Piers Gaveston (* c. 1284, † 19 June 1312) was the son of the Gascon knight Arnaud de Gabaston and his wife Claramonde de Marsan, who brought landed property in Aquitaine into the marriage. This made the couple subjects of Edward I, who was also Duke of Aquitaine. Gabaston did not belong to the higher nobility, nor was he financially independent. He repeatedly went to war with Edward I. Little is known about the youth of his son Piers. Not even the year of his birth, 1284, is considered certain. In 1300 he became a member of the household of the Prince of Wales, with whom he quickly built up a close relationship – how close is still a subject of debate today. However, it is reasonable to assume that Edward I would have taken drastic measures if he had only suspected that Gaveston had been too close to his son. Only two incidents are known to have led to Gaveston’s temporary banishment. Before May 1306, there was a heated argument between the royal treasurer Walter Langton and the heir to the throne. The reason for this is no longer known. The king opposed his son and banished him and a few members of his household for some time. The second banishment occurred after several knights, including Gaveston, went unauthorised away from the fighting force. In early 1307, Edward I sent Gaveston into exile again, presumably as a punishment to the Prince of Wales and only temporarily. Gavaston was paid a pension, and in addition Edward I made no provision for maintaining his exile in the event of his death, which occurred on 7 July 1307. One of Edward II’s first acts in office was to recall Gaveston, whom he elevated to Earl of Cornwall.
The title, which included extensive lands, was traditionally intended for a royal family member. Moreover, in the autumn of the same year, the king married his favourite to his niece Margaret de Clare. Within a very short time, Gaveston was one of the richest men in the country, having been elevated overnight to the spheres of the high aristocracy. Naturally, this caused rejection among the long-established nobility. This grew because Edward II appointed Gaveston regent while he was in France marrying Isabella. Gaveston is not known to have abused this office, but it was usually entrusted to a member of the royal family. The favourite did not seek a balance with the leading lords, but rather snubbed them constantly, which even led to international disgruntlement. The French guests who had come to England on the occasion of the coronation also felt offended by Gaveston’s behaviour and the disinterest the king showed in Isabella. In May 1307, the opposition of the nobility succeeded in having Gaveston relinquish the title of Earl of Cornwall and leave the country. They were supported in this by Philippe IV, who repeatedly had to enforce with the English king the appropriate provision for his daughter and half-sister. Under threat of excommunication by Robert Winchelsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the event of his return, Gaveston had until June to leave the country. Edward II not only provided for him financially, but also made him Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. This made him the king’s official representative in Ireland. Again, there is nothing to suggest that Gaveston was not up to the office, or that he used it to his personal advantage. In the meantime, Edward II worked tirelessly to secure the return of his favourite. He made concessions to the lords and negotiated with the Pope. In June 1309, Gaveston was able to return officially. Of course, it was not long before he had again angered the Lords to the point where they pressed for a fresh banishment. In 1311, the Earl of Lincoln, who had always been a reassuring influence on the nobility, died. His son-in-law, the Earl of Lancaster, who had initially played no role at all in the conflict, now took over the leadership of the noble opposition. In October, the latter presented 41 articles that included a massive restriction of royal rights in favour of the nobility. The king’s position was so weak that he had to accept these so-called Ordinances and a renewed exile of Gaveston. Wherever he had gone, he returned from there in January 1312 and Edward II revoked the banishment. A confrontation with the Lords was thus inevitable. Archbishop Winchelsey excommunicated Gaveston, who entrenched himself at Scarborough. In May he surrendered to the besiegers. The Earls of Pembroke, Warenne and Percy swore to ensure his safety and to bring him to York, where Edward II was to negotiate again in a parliament with the opposition of the nobility. Pembroke left Gaveston at Deddington, as he himself travelled on to join his wife at Bampton Manor. As soon as the Earl of Warwick learned of this, he captured Gaveston and brought him to Warwick Castle. There a number of lords, including Warwick, Lancaster, Hereford and Arundel, found him guilty of breaching the Ordinances in a very questionable trial. On 19 June 1312, Gaveston was beheaded on Lancaster’s land.
Edward II
Gaveston is not rejected by the court because he may or may not have a sexual relationship with the king. It is his lowly birth, his overbearing behaviour, his disproportionate social advancement and the influence he exerts over Edward II that provoke the nobility’s opposition.1 In this he resembles the mignons in The Massacre at Paris. He is one of Marlowe’s typical outsiders. While Barabas enjoys this position all the time and Mephostophiles suffer from it, Gaveston is completely indifferent to it. Otherwise, he is astonishingly contourless, which is also reflected in the fact that Edward II mourns him, but promptly replaces him with Spencer.
- Brodwin (1964)↩︎
