The Follies of the King Read online

  Oh the cursed Despensers! First Gaveston and now them. And if some evil fate overtook young Hugh le Despenser what then? Some new young man would appear in due course.

  What a man to have married her to! And what a joke that she had managed to get four children by him. Something of an achievement.

  But no more. This is the end, she promised herself. Now she would start to work towards that goal which had been in her mind for some time now.

  The birth was not difficult. She bore children easily; and this was another girl.

  She decided to call her Joanna and she became known as Joanna of the Tower.

  Edward came to the baby.

  ‘Another girl,’ said Isabella, watching him closely. He was good-looking still. She felt angry when she regarded him because in the beginning if he had been prepared to be a good husband to her she would have loved him and worked with him. Then there would not have been this perpetual trouble which time and time again grew out of his infatuations— first Piers Gaveston and now Hugh le Despenser. If only he would be more reasonable with them; if only he did not have make the relationship so blatant, it would have been so much easier. As it was it gave rise to utterances such as those which had almost cost the man Messager his life, and incidents like that of poor Drydas which had brought him to hideous death. If only he could have been discreet; if only he did not have to have them with him all the time, to pamper them, to bestow costly gifts on them.

  Oh Edward, you fool. I wonder what will be the end of you. Our son Edward is growing up. Nine years old, a reasonable age and showing every sign of being like his grandfather. That is what the people say when he rides out. He is a growing danger to you, you foolish Edward.

  Edward was laughing to himself as though enjoying some private joke. He had scarcely looked at the baby. She waited for him to tell her.

  ‘It’s Hugh,’ he said.

  Her expression was cold, but he did not notice.

  ‘Did you know he is on an island in the Bristol Channel?’

  ‘I did not, and should he be?’ she answered. ‘Wasn’t he banished from the country?’

  ‘He has turned pirate.’ Edward was laughing so much he could scarcely go on. ‘He has an armed vessel and has captured two merchant ships. They were coming up to Bristol full of rich cargo. He has taken their cargo and sent them on empty.’

  ‘Does he know the penalty for piracy?’ asked Isabella.

  ‘Oh, Isabella, come now. It was only meant to be a joke.’

  ‘Do the captain of the ship and the owner of the vessel think that?’

  ‘They will be made to understand. But is it not just like Hugh?’

  ‘Exactly,’ she retorted with asperity. ‘The role of pirate should suit him well.’

  ‘It will not be long before he is back,’ mused Edward. ‘And I shall not rest happy until he is.’

  The Queen regarded him cynically. You fool, she thought. You are signing your own death warrant.

  MORTIMER

  THE AFFAIR AT LEEDS CASTLE

  IN gratitude for another birth and quick recovery, the Queen must go to the shrine of St Thomas in Canterbury to give thanks.

  She set out from the Tower and what a joy it was to ride through London where the people cheered her so loyally! She was their beautiful Queen who had remained faithful to the King and bore him children even though he behaved so badly with those leech-like friends of his.

  ‘God save the Queen!’ they cried, and she was amused to think that if the King had been with her she would still have been the one they cheered.

  It was a long way to Canterbury and her marshal suggested that it would be a good idea to break the journey at her Castle of Leeds and he would send a messenger on to warn the custodian, Lord Badlesmere, of their approach.

  The messenger arrived at Leeds but unfortunately Lord Badlesmere was away and Lady Badlesmere was in charge.

  The Badlesmeres were firm adherents of Lancaster’s cause and stood firmly against the King. They had been incensed by Edward’s attitude towards the Despensers, and Lady Badlesmere who was a very forthright woman had been heard to declare that royalty was only to be respected when it was worthy of respect.

  Lord Badlesmere had given instructions that none— no matter who― should be allowed into the castle unless they carried an order from him or from the Earl of Lancaster. And when she heard from the Queen’s messenger that the visitor was to be Queen Isabella, she decided that she was not going to swerve from the orders she had received even for her.

  ‘Begone!’ she cried to the messenger. ‘I will admit none to the castle unless he bears an order from my lord or the Earl of Lancaster.’

  ‘My lady,’ replied the messenger, ‘do you understand this is the Queen of England?’

  ‘How can I be sure of that? How do I know that you may not be an enemy in disguise?’

  ‘You will see for yourself when the Queen arrives.’

  ‘My good man, go back to your mistress. Tell her that I shall admit no one— no one, do you understand― unless they come from my husband or the Earl of Lancaster.’

  The perplexed messenger was wondering how he could go back and tell the Queen that she was denied access to the castle when he heard the sounds of approach. The Queen’s party had arrived at the castle walls.

  ‘The Queen is here,’ said the messenger. ‘My lady Badlesmere, have you considered that this castle belongs to the Queen and your husband is merely the custodian?’

  ‘I repeat my orders and these I intend to carry out,’ insisted Lady Badlesmere. ‘If this is indeed the Queen, she must needs find lodging in some other place.’

  The Queen hearing the dispute was astounded and commanded her guards to approach the drawbridge, but Lady Badlesmere gave an order to her archers and from the castle walls came a stream of arrows which struck six of the Queen’s company, killing them.

