Edward III of England
Edward III (13 November 1312-21 June 1377) was a King of England. He ruled for 50 years.
Edward was born on 13 November 1312 to Edward II & Isabella of France. He was the oldest out of 5 children of them. He has 2 younger brothers, Adam FitzRoy & John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall & 2 younger sisters, Joan of the Tower & Eleanor of Woodstock.
He made England the strongest military power during his reign.
Edward was crowned when he was fourteen years old, after his father was forced to abdicate. After his victory against the Scots, he declared himself heir to the French throne in 1337, and so started the Hundred Years' War. The war went very well for England; the victories of Crecy and Poitiers led up to the Treaty of Bretigny, by which he gained a lot of territory. When he became older, he was much less active, mostly a result of his bad health. He died of a stroke in 1377, aged 64.
Edward also established the Order of the Garter, and developed legislature and government. However, during his reign there was the Black Death.
Edward and his wife, Philippa of Hainault, had many children and, as they traveled, the children were generally known by where they were born (though the oldest son, Edward "of Woodstock," became known to later generations as Edward, the Black Prince). Prince Edward died before his father Edward III, and his older son, Edward "of Angouleme," had died a child, so younger son Richard "of Bordeaux" succeeded Edward III as Richard II of England before being deposed by his cousin Henry IV of England, whose father, John "of Gaunt", had married the heiress of Lancaster. His family, the House of Lancaster, fought the Wars of the Roses with the House of York descended from the daughter of Edward III's son Lionel "of Antwerp" (who was older than John) over who was the rightful king.
In his own time and for centuries after Edward III was praised a lot, but by Whig historians he was seen as an irresponsible adventurer. This view has turned, and modern historians see what a good king he was.
Other websites
The Medieval Sourcebook) has some good sources relating to the reign of Edward III:
The Ordinance of Labourers, 1349
The Statute of Laborers, 1351
Thomas Walsingham's account of the Good Parliament of 1376.
Man of War: Edward III, King of England at myarmoury.com
1312 births
1377 deaths
House of Plantagenet
14th century in England