The British Monarchy - Part IV — Parks, Presidents and Parks

King Charles (I, II, & III)

Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor, the oldest son of the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II, is now King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He is a constitutional monarch with limited powers.

Monarchs used to have absolute power. This series of articles covers the evolution from absolute ruler to constitutional monarch, which started over 800 years ago. So far we have covered the following kings and events:

Magna Carta, issued in 1215 during the reign of King John started limiting royal powers (see part 1 of this series)
King Henry III, King John’s son, was overthrown temporarily and forced to accept further limitations of royal power in favor of Parliament (see part 2 of this series).
King Edward I (Longshanks / Hammer of the Scotts) worked with Parliament avoiding serious power struggles (Part 3 of this series)

King Edward II

King Edward II reigned from the death of his father (King Edward I) in 1307 until early 1327, when he was forced to abdicate and died shortly thereafter under suspicious circumstances.

Ordinances of 1311

King Edward II fought with the kingdom’s nobles over his powers. Just four years into his realm, the King was forced to accept the ‘Ordinances of 1311.’ These were passed by a group of 21 men including Bishops, Earls, and Barons.

The preamble to the Ordinances lays out the case against the King:

“Whereas, through bad and deceitful counsel, our lord the king and all his men have everywhere been dishonoured and his crown in many ways has been debased and ruined, while his lands of Gascony, Ireland, and Scotland are on the point of being lost unless God improves the situation, and his realm of England has been brought to the verge of rebellion through prises* and [other] oppressive and destructive measures—which facts are known and proved—our lord the king of his free will has granted to the prelates, earls, and barons, and to the other good men of his realm, that certain persons should be elected to ordain and determine the condition of his household and of his realm, as appears more fully in the commission issued by our lord the king in this connection.”

* Prises = right of the King to requisition goods

In one clause, the king’s finances were to be controlled by the exchequer (treasury), not directly by the king. “it is ordained that the customs of the kingdom…together with all other issues and profits pertaining to the kingdom from any source whatsoever, shall in their entirety come to the king’s exchequer and be paid by the treasurer and the chamberlain for maintaining the king’s household and [to be spent] in other ways for his benefit ; so that the king may live of his own without taking prises other than those anciently due and accustomed. And all others shall cease.”

In another, the king cannot start a war without the assent of Parliament: “Whereas the king, on account of the many perils that he and his kingdom may incur, ought not to undertake an act of war against any one, or to go out of the kingdom, without the common assent of his baronage, we ordain that henceforth the king shall neither go out of the kingdom nor undertake an act of war against any one without the common assent of his baronage, and that in parliament.”

Perhaps similar to the United States, where the President’s cabinet is subject to the ‘advice and consent of the Senate, the king’s appointed required approval:

“… we ordain that the king shall appoint the chancellor, the chief justices of both benches, the treasurer, the chancellor and the chief baron of the exchequer, the steward of the household, the keeper of the wardrobe, the comptroller and a fit clerk to keep the privy seal, a chief keeper of the forests on this side of Trent and one on the other side of Trent, also an escheator on this side of Trent and one on the other side, as well as the king’s chief clerk of the common bench, by the counsel and assent of the baronage, and that in parliament.

The ordinances limited the king’s ability to change the coinage of the realm: “Whereas all the people suffer greatly in many ways whenever a change of money is made in the kingdom, we ordain that, when there is need and the king wishes to make a change, he shall do so by the common counsel of his baronage, and that in parliament.”

England is ruled by law, not by men: “Whereas, to the great injury of the people, the law of the land and common right have often been delayed by letters issued under the king’s privy seal, we ordain that henceforth neither the law of the land nor common right shall be delayed or disturbed by letters under the said seal. And if, through such letters issued under the privy seal contrary the right or to the law of the land, anything is done in any session of the court of our lord the king, it shall be of no avail and shall be held as null.”

In total, there were 41 clauses restricting the king’s authority. (for a full list, see here)

Christopher Marlowe Play about King Edward II

Royal Politics and Peccadillos

One of the clauses in the Ordinances of 1311 exiled a man named Piers Gavaston: “Because it is known, …that Piers Gavaston has acted badly towards and has badly advised our lord the king…We ordain…that Piers Gavaston as the evident enemy of the king and of his people be completely exiled as well from the kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales…forever without ever returning.”

The nobles felt that Gavaston received special favors including lands and funds from Edward II. Some historians believe that Gavaston was King Edward II’s lover. The movie ‘Braveheart’ shows the king’s father throwing Edward’s lover out the window – that lover is based on Piers Gaveston. In the 1500s, Christopher Marlow, a contemporary of Shakespeare wrote a play entitled “The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Ed the ward the Second, King of England, with the Tragical Fall of Proud Mortimer (Edward II).” In this play, Marlow portrays attraction between King Edward II and Piers Gaveston.

Gavaston’s exile was short-lived. He returned to England in 1312 and was captured and murdered by his enemies.

Politics and intrigue continued culminating in the ‘Dispenser’ war in 1321. The Dispensers were another family favored by Edward II and opposed by other nobles of the kingdom. King Edward’s forces won this war and he was able to force the repeal of the ordinances of 1311.

Queen Isabella played by Sophie Marceau in Braveheart

Murdered by his wife?

As if internal battles weren’t enough for King Edward II, he got involved in a dispute with France over some remaining English territory inside France. He sent his French wife, Isabella, to negotiate with the French. She betrayed King Edward, starting an affair with an English opponent of Edward. A French force successfully invaded England. The King agreed to abdicate in favor of his son, Edward III. Shortly thereafter, King Edward II, age 43 died. Most historians believe he was murdered by his enemies, perhaps ordered by his wife.

The Royal Scorecard

King John, forced to accept the Magna Carta in 1215
King Henry III, King John’s son, deposed by Simon De Monfort in 1265
King Edward I (Longshanks / Hammer of the Scots) He worked with Parliament, remaining in power until his death in 1307
King Edward II – deposed by his wife and other enemies in 1327, died, most likely murdered, shortly thereafter.

Even 700 to 800 years ago, the king was already far from an absolute monarch. Not only subject to the laws of Parliament, the monarch needed to maintain the support of nobles and earls to remain in power. If they were dissatisfied with the king’s performance, they could oust him, violently.

In our next installment, we’ll cover the reign of King Edward III. Among his other accomplishments, he started the 100 years war with France.