Comments on Edward II: Piers Gaveston's Second Exile

I agree with you regarding the value of the contem...

2008-03-18T22:55:00.000+01:00

I agree with you regarding the value of the contemporary insights into the period of the Vita. So John Walwayn was our live "news feed" into Ed II's time! Almost as good as a time machine...but as you say, sad that it did not cover the the time period after 1325. That would have been interesting. I wonder what he would have had to say about Edwards death?

Gabriele: thanks for the insight! Very interestin...

2008-03-17T14:45:00.000+01:00

Gabriele: thanks for the insight! Very interesting. (Sorry the little b*stards tormented you for so long, though. ;)

Kate: it's not certain who he was, but the prime candidate is John Walwayn, a lawyer from Herefordshire. The Vita ends abruptly in late 1325 (Walwayn died in the summer of 1326), which means that Ed's deposition/abdication is not covered. That's a shame, because it would be fascinating to see his take on it, but it also means that he didn't write the chronicle with the benefit of hindsight, knowing Ed's ultimate fate, which makes the Vita pretty valuable (IMHO).

Sorry to ask what may be a dumb question...but did...

2008-03-17T08:12:00.000+01:00

Sorry to ask what may be a dumb question...but did the scribe of the Vita leave his name to history? I wonder about him....he sounds fascinating.

I can understand Piers. I suppose the mere fact he...

2008-03-16T19:56:00.000+01:00

I can understand Piers. I suppose the mere fact he was handsome, witty, intelligent and beat the crap out of everyone at tournaments didn't make him popular to begin with, and to defend himself, he started showing off. I know I did the same when after a move I ended up in an already closely knit class at school, was bullied for being different and fought the ignorant lot for ten years. It was easier for me than to develop a depression. I think Piers was a bit like that, only he had a king to back him up while our teachers looked the other way when they noticed any trouble. :)

Carla, that would have been a lot more fun than Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

Carla: yes, the author of the Vita was extremely w...

2008-03-16T14:21:00.000+01:00

Carla: yes, the author of the Vita was extremely well-informed and well-educated, and his insights into Edward II and his world are just brilliant. I love that chronicle, even though he's not especially sympathetic to Ed.

Lady D: I understand - I love Piers too! :-) And he did a good job in Ireland - he was far more competent than a lot of people gave/give him credit for. I like your insight into the combination of Ed and Piers being so bad, not so much the individuals, too.

I still can't help but love Piers. I can just imag...

2008-03-16T13:53:00.000+01:00

I still can't help but love Piers. I can just imagine him rolling his eyes at all the old fuddy-duddys at court, whilst trying to decide which bejewelled outfit he was going to wear that evening! On the other hand, not the best person to have at the right hand of the ruling monarch.

Strange though, when he was away from Edward, as in Ireland, he seemed to acquit himself well enough as a soldier and leader. Edward, too, seemed to perform better as a king and politician when he didn't have the distractions of favourites around him. Perhaps it was the combination that proved so bad for England rather than the individuals.

"The love of magnates is as a game of dice" That c...

2008-03-16T13:30:00.000+01:00

"The love of magnates is as a game of dice"
That chronicler knew how his world worked, didn't he?

A great pity that the constitutional monarchy hadn't been invented, when Edward and Piers could have happily wasted their time and money together as a glamorous celebrity couple in the pages of Hello! magazine, without starting a civil war over it.