13 - Political conflict

Summary

It is eloquent testimony to the wisdom of Edward's use of counsel that serious political conflict erupted on only three occasions: once before Edward was fully in charge, once in his old age, and only once in the prime of his leadership. Otherwise, disagreements were resolved through parliamentary negotiation. Edward was politically fortunate. After his father's disastrous reign, the nobility was wary of political confrontation and civil war. After the Black Death, king, lords, and gentry united over the need to control the peasantry. There was a large measure of support for the war, particularly after the stunning victories at Crécy and Poitiers. Nevertheless, opposition tested Edward's policies. A look at these occasions reveals that relations between the crown and the prelates, lords, and gentry were remarkably resilient. Each refrained from pushing its powers to the fullest, allowing a high degree of trust to build up among them.

Beginning in 1320, England endured a decade of extreme factionalism spawned by the excessive influence that the Despensers exercised over Edward II. It led directly to Edward's deposition in 1327, but any hopes that Mortimer and Isabella's new regime would heal the divisiveness soon faded as its true character revealed itself. Their arrogance was their undoing and they, too, were overthrown in 1330.

The problem facing Edward and his friends was to restore trust between the king and the elite and among members of the nobility and gentry.