, Edward Iii

Edward III was 14 when he was crowned King and assumed government in hisown right in 1330. In 1337, Edward created the Duchy of Cornwall toprovide the heir to the throne with an income independent of thesovereign or the state. An able soldier, and an inspiring leader, Edwardfounded the Order of the Garter in 1348.
At the beginning of the Hundred Years War in 1337, actual campaigningstarted when the King invaded France in 1339 and laid claim to the throneof France. Following a sea victory at Sluys in 1340, Edward overranBrittany in 1342 and in 1346 he landed in Normandy, defeating the FrenchKing, Philip VI, at the Battle of Crécy and his son Edward (the BlackPrince) repeated his success at Poitiers (1356). By 1360 Edwardcontrolled over a quarter of France. His successes consolidated thesupport of the nobles, lessened criticism of the taxes, and improvedrelations with Parliament. However, under the 1375 Treaty of Bruges theFrench King, Charles V, reversed most of the English conquests; Calaisand a coastal strip near Bordeaux were Edward''s only lasting gain.
Failure abroad provoked criticism at home. The Black Death plagueoutbreaks of 1348-9, 1361-2 and 1369 inflicted severe social dislocation(the King lost a daughter to the plague) and caused deflation; severelaws were introduced to attempt to fix wages and prices. In 1376, the''Good Parliament'' (which saw the election of the first Speaker torepresent the Commons) attacked the high taxes and criticised the King''sadvisers. The ageing King withdrew to Windsor for the rest of his reign,eventually dying at Sheen Palace, Surrey. [Royal]