William Wallace is world famous; a national hero who fought and died to free Scotland from English rule.
Activities
Fun Trivia: The real William Wallace
Scottish Wars of Independence Game
Edward I (1239-1307)
A English king best known for his campaigns to subdue Wales and Scotland, Edward was also responsible for significant legal and administrative reform in England.
Edward was born in June 1239 at Westminster, the son of Henry III. In 1254, he married Eleanor of Castile. Edward's early adulthood took place against a backdrop of civil strife between his father and rebel barons. Edward was himself held captive by rebel leader Simon de Montfort before escaping and leading royalist forces to victory at the Battle of Evesham in August 1265, where de Montfort was killed.
In 1270, Edward left England to join the Eighth Crusade. His father died in 1272 and Edward returned to London, arriving in August 1274. He was determined to enforce his primacy in the British Isles. The first part of his reign was dominated by his campaigns in Wales. He invaded in 1277, defeated the Welsh leader, Llywelyn ap Gruffyd and built a ring of castles to enforce his authority. When his rule provoked rebellion, he invaded again. Gruffyd was killed in battle in 1282 and his brother David executed, ending Welsh hopes of independence. Wales was brought into the English legal and administrative framework and in 1301 Edward's son was proclaimed prince of Wales - a tradition that persists to this day.
At home, Edward was responsible for a variety of legal and administrative reforms, asserting the rights of the Crown, promoting the uniform administration of justice and codifying the legal system. His military campaigns necessitated increases in taxation which in turn required more regular meetings of parliament - by the end of Edward's reign, these had become an established feature of political life. The desire for financial gain contributed to Edward's expulsion of Jews from England in 1290.
In 1292, Edward ws asked to arbitrate in a succession dispute in Scotland and nominated John Balliol as king.. Edward invaded and conquered Scotland. Opposition gathered around William Wallace, but he was captured by the English and executed in 1305. In 1306, the Scottish nobleman Robert the Bruce rebelled.
Edward was on his way to fight Bruce when he died, on 7 July 1307.
Henry III
Henry III (1207-1272)
A 13th century English king who came to the throne at an early age and whose reign was marked by strife with barons, led by Simon de Montfort.
Henry was born on 1 October 1207 in Winchester, the son of John. Henry was nine when his father died and he became king. The country was ruled by a series of regencies until 1234, when Henry took over. Problems began as early as 1237, when his barons objected to the influence of Henry's Savoyard relatives. The marriage arranged in 1238 between Henry's sister and English nobleman Simon de Montfort only made relationship between Henry and his leading nobles worse. In 1242, Henry's half brothers involved him in a disastrously expensive military venture in France.
Finally, in 1258 a bungled deal with the Papacy threatened Henry with excommunication. This, together with defeats in Wales and local crises, brought about the main crisis of his reign. The Provisions of Oxford (1258) created a 15-member privy council, selected by the barons, to advise the king and oversee the entire administration. Parliament was to be held three times a year and the households of the king and queen were also to be reformed.
The settlement began to break down in 1260 with quarrels between the Earl of Gloucester and the ambitious Simon de Montfort. Civil war was inevitable. In May 1264, Simon de Montfort won a resounding victory at Lewes and set up a new government. In May 1265, Henry's eldest son Prince Edward escaped captivity and rallied the royalist forces, defeating and killing de Montfort at Evesham before taking control of government from his weakened father.
The rest of the reign was occupied by resolving the problems created by the rebellion. Henry deprived de Montfort's supporters of their lands, but the 'disinherited' fought back until terms were agreed in 1266 for former rebels to buy back their lands. By 1270, the country was sufficiently settled for Edward to set off on crusade. Henry died on 16 November 1272. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, which he had largely rebuilt in the gothic style during his reign.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/henry_iii_king.shtml
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