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The assassination attempt against Edward I in June 1272. Image by Gustave Doré –

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about King Edward I

Edward I of England was born between the 17^th and 18^th of June 1239. He is also known as Edward Longshanks and the hammer of the scots. King Edward reigned over England from 1272 to 1307.

Before he acceded to the throne, he was known as Lord Edward. As King of England, he helped reinforce the crown and Parliament against the old feudal nobility.

Furthermore, Edward I conquered Wales, destroyed its autonomy and also sought to overthrow Scotland. His reign is particularly noted for administrative efficiency and legal reform.  

As one of the most effective kings of England, he is fondly described as an Intelligent and impatient king. Additionally, he is said to have redeemed his father’s legacy which was unstable and his failed military.

There is a lot more about Edward I. Check them out in the top 10 remarkable facts below.  

1. King Edward I got into politics at a very early age

He was the eldest son of King Henry III. And as such, he was the next in line to inherit his father’s throne.

This called for him to learn a lot about governance at a very young age. Furthermore, he took a great personal interest in matters of administration and government.

When he became king, Edward I introduced reforms and ideas learnt while staying abroad in the family-held territory of Gascony.

His early lessons on the politics of the land led him to sharpen his fundraising skills. And this allowed him to further pursue his ambitions.

He also knew that Parliament was his great asset. To this, he made good use of the parliamentarians by mobilizing them when he needed to stabilize his kingdom.

2. He got his nickname longshanks because of his height

Edward I was considered tall amongst his mates; he was 6 ft 2 in ad this earned him the nickname “Longshanks”.

Other than his height, one other attribute that stood out was his temperaments. The two put together made him intimidating not only to his subjects but also to his adversaries.

Despite instilling fear in his subjects, Edward I commanded respect from them. They regarded him as their soldier, administrator and man of faith.

What is interesting about his health as a child is that he was sickly. This however did not affect his health as an adult.

Edward’s long arms ad long legs gave him an advantage as a swordsman and horseman.

3. At one point during his reign, Edward I lost the trust of his subjects

The assassination attempt against Edward I in June 1272. Image by Gustave Doré –

King Edward I had a series of deceitful moments that led to tainting of his reputation.

When he was 35 years old, Edward had redeemed a bad start. He was described as having been arrogant, lawless, violent, treacherous, revengeful, and cruel.

These were the same bad attributes his father, King Henry II, had. Edward had to change his ways, became intolerant of opposition and had to prove to be vulnerable to influence by strong-minded associates.

4. He had a very fierce temper

His short temper, despite his towering height, made Edward very intimidating.

A tale is told of this one incident where the Dean of St Paul’s wanted to confront Edward over the high level of taxation in 1295. The Dean allegedly fell and died once he was in the King’s presence.

Another incident of his anger was when Edward of Caernarfon demanded an earldom for his favourite Gaveston; King Edward I burst in anger and pulled handfuls of hair off his son’s head.

When his adversaries met him for the first time, they described him as an animal who was powerful and unpredictable.

5. Edward I used ‘corruptible’ means to raise funds for his military campaigns

Photo by Ibrahim Boran on

Edward I’s frequent military campaigns put a great financial strain on the nation. There were several ways through which the King could raise money for war, including customs duties, money lending and lay subsidies.

In 1275, Edward I negotiated an agreement with the domestic merchant community that secured a permanent duty on wool.

Subsequently, in 1303, he got into another similar agreement with foreign merchants, in return for certain rights and privileges.

That same year, the  was issued; this was a formal expulsion of all Jews from England. This was an illegal move where the king got money by appropriating Jewish property.

Edward I was following the trend of monarchs at the time, like Philip II of France who expelled Jews in 1182. The Jews were considered the King’s personal property, and he would be free to tax them at will. 

6. He ordered the arrest of Jews, their execution and wanted them to convert

As he appropriated Jewish property, the king also arrested all the heads of Jewish households in England. Edward I had around 300 of them executed.

In 1280, the King ordered all Jews to attend special sermons, preached by Dominican friars. He hoped that they would be persuaded to convert, but these exhortations were not followed. 

His final attack on the Jews in England came in the Edict of Expulsion in 1290, where he officially expelled all Jews from England. 

While this allowed him to get revenue for his kingdom, Edward I also got the political assets to negotiate a substantial lay subsidy in the 1290 Parliament. 

7. He married at a very early age and this was due to the political arrangement that his father had

The wedding of Eleanor and Henry III as depicted by Matthew Paris in the 1250s. Photo by Matthew Paris –

In 1254, there were fears that the English would get attacked by Castilians in the English province of Gascony.

To avoid the attack, King Henry III arranged a politically convenient marriage between fifteen-year-old Edward and thirteen-year-old Eleanor, the half-sister of King Alphonso X of Castile.

The two teenagers were married on 1 November 1254 in the abbeys of Santa Maria la real de las huelgas in Castile. As part of the marriage agreement, Edward received grants of land worth 15,000 marks a year.

8. Edward I had outrageous demands about what was to be done to his body after he died

Remains of Edward I, from an illustration made when his tomb was opened in 1774. Image sourced from

Different stories have been told regarding the dying wishes of King Edward I.

One version of the story is that he requested his heart be carried to the Holy Land, along with an army to fight the infidels.

Another one told of how he wished for his bones to be carried along on future expeditions against the Scots.

But after he died, Edward I’s body was brought south, lying in state at Waltham Abbey, before being buried in Westminster Abbey on 27 October.

There is very little public information about his funeral are few records of the funeral which cost £473. 

His resting place has an unusually plain sarcophagus of Purbeck marble, without the customary royal effigy. This is believed to have been due to the shortage of royal funds after the King’s death.

9. He is credited with the shaping political culture in England

The current political structure in England is greatly attributed to Edward I efforts. He was able to achieve several achievements including establishing parliament as a permanent institution.

Additionally, he instituted a functional system for raising taxes and reforming the law through statutes.  

The most popular statute is ‘The First Statute of Westminster’ in 1275. This statute legitimized many existing laws from the time of the .

10. Father Abraham had nothing on King Edward I

Image by AnnaliseArt

During his reign, Edward I was married twice. First to his teenage wife Eleanor of Castile with whom he had their first son, Edward on 25 April 1284.  

The couple further had 16 children together. Unfortunately, their first two sons died in infancy, while the heir Alphonso died at the age of 12. Eleanor died in 1290 at the age of 49.

His wife’s death brought him so much sorrow that, he had a memorial cross placed at every spot where her body had rested during the journey to London. This is where the name ‘Charing Cross’ comes from.

When he turned 60, Edward I of England married Margaret of France, the 17-year-old daughter of King Phillip III of France and Maria of Brabant.

Margaret had a son within the first year of their marriage. They also had another son and a daughter, named after his first wife Eleanor, who was born in 1306.

The King died on 7 July 1307 and was buried at Westminster Abbey. His 26-year-old widow Margaret never remarried. She died ten years later.