Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall facts for kids

Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall (born around 1284 – died 19 June 1312) was an English nobleman. He came from Gascony, a region in southwest France. Piers was a very close friend and trusted advisor to Edward II of England, the King.

When Piers was young, he impressed King Edward I, Edward II's father. The King placed Piers in his son's royal household. Prince Edward, who later became King Edward II, liked Piers very much. This strong friendship worried King Edward I, who sent Piers away from England.

However, after King Edward I died, Edward II became king. One of his first actions was to call Piers back to England. Edward II gave Piers the important title of Earl of Cornwall. He also arranged for Piers to marry his niece, Margaret de Clare. She was the sister of the powerful Earl of Gloucester.

Piers Gaveston's close relationship with the King made many other noblemen upset. In 1308, the King was forced to send Piers away again. During this time, Piers served as the King's Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Edward II worked hard to make peace with the upset nobles, and Piers returned the next year.

But Piers's behavior continued to annoy the nobles. In 1311, a group of powerful nobles created new rules called the Ordinances of 1311. These rules said Piers had to leave England for a third time. If he came back, he would be declared an outlaw. Despite this, Piers returned in late 1311. In 1312, he was captured and executed by a group of nobles. This group was led by Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster and Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick.

Piers Gaveston's Early Life and Family

Piers Gaveston's father was Arnaud de Gabaston. He was a knight from Gascony, serving a local lord. Arnaud gained a lot of land in Gascony when he married Claramonde de Marsan. Through his wife's lands, Arnaud became a vassal of the King of England. This was because the English King was also the Duke of Aquitaine in France.

Arnaud de Gabaston served Edward I of England for many years. He fought in the Welsh Wars in 1282–83. Claramonde, Piers's mother, died before 1287. After her death, Arnaud struggled to keep his wife's lands from other family members. This made him rely on the English King for money. He was even used as a hostage twice by King Edward I. Arnaud died sometime before 1302.

We don't know much about Piers Gaveston's early years. His exact birth year is unknown. However, he and Prince Edward, who became Edward II of England, were said to be about the same age. Prince Edward was born in 1284, so Piers was likely born around that time too.

Piers first reliably appears in records in Gascony in 1297. He served in King Edward I's army. In 1300, he sailed to England with his father and older brother. It was then that he joined Prince Edward's household. The King was impressed by Piers's skills and wanted him to be a good example for his son. In 1304, King Edward I gave Piers the care of Roger Mortimer. This showed the King trusted Piers.

Piers also got involved in arguments between the King and his son. Once, King Edward I was so angry that he banned his son from court. He also sent away several men from the prince's household, including Piers. They were later forgiven. Piers was knighted in 1306, four days after the prince. Later that year, Piers and other knights left a Scottish army campaign to go to a tournament. They were pardoned thanks to Queen Margaret.

First Time Piers Gaveston Was Sent Away

Piers Gaveston's good standing did not last long. On 26 February 1307, King Edward I announced that Piers had to leave England. This punishment was actually aimed at Prince Edward. The prince had asked the King to give his own lands to Piers. King Edward I was furious and threw his son out of the royal rooms.

This story shows how annoyed the King was with his son's favoritism towards Piers. It also shows how much the King disliked the expensive gifts given to Piers. When Piers left, Prince Edward gave him horses, fancy clothes, and a lot of money.

Piers's first time away from England was short. In July 1307, King Edward I became very ill. He was dying near the Scottish border. The King asked his trusted nobles to look after his son. He especially told them to stop Piers Gaveston from returning. But when the King died on 7 July, Edward II immediately called his friend back. Piers returned quickly, and they were reunited by early August.

Becoming the Earl of Cornwall

An old document showing the arms of England and Piers Gaveston's coat of arms. This document granted Gaveston the earldom of Cornwall.

On 6 August 1307, less than a month after becoming king, Edward II made Piers Gaveston the Earl of Cornwall. This decision caused some controversy. Piers came from a less important family, and his quick rise to a high noble rank was seen as improper by other nobles. Also, the earldom of Cornwall was usually given to members of the royal family. Edward I had planned it for one of his younger sons.

