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-1225812239106594922015-07-27T09:08:43.329+01:002015-07-27T09:08:43.329+01:00On holiday at the moment but still managed to chec...On holiday at the moment but still managed to check in here. What a fabulous post! You can feel Edward's moods - he's clearly furious at Isabella's defiance! Anerjehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16305237339979790391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-73561593812527976552015-07-26T23:52:17.810+01:002015-07-26T23:52:17.810+01:00There is such a wealth of information and emotion ...There is such a wealth of information and emotion to be gleaned from letters such as these - which were standardised, which were personal, the forms of address, the language used. It is the only place to find the person behind the biased chronicles and the poor historical writing. It is their voice, and in those wonderful, rare cases, their hand. Fascinating and beguiling.<br /><br />Marvellous stuff, thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-85072817959222119472015-07-26T08:33:11.340+01:002015-07-26T08:33:11.340+01:00Yes :) That proclamation of 8 Feb 1326 is the firs...Yes :) That proclamation of 8 Feb 1326 is the first piece of evidence that Isabella was in some way involved with Mortimer. Edward said that she was 'adopting the counsel' of Mortimer and the other English exiles on the Continent.Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-21413254125935694012015-07-26T00:45:06.092+01:002015-07-26T00:45:06.092+01:00@Kathryn:
Hmmm, are we to expect some new new inf...@Kathryn:<br /><br />Hmmm, are we to expect some new new info in the coming book about the original sources?? :-DSami Parkkonennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-24709681713874484502015-07-25T05:46:53.077+01:002015-07-25T05:46:53.077+01:00Incidentally, there were no rumours about Mortimer...Incidentally, there were no rumours about Mortimer as early as 1 December 1325 and it's doubtful that he and Isabella were involved in any kind of association then. A proclamation of 8 February 1326 is the earliest reference to their association and apparently it was then that Edward had first heard of it.<br /><br />I've recently read Edward's letter to Isabella of 1 Dec 1325 in the original French, having always previously read the English translation in Foedera, but have realised that the translation is inadequate, certainly at the beginning, which isn't translated at all.Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-13564228586309807962015-07-25T05:24:32.259+01:002015-07-25T05:24:32.259+01:00Very interesting. I do agree with Esther - Edward&...Very interesting. I do agree with Esther - Edward's last letter to Isabella is so much telling. It must have ruined any chance of reconciliation between them :-( <br /><br />It's fascinating how much we can learn from the different forms of address.Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10415905019122111675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-108171474806305022015-07-24T20:37:41.181+01:002015-07-24T20:37:41.181+01:00Edward was truly not a man with stiff upper lip. I...Edward was truly not a man with stiff upper lip. I mean, he did get a bit emotional from time to time. But he was emotional in good as well. If he had not been emotional he would not have been so loyal but then again, it was this loyalty or some weird sense of private honor (A man always keeps his word)that lead to his downfall and many difficulties.Sami Parkkonennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-27484291371328195562015-07-24T19:33:22.584+01:002015-07-24T19:33:22.584+01:00
Great post. It is a tragedy (IMO) that the last ...<br />Great post. It is a tragedy (IMO) that the last letter from Edward to Isabella was defending Despenser ... nothing about their good times or their children; there is not even a mention of any rumors concerning Mortimer. It is sad that, after so many years (not to mention the romantic picture of Edward saving Isabelle when the tent caught fire) the relationship declined so sharply.<br /><br />EstherAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com