THE P RTAL
October 2014
Page 7
The Popes and the Ordinariate
Trouble on the Continent, and rebels in Scotland
Harry Schnitker recalls the strife of Edward II
K
ing Edward
II has had a very bad historical press. Here is the king who lost Scotland, who
managed to turn an already precarious financial inheritance into something even worse, the man whose
predilections for his favourite, Piers Gaveston, almost cost him his crown; he was the failure wedged between
the formidable achievements of his father and son, the man killed by his own wife’s adherents.
twenty year reign
However, we ought to recall that
Edward did reign for a considerable
period, no fewer than twenty years
in fact, between 1307 and 1327. He
also began his reign by settling the
relationship with France, which
was a considerable achievement.
The French monarchy was
reaching the zenith of its medieval
power, and Edward