WELSH, SCOTTISH AND PARLIAMENTARY POLICIES Wales.—Besides administration and legislation, the other great event of the first 15 years of Edward's reign was the conquest of the principality of Wales. It was part of Edward's policy of reconciliation after the battle of Evesham that in the treaty of Shrewsbury of 1267 he had fully recognized the great position which Llewelyn ab Gruffyd, prince of Wales, had gained as the ally of Simon de Montfort. However, Llewelyn's early successes had blinded the Welsh prince to the limitations of his power, and he profited by Edward's early absences from England to delay in performing his feudal obligations to the new king. Even after Edward's return Llewelyn continued to evade doing homage. At last Edward lost patience, and in 1277 invaded north Wales. He conducted his campaign like a great siege, blocking all the avenues to Snowdon, and forcing Llewelyn to surrender from lack of supplies. He thereupon reduced the Welsh prince to the posi tion of a petty north Welsh chieftain strictly dependent on the English.
For the next five years Edward did his best to set up the English system of government in the ceded districts. The Welsh resent ment of this soon gave Llewelyn another chance, and compelled Edward to devote the years 1282-83 to completing his conquest. In 1284 he issued the statute of Wales, which provided for a scheme for the future government of the principality. Edward is often called the conqueror of Wales, but in truth he only effected the conquest of Llewelyn's dominions. The march of Wales was only indirectly affected by his legislation, and remained subject to its feudal marcher lords until the 16th century.
The affairs of Scotland furnished Edward with his chief pre occupation for the rest of his reign. After the death of Alexander III., in 1286, Scotland was governed in the name of his grand daughter Margaret, the Maid of Norway. The English king had suggested that Edward of Carnarvon, his eldest surviving son, should marry the little queen of Scots, and thus bring about the union of the two countries. However, the death of Margaret in 1290 frustrated the scheme. The Scottish throne was now dis puted by many claimants, and the Scots asked Edward to arbi trate between them. Edward accepted the position, but insisted that, before he acted, the Scots should recognize him as their overlord. The claimants set the example of submission, and soon the chief Scots nobles followed. Thereupon Edward undertook the arbitration, and in 1292 adjudged the throne to John Baliol. The new king did homage to Edward, but his subjects soon began to resent the claims of jurisdiction over Scotland, which Edward declared were the natural results of his feudal supremacy. At last the Scots deprived John of nearly all his power, repudiated Edward's claims, and made an alliance with the French.
During the years of the Scottish arbitration Edward had slowly been drifting into war with France. The chronic difficulties caused by French attempts to confine Edward's power in Gascony were now accentuated by the quarrels between the sailors and merchants of the two countries. In 1293 Edward was persuaded by his brother, Edmund, earl of Lancaster, to yield up Gascony tempo rarily to Philip the Fair. But Philip refused to restore the duchy, and Edward, seeing that he had been tricked, declared war against France, at the very moment when the Scottish resistance gave the French a firm ally in Britain. To make matters worse, the Welsh rose in rebellion. It was therefore quite impossible for Edward to recover Gascony.
The Model Parliament.—The most critical years of Edward's reign now began. He saw that he could only meet his difficulties by throwing himself on the support of his own subjects, and con voked, in 1295, a representative parliament of the three estates, which has been called in later times the Model Parliament, because it first illustrated the type which was to be perpetuated in all sub sequent parliaments. "What touches all," ran Edward's writ of summons, "should be approved of all, and it is also clear that com mon dangers should be met by measures agreed upon in common." The parliamentary constitution of England was established as the result of Edward's action.
Secure of his subjects' allegiance, Edward put down the Welsh revolt, and conquered Scotland in 1296. When quiet was restored to Britain, he hoped to throw all his energy into the recovery of Gascony, but new troubles arose at home which once more diverted him from his supreme purpose. Led by Archbishop Winchelsea, Peckham's successor, the clergy refused to pay taxes in obedience to the bull of Pope Boniface VIII., called Clericis Laicos. Edward declared that if the clergy would not contribute to support the state, the state could afford them no protection.
But the clerical opposition was soon joined by a baronial op position. Headed by the earls of Hereford and Norfolk, many of the barons declined to join in an expedition to Gascony, and Ed ward was forced to sail to the French war, leaving them behind. Thereupon the recalcitrant barons forced upon the regency a fresh confirmation of the charters, to which new articles were added, safeguarding the people from arbitrary taxation. Edward at Ghent reluctantly accepted this Confirmatio Cartarum, but even his sub mission did not end the crisis.
Wallace.—In the same year (1297), all Scotland rose in revolt under the popular hero William Wallace, and next year (1298), Edward was forced to undertake its reconquest. The battle of Falkirk, won on July 22, was the greatest of Edward's military triumphs; but, though it destroyed the power of Wallace, it did not put an end to Scottish resistance. Bitter experience taught Edward that he could not fight the French and the Scots at the same time, and in 1299 he made peace with Philip, and, Eleanor having died in November 1290, he married the French king's sister Margaret (c. 1282-1318), and some years later obtained the restitution of Gascony. In the same spirit he strove to destroy the clerical and baronial opposition. He did not succeed in the former task until a complacent pope arose in his own subject, Clement V., who abandoned Winchelsea to his anger, and suffered the arch bishop to be driven into exile. The baronial leaders could not be wholly overthrown by force, and Edward was compelled to make them fresh concessions.
Bruce.—It was not until 1303 that Edward was able to under take seriously the conquest of Scotland. By 1305 the land was subdued, and Wallace beheaded as a traitor. But Edward had hardly organized the government of his new conquest when a fresh revolt broke out under Robert Bruce, grandson of the chief rival of Baliol in 1290. Bruce was soon crowned king of Scots, and at the age of 7o Edward had to face the prospect of conquer ing Scotland for the third time. He resolved to take the field in person; but the effort was too great, and on July 7, 1307 he died at Burgh-on-Sands, near Carlisle. His death destroyed the last faint hope of conquering Scotland, and showed that the chief ambition of his life was a failure. Yet his conquest of Wales, his legislation, his triumph over his barons, his ecclesiastics, and the greatest of French mediaeval kings indicate the strength and per manence of his work. He was buried at Westminster under a plain slab on which was inscribed Edwardus primes Scottorum malleus hic est. Pactum servo.
By Eleanor of Castile Edward had four sons, his successor Edward II. and three who died young, and nine daughters, in cluding Joan, or Joanna (1272-1307), the wife of Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester (d. 1295), and then of Ralph de Monthermer; Margaret (1275-1318), the wife of John II., duke of Brabant ; and Elizabeth (1282-1316), who married John I., count of Hol land, and then Humphrey Bohun, earl of Hereford (d. 1322). By Margaret of France the king had two sons : Thomas of Brotherton, earl of Norfolk, and Edmund of Woodstock, earl of Kent.
The principal modern authorities for this reign are: W. Stubbs, Constitutional History of England, vol. ii. chaps. xiv. and xv. (1896) ; T. F. Tout, Edward 1. (1893) , and Political History of England, 1216 pp. (1905) ; R. B. Seeley, Life and Reign of Edward I. (1872) ; R. Pauli, Geschichte von England, iv. pp. 1-198 (Hamburg, 1864-75) ; W. Hunt, article on "Edward I." in Dictionary of National Biography; J. E. Morris, Welsh Wars of Edward 1. (Oxford, 19o1) ; and C. V. Langlois, Philippe le Hardi (Paris, 1887) . (T. F. T.)