le Despenser. Edward's wife, Isabella, daughter of the King of France, declared against the king, and landed with an army in Suffolk, to compel him to give up his favourite. The king soon was abandoned by all his friends, and Despenser put to death. The king himself, in 1327, fell into the hands of the barons of the queen's party, who declared the throne vacant by the desertion of the king, and appointed Prince Edward, his son, guardian of the kingdom. Their decision was confirmed in parliament, and all the nation swore fealty to the Prince. Isabella, and her favourite Mortimer, however, were the real governors. King Edward was removed, a prisoner, to Berkeley Castle, where, it is said, he was murdered in the night by two assassins hired by the queen and Mortimer.

CHAP. XIV.

EDWARD III. 1327-1377.

THE young king was about fourteen years of age when he was proclaimed, and was, therefore, placed under a regency, consisting of the most distinguished noblemen who had taken part in the destruction of the Despensers and the deposition of Edward the Second.

Robert Bruce, though now an old man, encouraged by the minority of the king and the distracted state of England, crossed the border with a large army-partly for the sake of plunder and partly to recover Northumberland and Cumberland, which had belonged to Scot

land some centuries before. Edward, immediately on hearing of the invasion, put himself at the head of an army and pursued the Scots, who retired laden with booty. But though the young king was anxious to distinguish himself, he found no opportunity; for he was unable to bring the Scots to battle, their army being composed chiefly of light cavalry, inured to rapid marches, who contrived to escape collision with the army of Edward, until they were safe on their own side of the border. Robert Bruce afterwards concluded a peace with Edward, which fully established the independence of Scotland.

Mortimer and Queen Isabella still retained the sole power; but in 1330, Edward, with the aid of some of the nobles, determined to assert his rights. Mortimer, therefore, was taken prisoner and confined in the Castle of Nottingham, and shortly after, being impeached and condemned by parliament, was executed. The queenmother, on account of her high rank, was permitted to retire to her manor of Risings, near London, where she occasionally received a visit of ceremony from the king, her son, but was excluded from all participation in the affairs of government.

In 1333, Edward, to retaliate upon the Scots their invasion of England, resolved to renew the war against them. He captured the town of Berwick, and gained the battle of Halidown Hill.

But while thus engaged with the affairs of Scotland, a wider field of conquest suddenly opened to his ambition, the prosecution of which occupied the greater part of his reign. Isabella, the mother of Edward, was the sister of Charles the Fourth, King of France, who died

in 1328, without issue, his nearest of blood being Isabella. Incited by this opportunity of extending his dominions, Edward determined to claim the succession of that kingdom, notwithstanding the provisions of the Salic law, by which females were entirely excluded from the succession to the crown of France. But Edward rested his claim on the ground, that, although the Salic law prohibited a female from becoming a sovereign, yet it did not prohibit the males descended from a female heir from inheriting the throne. So that he, being the son of Isabella, had the best right to the crown of France. The peers and people of France, however, to whom the question was submitted, thought otherwise, and declared Philip of Valois to be the lawful heir; and the whole French nation united in support of him.

Edward refused to submit to their decision, and, as soon as he had assembled his forces, assumed the title of King of France, and he prepared to assert his right by force of arms. In 1338 he landed with an army in Flanders, where he had secured a powerful ally in the person of Van Artavelt, a brewer of Ghent, who then ruled the democracy of that trading town. But this first expedition proved unsuccessful, and in 1340 he returned to England to receive reinforcements and supplies. He collected a large fleet, with which he attacked a French fleet, and was completely victorious in the battle of Sluys.

In 1346 Edward again invaded France, and the English and French armies met near a village called Cressy, on the banks of the Somme. The French mustered about 100,000 men. Edward drew up his little

army on a rising ground, and awaited the onset of the enemy. As they advanced to the charge the English archers let fly showers of arrows, with so true an aim, that the advancing lines of French began to falter. Prince Edward, the king's son, seized the moment when he saw them hesitate, and ordered his men to charge and engage hand to hand. After a terrible contest the French gave way, and left the English masters of the field. A great number of the nobility of France fell in the battle, aud Philip himself was hurried off the field by one of his knights. Immediately after the battle Edward laid siege to Calais. During his absence in France, David, king of Scotland, had invaded England; but Philippa, the queen, who was regent, defeated him, and took him prisoner at the battle of Neville's Cross. She then set out for France, and rejoined her husband before the walls of Calais. The siege was long and obstinate; and as the citizens knew that the destinies of their country in a great measure depended upon their fidelity and endurance, they sustained for eleven months all the horrors of a blockade. Philip made great efforts to come to their relief, but was compelled to retreat. At length the citizens saw that to hold out longer would be useless, and therefore they surrendered. Edward, who was deeply incensed at their obstinacy, expelled the inhabitants from the town, and demanded that six of the richest burgesses should be delivered up to his vengeance. Six men voluntarily came forward to resign their lives for the safety of their fellow-citizens, and presented themselves before Edward with halters round their necks. He instantly gave orders for their

execution; but the prayers of the queen saved these devoted men from so cruel a fate.

During the war a terrible plague, called the black death, devastated Europe. It seems to have begun in China or India, and reached England in 1348, where it committed fearful ravages.

The Black Prince, in 1355, invaded the south of France, and though his army was very small, he defeated a much superior force of French under King John, at the battle of Poictiers, in 1356. Here, as at Cressy, the battle was won by the superiority of the English archers, who shot their long heavy arrows with unerring aim. King John was taken prisoner; and thus two captive kings, David and John, graced the triumph of Edward. The French promised to pay a large ransom for their king, and he was allowed to return to France; but finding that his subjects were unable or unwilling to do as they had promised, John returned voluntarily to London, where he died shortly afterwards.

In 1360, peace was concluded between France and England, by the treaty of Bretigny. The English became possessed of Calais, Ponthieu, and Aquitaine; but they did not long retain them.

In 1367, the Black Prince undertook an expedition to Spain, for the purpose of restoring Don Pedro the Cruel to the throne of Castile. He was successful in this; but the war cost him the province of Guienne, which revolted in consequence of the heavy taxes they had to pay to support the English contests. The health of the Black Prince rapidly declined after this; he returned to England, and, to the great grief of the nation, died in 1376.