  Before the furious Isabella could advance, one of her bodyguards seized the bridle of her horse and forced her to retreat.

  ‘We must escape from this mad woman, my lady,’ he said and galloped off with her.

  The Queen was shaking with anger. How dared a subject behave thus to her!

  She knew Lady Badlesmere of old. A woman who thought she was always right and knew how to manage other people’s affairs.

  ‘By God,’ she cried, ‘she shall be taught a lesson for this.’

  The Queen’s party minus the six dead, rode away to spend the night with more hospitable hosts. Lady Badlesmere was in truth, a little disturbed when she found the six dead at the gates. She had them removed and immediately sent a messenger to the Earl of Lancaster.

  She knew that there would be trouble. The Queen had been grossly insulted and six of her servants had been killed. Perhaps, thought Lady Badlesmere, she had been a little rash. She believed though that Lancaster would be delighted with this insult to the royal family. After all, she had been acting on his orders and it was yet another proof that he was more important than the King.

  She waited a long time for a reply from Lancaster and finally she sent another messenger. This time the answer came back. It had been folly to deny the Queen admittance to her own castle. The Queen was seething with rage and unlikely to allow the matter to pass. Lancaster dissociated himself from the affair. The Badlesmeres alone would have to face the storm they had stirred up.

  He, Lancaster, had had no hand in it and he did not intend to become involved now.

  Even Edward was roused from the lethargy into which he had fallen on the banishment of the Despensers.

  Isabella raged at him. ‘It must not be allowed to pass. What would the people think of a King who did not avenge such an insult to his wife?’

  Yes, he agreed, something must be done. Lancaster had declared he was not involved so it should not be a difficult matter to take Leeds and let Isabella have her revenge on the Badlesmeres.

  When the people of London heard of the insult to the Queen they were enraged. They marched through the s
treets demanding she be avenged. Many of them were strong able-bodied men and had taken part in battles when the need had arisen. They were ready to do so again for their darling Isabella.

  Edward caught their enthusiasm and within a short time he was marching at the head of a sizeable army to Leeds. It was exhilarating to find that his men were with him. They could not wait for the battle. They were determined to take Leeds and then let those who had dared behave so callously to their beloved Isabella begin to say their prayers.

  Leeds Castle had been built on two islands in a lake of about fifteen acres in size. The islands were connected by a double drawbridge but the two separate buildings were capable of making a separate defence. The water passed between the buildings in three places, which was of great use to the defenders.

  Nevertheless Edward had brought up a formidable army and they made a fierce attack. Within a few days Lady Badlesmere was forced to surrender. Her husband had given her his support in what she had done but he had not returned to the castle to help her withstand the siege.

  The army stormed in, at its head Edward the King.

  Lady Badlesmere was brought before him. She faced him boldly, and showed no sign of fear.

  ‘What made you treat the Queen in this way?’ he asked.

  She answered: ‘I was custodian of the castle in my husband’s absence. It was my right to say who and who should not enter.’

  ‘You are mistaken, woman. Leeds Castle belongs to the Queen. Yet you denied her admittance. That is treason.’

  She did not flinch even then, knowing the penalties. She said: ‘Lord Badlesmere will support me.’

  ‘We will leave it to him to cut down the rope on which you shall hang on your battlements.’

  She shrugged her shoulders. ‘So be it,’ she said. ‘I shall be another victim to the tyranny of kings.’

  Edwards was astonished that she could talk thus in face of death and in his heart he knew it would be impossible to put such a woman to death.

  In fact he could not bring himself to hang a woman. She should be imprisoned, he said. Let her be taken to London and lodged in the Tower.

  His advisers shook their heads. She deserved hanging. Think what she had done to the Queen. But Edward would not listen. Instead they hanged the seneschal Walter Colepepper and eleven of his servants, which was grossly unfair for they had merely obeyed their mistress’s orders.

  However punishment had to be meted out to someone.

  The bold Lady Badlesmere was taken to London and as she passed through the streets the people came out to jeer at her and throw rubbish at her and threatened her with what they would do to her.

  The guards managed to protect her from the angry crowds and she was taken to a dungeon in the Tower.

  Edward was triumphant. The capture of Leeds was his first success in battle.

  He felt like a conqueror.

  Isabella was delighted. He had acted for her and for the first time had shown he had some regard for her. She received him warmly in London. It was good that the Badlesmere woman had not been hanged but had been brought to the Tower. Had she been hanged they could have made a martyr of her.

  ‘You must take advantage of your success,’ she told him. ‘Look you, Edward, the whole of London is on your side. The barons will see this and perhaps not be quite so eager to stand against you.’

  She was right. Several of the barons who had been dismayed that the Queen should have been denied access to her own castle now came to the King with their followers to show him that they had had enough of Lancaster’s vacillating.

  ‘Now is the time to break Lancaster’s power,’ said the Queen.

  They were together, she and Edward, as they had never been before, but if he thought she would forget past insults at the turn of fortune he was mistaken.

