13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377
Edward the third succeeded his disastrous father as a youth, under the virtual regency of his mother's lover and later husband, Roger Mortimer. Edward eventually shrugged off the rule of Mortimer by surprising him in Nottingham castle and having him executed.
Henry refused to pay homage to the French king for his posessions in France, so the king of France confiscated Aquitaine and other posessions. So, Edward promptly laid claim to the throne of France and started the Hundred Years War.
Great victories at Poitiers, Calais and Crecy, and the capture of the French king, were followed by years of inactivity and losses in Edward's later years, which eventually left Edward with only Calais and a couple of other port cities in France.
Edward created the POrder of the Garter, an effort to raise the prestige of the ruling class in a new Camelot type atmosphere. The Order is still important today, though not in any way as military as it was.
The largest blow to Edward's military success was the advent of the Black Death, that left England short of men, farmers and some of his most important old friends, military and political supporters.\
His Son, The Black Prince, who had helped in his military adventures died before Edward, and left him with another weak successor, Richard II
This c. 1327 London mint coin from Edward's early reign, was about $50.00
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