However, there is no clear sign that the nobles objected at that exact moment. The earldom gave Piers a lot of land across England, worth about £4,000 a year. These lands included most of Cornwall, parts of Devon, lands in Berkshire and Oxfordshire around Wallingford, much of eastern Lincolnshire, and lands in Yorkshire. Edward also arranged an important marriage for Piers to Margaret de Clare, the sister of the powerful Earl of Gloucester. These lands and family connections made Piers one of the most important nobles in England.

Even though the new king was first welcomed, some nobles soon became unhappy with Piers Gaveston. They disliked his special relationship with Edward. On 2 December 1307, the King held a tournament in Piers's honor at Wallingford Castle. Piers and his team won, defeating the earls of Warenne, Hereford, and Arundel. Piers either brought too many knights or simply had a better team. After this, Warenne and possibly the other earls became hostile towards Piers.

When Edward II left England in early 1308 to marry Isabella, the French king's daughter, he made Piers Gaveston his regent. A regent usually manages the country when the king is away. This job was normally given to a close royal family member. Piers did not seem to use this power for his own gain. However, the other nobles were still offended by his proud behavior.

This behavior continued at the coronation feast after the King returned. The King mostly ignored his new wife and paid attention to Piers. The nobles' complaints first appeared in the 'Boulogne agreement' of January 1308. In this document, the earls of Warenne, Hereford, Lincoln, and Pembroke worried about the people's struggles and attacks on the crown's honor. Piers was the unspoken target of this document.

Later that year, in April, the nobles demanded that Piers be sent away again. The King first refused. But he had to agree when it became clear that the barons had the support of Philip IV of France, the French King. Philip was upset about how Edward treated his daughter. On 18 May, Edward agreed to send Piers away.

Piers in Ireland and His Return

Coat of arms of Piers Gaveston

Piers was not sent away immediately. He did not have to leave England until 25 June. He faced being excommunicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Winchelsey, if he returned. Edward used this time to ensure Piers would still be wealthy and important. Piers lost the earldom of Cornwall. As compensation, he was given land worth 3,000 marks each year in Gascony and the same value in England.

He was also made the King's Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. This allowed him to keep some honor despite being sent away. This appointment came the day after Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, had been given the same job. This suggests it was a quick decision. However, Piers's appointment gave him more power than Ulster's. He had full royal authority to hire and fire royal officers.

Piers's time as Lieutenant was mostly military. By the early 1300s, Ireland was a difficult place for the English crown to control. Piers had good success in this role. He defeated several major rebels. He made the towns of Newcastle McKynegan and Castle Kevin stronger. He also rebuilt the road from Castle Kevin to Glendalough. This helped bring peace to the area around the Wicklow Mountains, west of Dublin. He did less in administration. He was involved in a dispute over murage, a tax for town walls, in Dublin. But there is no sign that Piers used his position for his own gain. He also did nothing to upset the local leaders.

Edward II started working to bring Piers back even before he left. By giving out favors and agreeing to political demands, he won over several earls who had been against him. Lincoln, an older and wealthy leader of the barons, made peace with Edward by late summer 1308. Even Warwick, who had been the King's strongest enemy, slowly became calmer.

However, Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, who had not been involved in sending Piers away, became unhappy at this time. Still, by 25 April 1309, Pope Clement V was satisfied that the problems between the King and his nobles were solved. He agreed to lift the ban against Piers. At a meeting of Parliament in Stamford in July, Edward had to agree to several political agreements. These were called the Statute of Stamford. Piers had returned to England on 27 June, before this Parliament.

New Rules and Piers's Final Exile

On 5 August 1309, Piers Gaveston was given back his title as Earl of Cornwall. But it did not take long for him to upset the earls again. Stories say Piers gave mocking nicknames to other earls. He called Lincoln 'burst-belly', Pembroke 'Joseph the Jew', Lancaster 'the fiddler', and Warwick 'the black dog of Arden'. Piers also started to use his close relationship with the King more openly. He got favors and jobs for his friends and servants.

