"“A History of the English Monarchy” " Topic

"The Scandal and Downfall of Piers Gaveston at the Court of King Edward II of England

Anyone who has seen the 1995 movie Braveheart is likely to remember the pathetic and weak Prince Edward, a snivelling wretch whose lover is tossed out a window by his depraved father. The real Edward II could not have been less like his portrayal in one of the 1990s' most successful flicks. He had a filthy sense of humour, an easy-going repartee with common people and a passion for manual labour. Like his father, Edward II was tall and robust. The "Vita Edwardi Secundi", which was an account of the King's life written by a clerk who lived at Edward's court and who recorded his experiences at the time, observed that the King was ‘a fine figure of a handsome man', while Sir Thomas Grey, whose father fought in Edward's army, wrote that ‘physically he was one of the strongest men in the realm'. Another thought Edward moved well despite his size: ‘elegant, of outstanding strength'. None of the eyewitness descriptions of Edward's contradicts one chronicler's description of him as ‘fair of body and great of strength'. There are no surviving accounts that mention his eye colour, but illustrations and his effigy all show wavy blond hair that fell either to his chin or his shoulders. Later in life, he grew a beard.

The exact nature of Edward's relationship with his favourite Piers Gaveston has divided scholars, with some cautioning against ‘anachronistic and futile' attempts to impose modern concepts of sexuality on the medieval period. However, the contemporary accounts leave little room for reasonable doubt that it was a romantic relationship and quite probably a sexual one, as well. While it will always be impossible to verify how far they went sexually or how often, what mattered was that it was a love affair, the great love affair of Edward II's life…"
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Amicalement
Armand

The exact nature of Edward's relationship with his favourite Piers Gaveston has divided scholars

Really? No, I think we know. 'Tis true though that Royal "favourites" are a thorny issue – James I and George Villiers for example. It's hard to credit that they were not lovers – but James I was also wildly hot on persecuting what he saw as "sin". He could have been a hypocrite, of course.

I find it astonishing that a supposedly historical 'epic', made by Hollywood studios and starring that fine actor and noted bon vivant Mel Gibson is less than accurate when it comes to English (or British) history.

I mean, that hardly ever happens…

John T

Gibson raised my hackles with that one. I've never gotten over it. Although I did like Patrick McGoohan's portrayal of Longshanks.

The version of Ed II's death, by hot poker up the anus, that I have believed for decades, might be ameliorated by other "facts", but if true, it speaks volumes to the popular view of his private life as believed by his barons….