  The victory at Leeds had been an easy one— an army against one woman defending a castle— and the Queen was working towards a goal which did not include the King. But she would make use of him now; and as Lancaster had proved to be no real friend to her― although in the beginning it had seemed that he might be― she was ready to eliminate him.

  ‘You know Lancaster is a traitor,’ she said to the King.

  ‘I have had ample evidence of that,’ replied Edward. ‘He has been against me constantly.’

  ‘And have you wondered why in their raids the Scots never touched his lands?’

  ‘I know there are rumours that he has an understanding with Robert the Bruce.’

  ‘An understanding with Robert the Bruce! When he is your subject!’

  She said: ‘We must if we can, lay hands on the letters which have passed between Bruce and Lancaster and if we do― oh if we do― then who can deny that we have a traitor in our midst?’

  Edward’s mood had changed. He was all set for success now. He marched up to the Welsh border and the Mortimers’ land.

  The Mortimers immediately sent word to Lancaster that the King’s army was on the march. They should join together and then they could defeat him.

  Edward was not famous for his prowess in battle and with the might of their two armies they would be invincible.

  Lancaster’s reply was that this would be so but he failed to send his army, and without him the Mortimers were not strong enough to face those thousands of the King’s supporters who now that they had a more resolute Edward at their head (since his victory at Leeds), were ready to their hearts into the fight.

  The result of the encounter was the débâcle of the Marcher men and much to Edward’s surprise he found that two of his most formidable enemies were his prisoners— Roger de Mortimer, Lord of Chirk, and his nephew, Roger de Mortimer, Lord of Wigmore.

  They were immediately sent to the Tower.

  It was success such as Edward had never dared dream of. He knew now how his father had felt throughout his long fighting life.

  THE END OF LANCASTER

  HE now turned his attention to Lancaster.

  Letters had been found. It was true that Lancaster had been in communication with the King of Scotland and in the letters he had sent to Bruce he had signed himself King Arthur. That was ominous and Isabella was right.

  He must destroy Lancaster. There could be no peace for him until that was done.

  With this object in view he planned to march north.

  It was now clear that Lancaster was taking a firm stand against the King. He did indeed parley with the Scots whose great desire was to see a civil war in England. Sir Andrew Harclay, who was the warden of Carlisle, was aware of this and came in great haste to Edward to inform him of what was happening.

  Edward sent him back to Carlisle with instructions to attack the English traitors and inform him at once if they were joined by the Scots.

  Action took place at a long bridge which crossed the River Ure. This bridge was very long but narrow and at its approaches, the Lancastrians came face to face with Sir Andrew Harclay and his force which was drawn from the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. These man had very good reason to hate the Scots and their allies; and that the latter should be English incensed them.

  Humphrey de Bohun, Lord Hereford, attempted to take the bridge on foot, while Lancaster tried to cross the river on horseback and attack Harclay’s men from the flank. Lancaster however found Harclay too strong for him and he suffered great losses. Meanwhile de Bohun while on the bridge was killed by a spear being run through a gap in the planks of the bridge from below and entering his body.

  The Battle of Boroughbridge had ended in the annihilation of Lancaster’s forces and his own capture.

  At Pontefract Edward was waiting to receive his cousin.

  Lancaster faced him with a lack of animation. He knew that the long battle between them was over. He despised Edward and wondered what the future held for him. He shrugged his shoulders. Whatever it was it would have no consequence for him.

  He did not attempt to remind the King of their relationship; he would not plead for his life.

&nb
sp; It was over. He had enjoyed power but he had not possessed the talents to keep it.

  ‘Your trial will take place at once,’ said the King. Lancaster bowed his head and was led from the King’s presence.

  The trial was quick and Lancaster was found guilty of conspiring with the Scots against the King. He had used the soubriquet of King Arthur in his dealing with Robert the Bruce. King Arthur! the court tittered. It was clear that Lancaster had had a high opinion of himself and where his ambitions lay.

  Papers had been found addressed to Bruce containing a suggestion that he come into England with a good army and Lancaster would see that a good peace was made.

  Edward sat watching his cousin, and he was thinking: You killed Perrot. You boasted of it. Yes, you were proud of it. And when he thought of that beautiful body being destroyed he almost wept. But this was revenge. This would be the end of Lancaster.

  He could almost hear Perrot laughing beside him. Dear Perrot, he should be avenged.

  Edward listened to the words of the prosecutor.

  ‘Wherefore our Sovereign Lord the King having duly weighed the great enormities and offences of the said Thomas, Earl of Lancaster and his notorious ingratitude has no manner of reason to show mercy―’

  He was to die the traitor’s death, that horrible one, which had now become the custom— hanging, cutting down alive and burning the entrails after which the body was cut into quarters and distributed for display.

  But in the case of noblemen the sentence was diverted to death by beheading, and as Lancaster was royal this should be done to him.

  They put him on a grey pony, and thus he rode through the town where the people came out to jeer at him and throw at him anything they considered disgusting enough. Stones cut his face and he turned neither to right nor left and it was as though he was completely unaware of the blood which ran down his face.

  ‘King Arthur,’ cried the mob, ‘where are your knights, eh? Why don’t they come and rescue you? Let them take you back to your round table.’