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

King Charles (I, II, & III)

Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor, the oldest son of the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth, 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. The evolution to a constitutional monarch started over 800 years ago with the Magna Carta, which among other clauses, required the King to seek parliamentary approval for new taxes. This series covers the evolution of the British Monarchy.

King Edward III

As we saw in Part 4 of this series, King Edward II was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, King Edward III, in 1327. However, instead of granting Edward II a pension, opponents murdered him.

Edward III was 14 years old when he took the throne. At that time, his mother (Isabella) and her lover (Roger Mortimer) were the de facto rulers of England. Three years later, Edward III seized power, executing his mother's lover.

English Controlled Lands in pink after the Treaty

The current spat between Prince William (the heir) and Prince Harry (the spare) cannot compare to the disagreements during the time of King Edward III. After all, the only effects of the current disputes are Netflix shows, television interviews, Harry's book, and plenty of fodder for the tabloids. In comparison, King Edward III started the Hundred Years’ War between England and France (which technically lasted over 110 years, but who's counting).

Hundred Years’ War

The King of England oversaw military and foreign policy. However, wars were expensive, and the King depended on Parliament for funding.

In 1337, King Edward III claimed the French crown for himself. Recall that the Normans from France had conquered England back in 1066. The royal families of France and England were still intertwined. And England still claimed land in France. Edward himself was the grandson of a French king through his mother, Isabella. France rejected Edward's claim, and Edward responded by invading France in 1346. The war waxed and waned until 1360 when England won several victories and negotiated the Treaty of Brétigny. Edward gave up his claim to the French crown in return for control over significant portions of France in this treaty. (Unfortunately, this treaty provided only a temporary peace in the Hundred Years’ War, which continued under Edward's successors)

The 'Good' Parliament during Edward's Reign

Parliament continued to exert its authority and passed critical legislation during Edward's reign. In 1349 it passed the 'Ordinance of Labourers' followed by the 'Statute of Labourers’ in 1351. Both were attempts to limit worker wages in the aftermath of the Black Death plague, which by causing a labor shortage, allowed workers to demand higher wages.

In 1376, Parliament met in what became known as the 'Good Parliament.' It included the first election of a Speaker of the House of Commons and the first use of impeachment to remove corrupt government ministers. Parliament challenged the crown’s use of funds by asserting that tax dollars were being misspent and mismanaged.

Besides removing several government officials, Parliament censured King Edward's mistress, Alice Perrers. She was accused of taking "two or three thousand pounds of gold and silver a year from the king's coffers, and it would be therefore of great profit to the realm to 'take measures to remedy her [Alice's] outrageous behaviour, and, as much for the king's honour as his personal good, to have her removed from his presence, for she had tarnished his honour both in this land and all the neighbouring kingdoms."

This Parliament established several important principles, as stated in the United Kingdom's archives: "The accountability of ministers, officials, and special advisors, remains a cornerstone of modern government; the misappropriation of funds allocated to one thing but spent elsewhere is questioned; poor or unacceptable performance in office is challenged and addressed."

The 'Bad' Parliament

King Edward III called Parliament back into session in early 1377. Known as the 'Bad' Parliament, it reversed the previous year's impeachments.

This was the last Parliament called by King Edward, who died in June 1377.

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), 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.
King Edward III, accepted Parliament's power; remained King until his death in 1377; started the Hundred Years'‘ War.

Succession

King Edward III was succeeded by his grandson, Richard II, as Edward's oldest son had already died. As we shall see in a future post, Richard II was deposed.