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Born 1312, died 1377
Ruled from 1327
Compared with the bloodletting that had gone before, Edward's long reign was looked on as a 'golden age' of prosperity, domestic calm and military prowess abroad.
He oversaw the start of the Hundred Years War with France and organised lavish chivalric tournaments at home. The one major blip, though not of his making, was the arrival in England of the Black Death in 1348.
Edward was 14 when his father, Edward II, was forced to abdicate, leaving the country in the hands of his mother Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. In the three years during which they acted as regents, before Edward declared himself of age, Mortimer's spies watched the young king's every move.
However, they didn't see all that he was doing. In 1330, while staying at Nottingham Castle, Edward and his friends burst into the queen's chamber and captured Isabella. Mortimer was imprisoned, then hanged.
When the French attacked Aquitaine in October 1337, Edward claimed he had a right to the French throne through his mother, and prepared for war. He was a sporting gentleman and this was a matter of honour, even though the war served to divert his attention from Scotland. It had to be paid for, and to raise money for it, he imposed a heavy customs duty on wool exports. However, this meant that, from 1360 to 1371, there was no direct taxation.
Edward had two spectacular victories in the early years of what was later dubbed the Hundred Years War: at Crécy in 1346, when English longbowmen mowed down a French force eight times larger, which led to the fall of Calais; and then at Poitiers in 1356. In his later years, he left military matters to his eldest son, the Black Prince (aka Edward, prince of Wales).
At home, Edward concentrated on rebuilding Windsor Castle and establishing the Order of the Garter, an honour he bestowed on himself and 25 distinguished knights (including the Black Prince). He also had to grapple with the effects of the plague – his favourite daughter Joan was one of its victims. The Black Death having killed a great percentage of the country's workforce, those who survived began to demand higher wages. However, in 1351 Edward enacted the Statute of Labourers, which attempted to fix wages at pre-plague rates. Although generally unsuccessful, it would eventually be one of the causes of the Peasants' Revolt 30 years later.
Peasants apart, Edward promised government by consent, directed by the 'common counsel of the realm', which allowed the gentry a greater say. This way, he acquired money to pay for the war and at least some of the people felt they had a stake in the outcome.
But he ran into trouble late in his reign, when his mistress Alice Perrers held sway and his own health was fragile. The 'Good Parliament' of 1376 elected its own speaker, and the Commons refused a tax grant and made it clear that the king should 'live off his own' – that is, not spend more than he had in revenue. Edward died of a stroke the following year.
The Reign of Edward III by W M Ormrod (Tempus, 2000)
The 50-year reign of one of England's most charismatic leaders is explored and brought to life in this incisive work. A chronological account – from Edward's birth, when the very future of the monarchy in England was under threat, to his death when he was regarded throughout Europe as the very model of an ideal monarch – is accompanied by insights into the nature of his rule.
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Windsor Castle
21 miles west of London, sited above the river Thames
Edward III was born at Windsor Castle in 1312 and it remained his favourite residence. Driven by a desire to match the French in architectural splendour, he eventually lavished more than £50,000 on the castle, making it the single largest royal building project of the Middle Ages. The extensive reconstruction included: the building of the College of St George; an inner gatehouse with cylindrical towers; stone-vaulted undercrofts that supported new royal apartments; the Great Hall; and the Royal Chapel.
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