The Three Edwards

The Three Edwards is a history book which covers the reigns of three English kings, Edward I, II and III. The first of the Plantagenet Edwards gave England her parliamentary government, her well-ordered legal system, and her victories over the proud Scots. The reign of the enlightened and popular Edward I was a vibrant spring after the long, dark winter of the Middle Ages. But the glory England achieved under Edward I was lost when Edward II ascended the throne. Born with a sinister and fatal flaw of character, Edward II all but destroyed the great kingdom he had inherited and left behind him a disastrous history of chaos, farce, and tragedy. His most important contribution to his country's welfare was his son—who became Edward III. In Edward III, England again had an energetic ruler who, as he swept away his father's shameful memory, built up a lucrative trade with Flanders and waged a wily diplomacy with France, culminating in the Hundred Years' War.