The political situation became so tense that in February 1310, many earls refused to attend Parliament if Piers was there. Piers was sent away from court. When Parliament met, the upset barons presented a list of complaints. On 16 March, the King was forced to appoint a group of men to make changes to the royal household. This group was called the Lords Ordainers. It included eight earls, seven bishops, and six barons. Among them were both supporters of the King, like Gloucester, and strong opponents, like Lancaster and Warwick.

While the Ordainers were writing their reform document, Edward decided to deal with a big problem: the situation in Scotland. Edward II had stopped his father's constant wars in Scotland almost as soon as he became king. Because of this, Robert the Bruce had been able to regain control in the war. He took back lost lands and raided northern England. To make things worse, Edward kept raising high taxes, supposedly for the war, but without showing any results. If the King could win against the Scots, it would weaken the Ordainers' work.

In June, the King called the nobles for a military campaign. But most of the Ordainers refused, saying they were busy with their reforms. When the King left for Scotland in September, only Gloucester, Warenne, and Piers among the earls went with him. The campaign was frustrating for Edward. Bruce refused to fight openly or even negotiate. In February, Piers was sent with an army north from Roxburgh to Perth, but he could not find the Scottish army.

While the royal army was in the north, Edward heard that the Earl of Lincoln had died on 6 February 1311. This meant a calmer influence among the barons was gone. At the same time, the opposing Earl of Lancaster, who was Lincoln's son-in-law, became the leader of the Ordainers. With the Ordainers ready to present their reform plan, Edward had to call a Parliament. In late July, he made Piers Lieutenant of Scotland and left for London. Bruce still avoided the English successfully. In early August, he even raided northern England. Soon after, Piers went to Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland.

When Parliament met on 16 August, the King was given a set of proposed changes for the royal household. There were also specific attacks on individuals, including a demand for Piers Gaveston to be sent away again. Edward first offered to agree to the reforms if Piers could stay. But the Ordainers refused. The King held out as long as he could. But he eventually had to agree to the Ordinances, which were published on 27 September. On 3 November, Piers left England once more.

Piers's Return and Death

A view of Warwick Castle from St Mary's Church.

It is not clear where Piers spent his time abroad. The rules of his exile banned him from staying in any lands belonging to the English king. This meant he could not go to Aquitaine or Ireland, where he had been before.

He might have gone to France at first. But the French king was not friendly towards him, so he likely did not stay long. Flanders is a more probable place for Piers's third and final exile. This time, his absence was even shorter, lasting only about two months. He returned around Christmas 1311. He was reunited with the King in early 1312, probably at Knaresborough on 13 January. One reason for his quick return might have been the birth of his daughter, Joan, around this time. On 18 January, Edward declared that the judgment against Piers was unlawful. He gave all Piers's lands back to him.

Both the King's supporters and the barons began preparing for war. In March, Piers settled at Scarborough and started to make the castle stronger. Around the same time, Archbishop Winchelsey declared Piers excommunicated at St Paul's. At the same meeting, the barons, led by Lancaster, divided up the country to oppose the King. Pembroke and Warenne were given the job of capturing Piers.

On 4 May, the King and Piers were at Newcastle. They barely escaped a force led by Lancaster, Henry Percy, and Robert Clifford. Piers then returned to Scarborough, while the King went to York. Scarborough was soon surrounded by Pembroke, Warenne, Percy, and Clifford. On 19 May, Piers surrendered to them.

The terms of the surrender were that Pembroke, Warenne, and Percy would take Piers to York. There, the barons would talk with the King. If they could not agree by 1 August, Piers would be allowed to return to Scarborough. The three nobles swore an oath to keep him safe. After an initial meeting with the King in York, Piers was left with Pembroke. Pembroke was escorting him south for safety.

On 9 June, Pembroke left to visit his wife. He left Piers at a church house in Deddington in Oxfordshire. When Warwick found out where Piers was, he immediately rode to capture him. The next morning, he appeared at the church house. He took Piers captive and brought him back to his castle at Warwick. Pembroke, whose honor had been insulted, asked for justice from Gloucester and the University of Oxford, but it did not help.

