King Edward III
He reigned for 50 years during the 14th Century, during which the 100 Years War began
Born in 1312, Edward succeeded his father in 1327, at the age of 15, and reigned for 50 years. At first, Edward was subject to the controlling influence of his mother Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. However, in 1330 Edward asserted his authority and began reigning for himself.
There is evidence that the young king was far from happy about the deeds committed in his name by Isabella and Mortimer, such as the signing of the Treaty of Northampton in 1328 that recognized the position of Robert the Bruce as King of Scotland.
Once Edward began to reign in his own right he lost no time in having Mortimer executed and forcing Isabella out of public life.
Edward was clearly much more like his grandfather (the warlike King Edward I) than his weak and easily dominated father (Edward II), and began his majority by backing the Anglo-Scottish rebels against the monarchy then in place north of the border.
The Hundred Years War
However, his attention soon turned elsewhere, occasioned by the seizure of the province of Aquitaine (nominally in English hands) by King Philip VI of France in 1337. This was the start of the series of conflicts that…
