Hello everyone and welcome back to the History of England. Episode 87, Scandal was brought

upon the people. So, here we are with a new rain and bayak it's a humdinger. If you

thought John had a bad reputation then think again. Until you've read Edward II's report card

you just don't know the meaning of the word reviled. Really in the bad English-king voting category

Edward II leads the pack with Henry VI probably on his shoulder but John way back in the peloton.

Surely even Edward II has his friends I hear you ask. Some revisionist historians maybe

telling us it's all a plot of the chroniclers. Everyone's just out to get him he's just been

misunderstood. After all that's the way to make your academic reputation. Well no he doesn't.

The best poor old Edward gets are some reasonable people who would like us to be more accurate

about his faults and strengths rather than just suck up all the poisons that the chroniclers

churned out about him because none of the chroniclers are fans which is a bit unusual for a king

and probably in itself tells us something. Here's a quick flyby of those markers of the Edwardian

card. First we have Randolph Higdon author of the polychronican. As you'd expect he's a monk

a Benedictine from Cheshire born 1280 and lived all the way through to 1364.

Now this chronicle formed the basis for many later opinions of Edward which is why we start here.

It's not entirely negative. Higdon paints a picture of a good-looking man handsome in body

and of outstanding strength so similar to myself in fact. He complimented Edward's way with words.

I've put the description on the website but here's a taster. He was extravagant in his gifts,

splendid in entertainment, ready in speech but inconsistent in action.

This is Randolph trying to do a praise sandwich albeit an open sandwich.

It gets a lot worse such as scandal was brought up on the people and the kingdom was damaged.

However Higdon also held forth about Edward's hobbies which for the time were considered

...