At Warwick, Piers was sentenced to death for breaking the rules of the Ordinances. This happened before an assembly of barons, including Warwick, Lancaster, Hereford, and Arundel. On 19 June, he was taken out on the road towards Kenilworth. He was taken to Blacklow Hill, which was on the Earl of Lancaster's land. There, two Welshmen killed him with a sword and cut off his head.

What Happened Next

The 1823 Gaveston monument at Blacklow Hill,
52°18′19″N 1°34′39″W / 52.3052°N 1.5774°W / 52.3052; -1.5774

Piers Gaveston's body was left at the place where he was killed. One story says four shoemakers took it to Warwick. But Warwick refused to accept it and told them to take it outside his lands. Finally, some Dominican friars took it to Oxford.

A proper burial could not happen while Piers was still excommunicated. It was not until 2 January 1315, after the King got permission from the Pope for Piers, that his body could be buried. This was done in a special ceremony at the Dominican church of King's Langley Priory. His tomb is now lost. A cross with an inscription was put up at Blacklow Hill in 1823. This was done by a local landowner, Bertie Greathead, at the spot believed to be where Piers was executed.

Edward also gave a lot of money to Piers's widow, Margaret. In 1317, she married Hugh de Audley, who later became Earl of Gloucester. The King tried to find a good marriage for Piers and Margaret's daughter, Joan. But these plans did not happen because Joan died in 1325, at the age of thirteen.

There is also some evidence that Piers might have had another daughter outside of marriage. One old document mentions an "Amie filie Petri de Gaveston." This Amie was a chamberlain for Edward III's wife, Queen Philippa. She later married John Driby, a royal servant.

Edward's first reaction to the news of Piers's death was great anger. He swore to get revenge. However, he could not immediately act against those who killed Piers. During the earlier raid on Newcastle, the King and Piers had to flee quickly. They left behind valuable horses and jewels. At the same time, the barons' illegal action had upset many of their former friends. The Earl of Pembroke, in particular, became a strong supporter of the King after his honor was insulted.

With the help of the Earl of Gloucester and others, an agreement was finally reached on 14 October 1313. The barons were pardoned, and the horses and jewels were returned to the King. The next few years were filled with a power struggle between Edward and Lancaster. This struggle was about keeping the Ordinances in place. The matter was finally settled in 1322. Lancaster was defeated at the Battle of Boroughbridge and then executed.

How Historians See Piers Gaveston

An 1872 painting by English artist Marcus Stone shows Edward II with Gaveston on the left, while nobles and courtiers look on with concern.

Writers from Piers Gaveston's time and soon after generally had a negative view of him. They blamed the King's favorite for many of the problems during Edward II's reign. Piers was accused of things like wasting royal money, arranging the arrest of the royal treasurer Walter Langton, and filling the court with foreigners. One old record said, "There was not anyone who had a good word to say about the king or Piers."

However, these writers also admitted that Piers had some good qualities. Irish writers praised his military and administrative skills during his time in Ireland. Another writer, Geoffrey the Baker, described him as "graceful and agile in body, sharp-witted, refined in manner, [and] sufficiently well versed in military matters."

Later historians have looked at Piers Gaveston in different ways. Early modern historians focused on the government and laws. They did not see Piers as very important to these topics. But later historians, starting in the 1970s, began to focus on personal relationships between nobles and the King. They also looked at how favors and gifts were given out.

One historian, Hamilton, argues that Piers's special access to the King's favors was the main reason why the barons disliked him so much. Another historian, Chaplais, has a different idea. He suggests that King Edward II was not very interested in being king. He basically let Piers do the job for him. Chaplais suggests that the bond between the King and Piers was like an adoptive brotherhood. This idea had historical examples, such as the friendship between David and Jonathan in the Bible.

In modern popular culture, Piers Gaveston has been shown in various ways. In the 1991 film Edward II, Edward and Piers are shown as victims of unfair treatment. However, in the 1995 movie Braveheart, Piers (called "Phillip") is shown as arrogant and not masculine. There is also an Oxford University dining and drinking club called the Piers Gaveston Society.

See also

In Spanish: Piers Gaveston para niños