"His (Edward I) great unfortunateness was in his greatest blessing; for of four sons which he had by his Queen Eleanor, three of them died in his own lifetime, who were worthy to have outlived him; and the fourth outlived him, who was worthy never to have been born." Sir Richard Baker, in A Chronicle of the Kings of England
Born at Caernarfon Castle in 1284 and given the title Prince of Wales in 1301, he was crowned King of England in 1307. Faced by too many problems at home, and completely lacking the ruthlessness and resourcefulness of his father, the young Edward had no wish to get embroiled in the affairs of Scotland. Leaving Robert Bruce alone to consolidate his gains, the English king saw his troops harried and killed, as Bruce steadily gained control over most of Scotland.
In 1309, Bruce was recognized as sole ruler in Scotland by the French king, and had received the support of the Scottish Church. It wasn't until 1311, after Bruce drove the English garrisons out of their strongholds and invaded northern England that Edward was motivated to remove himself from his Court and respond to the threat. The English king was no match for Bruce as a soldier. In 1314, Bruce's victory over the English army at Bannockburn established Scottish independence until the union of England and Scotland in 1707.
Perhaps the most notable characteristics of this English king were his bisexuality and his inability to choose competent ministers. His most notorious lover was Piers Gaveston. On the day Edward married Isabella of France, he preferred the couch of Gaveston to that of his new wife. It is possible that the barons might have tolerated the king's sexual preferences had he not bestowed titles and honors on Gaveston, elevating his favorite to such a position of power that a clash was inevitable. On the accession of Edward II, Hugh le Despenser the Elder, Justiciar of England, alienated the baronial party by his support of Piers Gaveston and, on the latter's death (1312), became the chief adviser to the king. After Edward's defeat by the Scots at Bannockburn in 1314, Hugh withdrew from the court. Edward's behavior forced nobles who normally would have been supportive of his rule into opposition to the Crown. The king didn't help matters with his policy of using the noose and the block to maintain power: 28 knights and barons were executed for rebelling against the decadent king. Gaveston was exiled and eventually murdered for his licentious conduct with the king.
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