Piers Gaveston had been chosen by Edward 1st to be a suitable role model for his son, Edward of Carnarvon. Piers had probably came to England in about 1297, after fighting with Edward 1st's army in Flanders. He was a member of the king's household in 1297-98. He obviously impressed the King, as he was rewarded with a fine horse and selected as a companion for Prince Edward on account of the fact he came from Gascony, where he had learned his fine manners. The King must have hoped that Piers would be a fine example to the Prince in warfare.
At the start of 1306, Piers must have been delighted with his progress. He had been knighted, earned the friendship/love/esteem of Prince Edward, and yet again had been rewarded with another fine horse, this time worth £60 (a present from the Prince). He had also been granted lands and had his own household. Whatever the relationship between Piers and the Prince, the King seemed pleased with the guidance Piers provided.
So what caused Piers fall from favour? Not surprisingly, in 1306, Edward 1st was conducting the next stage of his Scottish campaign. The campaign had been going well. Robert the Bruce has been defeated at Methven. Prince Edward had also had some success, capturing castles at Lochmaben and Kildrummy. By September, Edward Ist had decided to make camp at Lanercost, no doubt expecting to winter there. Piers was one of 22 young knights who decided it was not worth wintering at Lanercost - not when there were lucrative tournaments to enter! The King had actually banned all tournaments in England because of the Scottish war. But this didn't stop Piers and the other knights leaving England to take part in tournaments overseas. Gilbert de Clare, the nephew of the King, also went - as did other members of the Prince's household, seemingly with his permission. For Edward 1st, however, youth was no excuse for what he saw as desertion, even if the war with Scotland was discontinued. Edward 1st was furious, and seized the lands of the knights and they were to be arrested for abandoning their king. When his temper cooled, aided by his Queen, Margaret, Edward issued pardons to the knights - except for Piers Gaveston. Instead the King ordered that 'For certain reasons that immediately after three weeks from the next tournament.......Sir Piers Gaveston shall be ready to cross the sea at Dover for Gascony, and he shall remain there until he shall be recalled by the king and by his permission'. This was Gaveston's first exile. It does not seem to have been done whilst the king was in a foul temper - he generously allowed Piers 3 weeks before he was to go, enabling him to take part in any tournaments until then, and the exile does not seem to be permanent. And yet, none of the other knights received such a punishment. So why was Piers singled out? It seems, perhaps, that the King suspected that his son had become infatuated with Piers, and that this might lead to .......a malign influence by Piers? some sort of pact of brotherhood between Piers or Edward? or maybe a sexual relationship between the pair? We simply don't know,..... however much we might like to speculate.
Source: 'Piers Gaveston :Politics and Patronage in the reign of Edward II' by J S Hamilton
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