Unit 13. The Tragic Death of Edward II

Edward II, (1307-1327) the son of Edward I, was quite a different ruler from his father. After Edward I`s death he refused to fight with the Scots, turned his army and came back to London. He spent his reign in wasting his father`s treasury and territories, and from this point of view, covered himself with disgrace. He married Isabelle of France, the daughter of the French king and had a son by her, but in reality he hated his wife and preferred the society of his men- favourites. This fact as well as his military disability infuriated both the nobility and simple people. Edward ran into severe difficulties with the barons. In 1311 they rose against Edward demanding the exile of his favourite Pierre Gaveston. But the king started the war which ended only in 1314 when Robert Bruce, attacked England. Edward started the campaign but Bruce destroyed the English army in the famous battle of Bannockburn. After it the English stopped their attempts to submit Scotland and it assured Scottish independence for many centuries. Englishmen were humiliated and the king lost even the smallest part of the popularity he still had. After it the barons under the leadership of Earl of Lancaster raised a rebellion and after it Lancaster practically ruled the country for several years. In 1321 the king`s new favourite Hugh de Spencer defeated Lancaster who was cruelly killed. The power of de Spencer made the barons form another opposition, which was led by Edward`s wife Isabella and her lover Mortimer, who took the power and proclaimed Edward`s son the king. Edward II was captured, deposed and shut in a distant castle, where he was tormented and later cruelly murdered. Isabella ruled for the first years of her son`s reign but in 1330 the young king seized Mortimer and Isabella and got the power.

Read the text, translate it into Russian.

Memorize the words, answer the questions:

treasury - казна	How did Edward II differ from his father?
disgrace - позор	What difficulties did the king have with the barons?
infuriate – приводить в ярость	Who won the battle of Bannockburn?
severe – жестокий, суровый	Who finally took the power in the country?
exile - изгнание	How did Edward II die?
campaign - кампания
torment - мучить

Unit 14. Edward III, the Hundred Years` War

Edward III (1327-1377) was a great soldier. At the beginning of his reign he attacked Scotland trying to submit it to the English crown and win back the territories his father had lost. In Scotland after Bruce`s death there were two main pretenders to the throne. Bruce`s son Edward and the son of John Baliol. Edward supported the latter and on winning the battle at Hallidon Hills in 1333 he managed to make Baliol the king dependent on England. The English prestige was won back. Two years later David II`s (the son of Robert Bruce) army under the command of Lord James Douglas, attacked the Englishmen. Edward had to sign a truce and give his sister to David as a wife. In 1337 the French king died and Edward claimed the throne on the ground of his mother`s origin, who was the late king`s sister. The Hundred Years` War began. In 1340 Edward destroyed the French fleet in the battle of Sluys. The French had about 5oo ships and the English about 300.It gave England the power over the English Channel and led them gather land forces for further attack on France. In 1346 he invaded France, trying to get back Normandy and won the famous battle of Crecy. It is another great battle in the history of the country. The French king had a larger army, but the English king was a better strategist and may be a braver warrior. He himself led one of the divisions and won the battle on his flank. He managed to dispose his troops in a better position, crossed the river at night and attacked the French unexpectedly. This battle was also the first great battle of his 16-year-old son Edward, whose nickname was Black Prince. The prince was a very brave man, and a clever warrior in spite of his youth. They say that at the end of the battle the king refused to give him help as he wanted the glory of the victory to be the boy`s. Black Prince won the battle and besides got the crest which all princes of Wales have had since then. "Ich dien"- "I serve" was the motto of the king of Bohemia, who fought on the side of the French and fell. He was an old man and rushed to the fight itself when he learned that all his sons had been killed. A week later the king moved to Calais which was laid siege. The siege continued for a year and at last the town yielded, as the majority of the citizens had been starved to death. Calais became England`s territory on the continent and belonged there for 200 years when it was lost by Mary I. Soon after Calais was won Edward had a truce with France and returned to England. In 1348 the plague Black Death seized both England and the continent. Thousands of people died and the countries were in a terrible condition. It also made England change its industrial policy and get to sheep-farming. Edward established "The Statute of Labourers" which defined the rules of land owners and peasants working on the land. In 1355 the war was renewed. Now it was Black Prince who commanded the army. At the battle of Poiters in September, 10, 1356 he defeated the French and crossed the southern part of the country, submitting towns and burning villages. He captured the French king and brought him to London as a prisoner. The king was later released for a large sum of money. At that time Edward himself won a victory over Scotland and seized the king of Scots, which made the victory of England full. In May 1360 England and France concluded the Treaty of Bretingy. In the late years of his reign Edward III did not fight much and lost some of the French land he had won. He died in 1377 a year after his favourite son Black Prince who died of some disease, lamented by the whole country. Black Prince as well as his father is somewhat of ideal knights, brave, clever and courteous, who were very popular both with the barons and simple people. Edward III is also famous for establishing the Order of the Garter in 1348.

Read the text, translate it into Russian.

Memorize the words, answer the questions:

further - дальнейший	Who was the main claimant to the English throne?
treaty- договор	Why did Edward manage to win the Battle of Crecy?
dispose - размещать	Who helped Edward to fight in the war?
lament - оплакивать	Who was Black Prince?
defeat - разгромить	What did the “Statute of Labourers” define?
lay siege – взять в осаду	Who captured the French king?
courteous - любезный