EDWARD
322
EDWARD
England swept off about half the people. Decrease in
population caused increase in labourers' wages. And
in 1350 the king attempted to deal with the difficulty
by proclaiming that labourers must work for the same
wages as before the plague, under penalty fixed by
statute. (See Gasquet, The Black
Death, new ed., London, 190S.)
Ecclesiastically, Edward's reign was marked by some legislation directed against the pope. 'The diffi- culties were caused partly by the heavy taxation levied by the pope on the clergy, and partly by the ap- pointment of foreigners to English benefices by the pope; while the irritation of Englislimen at these grievances was increased by the pope's residence at Avignon, under the influence of the French king. In 1351 the Statute of Provisors was passed. The king had, in 13-14, com- plained to the pope against reserva- tions and provisions by which Eng- Sul ot l i.« vk lish benefices were given to foreigners, and the rights of patrons were defeated ; and this proving in- effectual, the statute now made all who procureil papal provisions for benefices liable to fine and im- prisonment. But the statute can hardly have bene- fited patrons, for preferments filled by provisions were declared forfeit to the Crown for that turn. In 1353, by the Statute of Pr.Tmunire. all subjects of the king were forbidden to plead in a foreign court in mat-
Wales and William of Wykeham, attacked some of
these evils in the "Good Parliament" of 1376. Lord
Latimer, the king's chamberlain, and Richard Lyons,
his financial agent, were impeached and imprisoned;
and though Edward sent a message begging Parlia-
ment to deal gently w-ith Alice Perrers
for the sake of his love and his
honour, she was banished from court.
But the death of the Black Prince
immediately afterwards was a great
blow to the Commons. John ot
Gaunt was able, on Parliament's
dismissal, to recall the impeached
ministers, and by Edward's wish
.\lice Perrers returned. The strug-
gle between the anti-ecclesiastical
party, led by John of CJaunt, in alli-
ance with John Wyclif, and the
clergy, led by William of Wykeham,
is scarcely connected with Edward
personally, except in so far as this
and other evils were due to Edward's
.1111 CONFESSOR neglect of the affairs of his kingdom.
Discontent and conflicts at home, and failure abroad
brought his reign to a close. He ilied deserted by all
except one priest who attended him out of compas-
sion. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Origi.nal Sources. — For early years. Annales Paulini and Bridlington in Chronicles of Edward I. and II. in R. S. (Lon- don, 1882-3). — For general history of reign, .\dam of Muri- MCTH in K. S. (London, ISSQ); Robert of ..\vesbury in R. S., 1SS9; Eulogium in R. S.. III. 1863: Chroninm AnghcB in R. S., 1S74; Wai.singhm. inslonn Anglicaua in R.S..1, 1863.— Foi
.X Tai
ters which the King's Court could decide, and in 1365
the papal courts were expressly included under this.
Urban V in 1366 demanded the annual tribute prom-
ised by King John, which was then thirty-three years
in arrear; but, on Parliament refusing to pay, nothing
more was heard of the claim.
The last years of Edward's reign were a time of fail- ure and disappointment. In France he had lost, by 1374, all possessions but Calais, Bordeaux, and Ba- yonne; at sea the English were badly beaten by the Spaniards in 1372; the king himself after the death of his wife, in 1360, was completely under the influence of Alice Perrers; the court became more extravagant than before, and ministers were suspected of corrup- tion. The Commons, supported by the Prince of
XI Century
French wars, Chronique de Froissart (Soei^tt* de I'Histoire df
France, 1869-99): Polain (ed.), tr. adapted McCaulat ed
(London, 1893): Chroniques de Jean le Bel (Brussels, 1863)
For Scottish wars, Chronicon de Lanercost (Edinburgh, 1839).
Modern Works. — Stubbs, ConntUuiional History of England (3rd ed), II, 392-461: Hunt in Diet. Nat. Biog.. s. v.; Long- man. HiKlonj of Edward III (London, 1869); Warburton, Ed- ward III in Epochs of Modern Hist. (5th ed., 1892); Ashley, Edward III. and his Wars in Engl. Hist, from Contemp. Writers (London, 1887); Wyatt-Davies in History of England far Cath- olic Schools (London, 1903), 138-40, has a Eood summary of ecclesiastical history; and a useful bibliography may be found in the .Annual Report of American Historical Association for I'.lOO,
^•^*^"3- Thomas Williams.
Edward the Confessor, Saint, King of England, b. in 1003; d. 5 January, 1066. He was the .son of Ethelred II and Emma, daughter of Duke Richard of
