Coronation of 14 year-old

King Edward III

Young Edward III loved war, jousting, tournamentsa
brave knight whose ambitions followed those of his
barons.
Coronation of Edward
III
In 1330, he seized power
from his mother and
Mortimer, and began to rule
on his own.

Robert Bruce, King of
Scotland, before
Edward III.
Edward IIIs first
victories were in
Scotland, in 1332-33.
King Edward III (right) with
King David II of Scotland.
David had been
captured at Neville's Cross in
1346. He was later ransomed
for 100,000 marks.
Edward III receives a
sword from St. George.
The basic cause of the
Hundred Years War was
the determination of Philip
VI to maintain his feudal
overlordship of Aquitaine,
and Edwards determination
to retain his independence.
Battle of Crecy, 1346
Skilled English longbowmen broke the charge of the
mounted French knights.
The English
longbow was
made of yew
wood, about 5
long, and shot an
arrow 1 yd. long.
Its force was
sufficient to
pierce the
armor of a
knight at 200
yds.
Edward did not raise
his armies by feudal
levyhe entered
into private
contracts with
mercenary captains
who hired soldiers
on an indenture
basis.
Wars were now
fought by
professional
soldiers.
Edward IIIs son, the
Black Prince,
won a remarkable
victory at Poitiers in
1356 at the age of
twenty-six.

The French defeat
led to the
collapse of the
government and the
breakdown of law and
order.
By Edwards death in
1377, almost all of his
and his sons gains were
lost.
Edward III
Edwards decision to fight
in France meant that he
needed Parliaments
approval for new taxes
and Parliament grew in
power and stature.
During the 14
th
C., Parliament
developed into a two-house
representative assembly
The House of Lords
hereditary
The House of Commons
elected by a limited
electorate.
The House of Lords heard judicial cases, gave the
King advice, consented to taxes, and enacted
statutes.
House of Commons met separately in their own
chambers, presented petitions, and voted taxes.
Development of Parliament
1307
Great barons received
special writs
summoning them to
attend the king.
Lesser barons not
always summoned.
Commons were not
always a part of
Parliament.
1377
Nobles writs of
summoning became
hereditary.
Commons were always
summoned and sat
separately
Knights of the shire
met with the burghers
Power of taxationfirst power
of Parliament
1297: Confirmation of the Charters, signed
by Edward Iking could not levy taxes
without the consent of the realm.
1350: Both Lords and Commons must
consent to direct taxes; customs remained
an indirect tax controlled by the King.
1362: Commons forced King Edward III to
agree to Parliamentary consent for both
direct and indirect taxes.
Power of Legislation
1307: A statute required the consent of
the great barons in Parliament.
1350: Commons, by virtue of their regular
attendance in Parliament and their control
of taxation, secured the right to consent
to statutes. No statute would be valid
without consent of both houses of
Parliament.
1377: Commons gained right to initiate
legislation by transforming their petitions
into bills.
Two Constitutional Crises
1341: Edward dismissed his Chancellor and
Treasurer, and brought charges against
the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Archbishop demanded that he be tried by
his peers in Parliamentthe origin of the right
to trial by a jury of his peers.
Edward at first agreed and then disregarded
the second Parliamentary demandthat the
King must appoint and dismiss officials with the
consent of Parliament.
Two Constitutional Crises
1376: Speaker of the House of
Commons accused two members of
the royal courtthe House of Lords
tried the nobles and found them
guilty.
This is the origin of impeachmentby
the lower house and trial by the upper
house.
Effigy of Edward III in
Westminster Abbey
Edward III died in 1377,
senile and alone.
His heir was a 9-year-old
boy, now Richard II.