A couple of month later, a messenger arrived with the news that the king had had a fatal accident. Edward III then immediately started sending out messages of this fact, without even waiting for a confirmation, which in itself was suspicious.
Edward II’s body was allegedly buried at Gloucester Cathedral, with his heart being given to Isabella in a casket.
For many years after the funeral, there were rumours that the king had survived and was actually alive somewhere in Europe.
With accounts of such people as William Melton, archbishop of York claiming that Edward was alive two years after he was supposed to be dead and the strange events of 1338, in which William Norwell described in the royal wardrobe account a man called William le Galeys, who “calls himself king of England and father to the current king.” This William the Welshman was not executed for being a royal pretender but instead spent time with Edward III.
Whether or not Edward II died in 1327 or lived out his life in Wales is anybody’s guess. His death/disappearance at Berkley Castle on 21 September 1327 remains a mystery.
The poker up the bum
This has been a favourite rumour since the 14th century. All though many chronicles from that time make it clear that no-one actually knows how King Edward II died, this has been a long enduring story.
The story goes that a red-hot iron poker was inserted through a horn into the king’s anus, burning his inner bowels and respiratory system leaving no outward signs of struggle.
However this particular story claims it took the weight of fifteen men to hold the king down and they suffocated him with heavy pillows first before subjecting him to the desecration. If he was already dead why in heavens name would they then put a red-hot iron poker up his bum?
Such tales have clearly been made up and perpetuated as a cautionary tale of the consequences of being a bad king who is a passive sexual partner with other men – after all, who wants to end up with a poker up their bum. No evidence has been found to support this theory.
The effeminate king
By all accounts, Edward II was not effeminate. He was tall and strong from all the vigorous outdoor activities he undertook.
Likely, he wasn’t homosexual, but instead bisexual.
The love he felt for his queen and family was, without a doubt, real. This is evident in his reluctance to go to open war with his wife and son.
Furthermore during their 18 years of marriage on several occasions he intrusted Isabella with various responsibilities when he was away from his court. He trusted her.
As time moved on, it became clear he trusted his favourites and their comfort and presence more than his own queen’s. It is clear from Isabella’s own words that she felt that Hugh Despenser the Younger had stolen her husband from her.
What happened next?
Isabella and Mortimer ruled together for four years, with Isabella’s period as regent marked by the acquisition of large sums of money and land.
When their political alliance with the Lancastrians began to disintegrate, Isabella continued to support Mortimer. He was subsequently overthrown by Isabella’s son, Edward III, tried for treason, and executed.
Isabella was held in house arrest at Windsor Castle until 1332. She received frequent visits from her son and daughter in-law.
She lived a conventional luxurious life a as a dowager queen for the remainder of her days, and took the habit of the Poor Clares before she died on 22 August, 1358 at Hereford Castle, at the grand old age of sixty-three. Rumours that she lost her mind or went into mourning are nothing more than just that – rumours.
The Prince of Wales
Edward III is referred throughout the story as Edward of Windsor. His father Edward II, was the first “Prince of Wales”, but he neglected to invest his eldest son, with that title.
The tradition of conferring the title of “Prince of Wales” to the heir apparent was revived by Edward III and continued by English monarchs ever since.
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