The Mysterious Fate of Edward II: The deposed king, the Mortimer, and the murder mystery
Paper by Kathryn Warner
Given at the Mortimer History Society Autumn Symposium on October 7, 2023
Abstract: Edward II’s death by red-hot poker at Berkeley Castle in 1327, a few months after Roger Mortimer of Wigmore played a vital role in his abdication, is one of the most famously lurid tales of English history. For centuries, people rarely questioned the notion that Edward died at Berkeley, but since the discovery of two remarkable letters, an alternative narrative has presented itself: that the former king escaped from captivity and ended up in an Italian hermitage. In 1329/30, it is beyond doubt that a number of influential people, including Edward’s half-brother the earl of Kent, the archbishop of York, and the bishop of London, believed that he was alive and tried to free him. This talk presents the evidence that Edward II did die in 1327 and the evidence that he did not, and reveals that the ultimate fate of this most unsuccessful of kings is far more intriguing than usually supposed.
The Mysterious Fate of Edward II: The deposed king, the Mortimer, and the murder mystery
Paper by Kathryn Warner
Given at the Mortimer History Society Autumn Symposium on October 7, 2023
Abstract: Edward II’s death by red-hot poker at Berkeley Castle in 1327, a few months after Roger Mortimer of Wigmore played a vital role in his abdication, is one of the most famously lurid tales of English history. For centuries, people rarely questioned the notion that Edward died at Berkeley, but since the discovery of two remarkable letters, an alternative narrative has presented itself: that the former king escaped from captivity and ended up in an Italian hermitage. In 1329/30, it is beyond doubt that a number of influential people, including Edward’s half-brother the earl of Kent, the archbishop of York, and the bishop of London, believed that he was alive and tried to free him. This talk presents the evidence that Edward II did die in 1327 and the evidence that he did not, and reveals that the ultimate fate of this most unsuccessful of kings is far more intriguing than usually supposed.
Kathryn Warner is the author of many books on fourteenth-century history, including Long Live the King: The Mysterious Fate of Edward II. You can follow Kathryn through her website or on X/Twitter.
Top Image: Depiction of Edward II on the Quire Screen at York Minster. Photo by dun_deagh / Wikimedia Commons
Related Posts
Subscribe to Medievalverse