So what happened at the coronation banquet?

In my previous post, I looked at the coronation of Edward II and Piers, oops, I mean Isabella.   Piers had played an important role in the coronation, and it seems he had been in charge of the banquet that followed the coronation.   Isabella’s family included her uncles, Charles de Valois and Louis d’Evreux, as well as her brother, the future Charles IV.  Wearing royal purple seems to have upset many there, even if it did make Piers look like the god Mars.  The rest of the nobles ‘made do’ with cloth of gold.  Also offensive were the tapestries on show.    These had been specially made for the banquet, by the upholsterers John Engayne and John le Tapyter and cost £5.  They showed the emblems of England – Edward’s – and those of the Earl of Cornwall – Piers.  Doubtless the emblems of Isabella were displayed somewhere.    What totally out-raged Isabella’s family was the fact that Edward preferred to share Pier’s couch rather than Isabella’s.  They were disgusted and humiliated.  No doubt they encouraged Isabella, who was only 12, to feel likewise.  If, as Pierre Chaplais says, Edward was showing to the court, and the French in particular, that Piers was his ‘adopted brother’, why should they be out-raged?    Edward choosing to share his ‘brother’s couch’ could not have caused such offence.    It’s my opinion that Edward and Piers chose to show all those present, English and French, the exact nature of their relationship – that they were lovers, and that any marriage and alliances were secondary to them.    Edward would have wanted Piers to share in his special day, and no doubt Piers would have wanted to show all how important he was to Edward.   It might have been tactless,  and unchivalrous towards Isabella – but surely the French must have had some idea of the relationship between Edward and Piers, and marriage to a 12-year-old wasn’t going to change it.  There would be no deceit or denial for Isabella and her family. 

If only the chroniclers had detailed the exact behaviour of Edward and Piers!  Instead, all we are told is that Piers was very arrogant – and maybe it was his intention, to show no marriage alliance would come between him and Edward – and that one of the nobles was furious at the behaviour of Edward and Piers and ‘allegedly’ swore to kill Piers.  Added to that, the food didn’t taste very nice and some of it was burnt, although I’m sure this didn’t upset those present as much as Piers and Edward’s behaviour.   The Vita says ‘now for the first time nearly all the earls and barons of England rose against Piers Gaveston’ as a result of what happened at the banquet.  Maybe the English nobles had been bidding their time, waiting for a chance to attack Piers, and the complaints of the French gave them the excuse they wanted.   They may have been genuinely out-raged by Piers and Edward’s antics – whatever they did in private was acceptable, but flaunting it in front of the court, and Edward’s new bride and her family was just too much.  Or maybe Piers had grown far too proud.   If Edward and Piers were lovers, surely the nobles would not expect the 12 year-old Isabella to ‘change’ her husband’s nature?   And if they did believe this was possible, then surely they must have already tried to do this by exposing him to various court beauties.   But they knew the king had an illegitimate son, Adam, and that doing his duty would not be a problem for Edward.   In my opinion, it must have been how Edward and Piers had acted at the banquet,  and the nobles felt that Edward had not only humiliated Isabella and her family, but themselves and the dignity of the crown of England.   And I haven’t even started on Edward 'giving' all the wedding presents to Piers!

Sources –

Chaplais – Piers Gaveston, Edward II’s Adoptive brother

Hamilton – Piers Gaveston – Politics and Patronage in the reign of Edward II

Seymour Phillips – Edward II

Helen Castor - 'She-Wolves'

The Coronation of Edward II

The coronation of Edward II took place on Sunday, February 25^th, 1308.  The king had just returned from France on February 7^th, where he had married the 12 year old Isabella, daughter of the king of France.  He had left his kingdom in what he considered safe hands – Piers Gaveston had been left as Regent.  It seems this had been unopposed by the nobles.  Now the coronation loomed.

 It was obvious Edward wanted Piers to play a major role.  Invitations had been sent out on January 18^th, and the Coronation was due to take place on February 18^th.  It was delayed until February 25^th. The St. Paul’s annalist speculates that this may have been due to attempts by the English and French nobles to oust Piers from a primary role in the ceremony, and refers to him and Edward as ‘two kings reigning in one kingdom, one in name and the other in deed’.  It’s ridiculous to think that either the English or French nobles honestly expected Edward to be passionately in love with his 12 year-old bride.  So why did they object to Piers playing a central role?  If, as Chaplais puts forward, Edward and Piers behaved as ‘adopted’ brothers, why should they care?  Piers had been accepted as Earl of Cornwall at the start of Edward’s reign, been married to Edward’s niece, Margaret de Clare and acted as regent.  So why the furore over Piers taking a primary role at the coronation?  In my opinion, the French nobles had become aware that the relationship between Edward and Piers was more than ‘adopted’ brothers, it  was in fact sexual.  Perhaps the fact that the king’s male lover was to play a primary role caused them to stir up trouble with the English nobles.   If Edward had had a mistress, she no doubt would have been hidden away from court and as a female played no part in the coronation.   As far as Edward was concerned, there would be nothing more pleasing than to have Piers play an important role in the ceremony.   Piers may have wanted the French to be in no doubt of his importance to Edward, and may have acted in an arrogant way.  OK, I concede he must surely have!  Seymour Phillips in his biography of Edward II compares the chroniclers to the tabloids of today, and that there began a ‘feeding frenzy’ of tales about Piers from this time – his arrogance, stealing from the royal treasury and sending money to Gascony – all of which were inaccurate.   It seems the delay for the Coronation may have been caused by the nobles seeking to curb Edward’s excessive reliance on Piers and Edward promised to address this at a later parliament.  However, Edward got his way and Piers took on a primary role in the ceremony.   Dressed in royal purple and pearls, the St Paul’s Annalist describes him as "so decked out that he more resembled the god Mars than an ordinary mortal".  I LOVE this description of Piers! 

So, apart from looking like the god Mars, what role did Piers play in the coronation?  He was given the task of carrying the crown of St Edward, and later taking possession of the Curtana sword – the sword of St Edward, which had been carried by the king’s cousin, the Earl of Lancaster.  Piers then fastened the spur on the king’s left foot.  Philip IV’s brother, Charles de Valois, fastened the right spur.  It must have been Edward’s idea that Piers be given these things to do, and no doubt, Piers was honoured and only too keen.

If what happened at the ceremony outraged both French and English nobles, it got worse at the banquet.  That will be the subject of my next post.

Sources –

Chaplais – Piers Gaveston, Edward II’s Adoptive brother

Hamilton – Piers Gaveston – Politics and Patronage in the reign of Edward II

Seymour Phillips – Edward II