King Edward I

     King Edward I was born on 17 June 1239 at Westminster Palace, London, England; He was named Edward in honour of his father's favourite saint, the Saxon King Edward the Confessor. Edward was a delicate child and suffered from a life threatening illness in 1246, which his devoted mother, Eleanor of Provence, nursed him through at Beaulieu Abbey.¹ He was the son of King Henry III and Eleonore Berenger. King Edward I married Eleanor of Castile, daughter of King Ferdinand III of Castile and Joan de Dammartin, on 1 November 1254 at Cistercian Monestary, Las Huelgas, near Burgos, Spain; At the age of fifteen, the Lord Edward as he was then known, was married to his second cousin, the thirteen year old Leonora or Eleanor of Castile (1241-1290) to settle disputes over rights to Gascony. Edward was knighted by Eleanor's half-brother, Alphonso X, to mark the occasion.^2,1 King Edward I died on 7 July 1307 at Burgh-On-The-San, Cumberland, England, at age 68; Edward died of dysentary. He was buried on 27 October 1307 at Westminster Abbey, London, Middlesex, England.³
     King Edward I was also known as King Edward I. King Edward I was also known as Longshanks. Edward was the oldest surviving, and first, son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. He was nicknamed "Longshanks" due to his great height and stature. Edward married Eleanor of Castille in 1254, who bore him 16 children (seven of whom survived into adulthood) before her death in 1290. Edward reached a peace agreement with Philip IV of France that resulted in a marriage to the French King's sister, Margaret, who bore him three more children.
Edward I, who succeeded his father in 1272, was an able administrator and law-maker. He was also an effective soldier, and had gained experience by going on crusade to Syria before he became King. In 1296 Edward invaded Scotland, successfully seizing the Stone of Scone; The king John Balliol abdicated and surrendered to Edward. However, a guerrilla war broke out and William Wallace, the Scottish leader, defeated the English at Stirling Bridge in 1297. Wallace was captured and executed in 1305. Edward died in 1307, when he was about to start another campaign against the Scots and their leader, Robert Bruce.⁴