| | | 1275 | Death of Margaret |
| Margaret, the wife of Alexander III, died in this year. |
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| Jews forbidden to lend money |
| Edward I ordered the Jews to stop lending money and charging high rates of interest (usury). Instead, Edward suggested that the Jews should become farmers or learn crafts to earn a living. The Church controlled many of the trade guilds so it was impossible for the Jews to join and it was not possible for them to suddenly learn how to farm land. This led to hardship for many and some resorted to coin clipping. This meant shaving small amounts of metal from coins and melting the shavings down to sell for profit. |
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| Major rebuilding work at the Tower of London |
| Edward I spent large sums of money improving the fortifications at the Tower of London. A new moat was dug and a curtain wall was built around it. The land between the Tower and the river was levelled and new apartments were built on the shore. Edward had a complex of gates added which meant it was extremely difficult to attack the castle through the main land entrance. |
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| Revolt of Llewelyn of Wales |
| Llewelyn had consistently failed to do homage to Edward. He had been paying sums of money to the English crown as agreed in the Treaty of Shrewsbury drawn up in 1267 but after the death of Henry III the payments had stopped. Edward's repeated demands for a meeting with Llewelyn were ignored. In an attempt to stir up internal problems in England Llewelyn sent to France for Eleanor de Montfort who had been promised to him as a bride for his support of Henry III in the Baronial revolt against the English King. Eleanor was captured by the English on the journey and was then held prisoner by Edward. Edward finally had to accept Llewelyn as a rebel and so began his war on the Welsh. Feudal levies were called for June 1277. This meant that an army was to be raised via the feudal system to supports the King's war with the Welsh. |
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| Chapter-house at Salisbury |
| The Chapter-house at Salisbury Cathedral was begun in 1275. |
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| May - Statute of Westminster |
| The Statute of Westminster, drawn up between Parliament and Edward I, defined the legal privileges that landowners were allowed. These were based on the investigations carried out in 1274 into the landowners rights to own their land. |
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| 1276 | Edward's war with the Welsh begins  |
| Before the main army could be assembled Edward ordered that the Marchers and the smaller permanent forces attached to the royal household were to be sent out in three detachments. Although not much headway was made in the north the south and central districts abandoned their allegiance to Llewelyn. Roger Mortimer was able to force Llewelyn to retreat from Powys northwards. It was soon clear that the only area the Llewelyn had any control over was the north of Wales. |
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| 1277 | Aberystwyth Castle rebuilt |
| Reconstruction of the castle at Aberystwyth was begun by the English during Edward I's conflict with Llewelyn ap Gruffydd. |
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| Construction of Builth Castle |
| Edward I orders improvements to be made to the castle at Builth. |
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| Jul - Edward reaches Worcester |
| Joined by a force of some 800 cavalry and 2500 infantry at Worcester, Edward moved north to Chester. Edward's force then proceeded to move along the north coast of Wales. His advance was impeded by dense forest which offered the Welsh good opportunities to launch surprise attackes on the English troops. Edward built a wide road through the forests building fortified posts along the way. The force of soldiers were on a forty-days service agreement and after that some returned home. Edward retained some by paying them extra for their services. |
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| Jul - Construction of Flint Castle begun |
| As part of the plans to defeat Llewelyn Edward I ordered the construction of Flint Castle in Clwyd. Edward had been impressed by fortified town and castle combinations he had seen on his travels in France and Flint Castle was designed in the same manor. The castle was completed in 1280. |
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| Aug - Reconstruction of Rhuddlan Castle begun |
| Leaving work on Flint Castle underway Edward I moved on up the coast to Rhuddlan where he found the remains of an old Norman Motte and Bailey castle overlooking an important crossing point of the river Clywd. A new castle was ordered and work began to create both the castle and a new town alongside. |
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| Aug 13 - Vale Royal Abbey foundation stone laid |
| Edward and his wife Eleanor of Castile laid the foundation stone of the Cistercian Abbey of Vale Royal in Cheshire. |
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| Nov 10 - Edward defeats Llewelyn |
| Llewelyn was cut off from supplies and an escape route so had to accept defeat. Edward demanded payment of £50,000 and all of Llewelyn's territories. Llewelyn was left only with the Isle of Angelsey which he had to pay rent of £1,000 a year. Edward also demanded that Angelsey should be handed in the case that Llewelyn died without a male heir. Llewelyn swore fealty to Edward at Rhuddlan on November 10th and again at a ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day. |
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| 1278 | Many Jews executed |
| Many Jews were arrested in London for coin clipping and almost 300 of them were executed for the crime. |
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| Buckland Abbey founded |
| This Cistercian abbey in Devon was colonised by monks from the abbey on the Isle of White. Amicia de Redvers was responsible for its foundation in memory of her husband and son who had died. |
| Oct 13 - Llewelyn marries Eleanor |
| With peace between Edward and Llewelyn, the marriage between Llewelyn and Eleanor de Montfort was allowed to continue. The marriage took place at Worcester and was attended by Edward. |
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| 1279 | Recoinage |
| Edward I had new coins minted. (To help fund Welsh campaings?). The coins were so popular abroad that Edward had to ban any export of coins. Foreign fakes flood England. |
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| Nov - Statute of Mortmain |
| Edward I was concerned that the Church was becoming too wealthy at the expense of the country. To counteract this the Statute of Mortmain stated that land being given to the church must be done by royal approval. Land that had been donated to the Church in the past had reduced the tax revenues for the King. |
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| 1280 | South Transept at Rochester |
| Work on the South Transept and nave commenced in 1280. |
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| 1281 | Beauchamp Tower at Tower of London built |
| Edward I was responsible for the construction of the Beauchamp Tower on the western side of the curtain wall. It got its name later on in 1397 when Thomas Beauchamp was imprisoned there by Richard II. The three storey tower was large enough to hold not only the captive, but members of his household as well. It has been used to hold other important prisoners since. |
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| 1282 | Aberystwyth Castle damaged |
| The Welsh attacked and burnt the castle at Aberystwyth and its town. |
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| Construction of Denbigh Castle |
| Another castle was built by Edward I's master castle builder, James of St. George in North Wales. |
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| Mar - Hawarden Castle captured by the Welsh |
| David ap Gruffydd attacked and took control the castle at Hawarden. The constable, Roger de Clifford, was captured during the attack. |
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| Easter - Another Welsh Uprising |
| David, Llewelyn's brother, rose up in revolt. Llewelyn, eventhough he had sworn fealty to Edward, joined his brother in the fight against the English. |
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| Dec 11 - Llewelyn killed |
| Whilst fighting in the south of Wales Llewelyn was killed and the uprising of 1282 ended. His brother David was captured and hanged. |
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| 1283 | Construction of Caernarvon Castle |
| Edward and his master castle builder started the reconstruction of a new castle at Caernarvon. |
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| Construction of Conway Castle begun |
| After capturing Dolwyddelan, Edward moved up the river Conway to its mouth and a new castle was ordered. The castle's design and size were chosen to prove the royal power of the English King. The construction took until 1297. |
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| Dolwyddelan Castle captured |
| After the death of Lleweyln Edward was free to occupy all the previous strongholds of the Welsh Princes. In 1283 Edward attacked and captured the Welsh castle at Dolyyddlan. |
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| Mar - Castle Criccieth captured |
| Edward moved around the Welsh coast to attack and capture the Welsh castle at Criccieth. He then moved on and ordered another castle to be built at Harlech. |
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| Apr - Birth of Margaret, Maid of Norway |
| The birth of a daughter called Margaret to Eric, the young Norwegian King, and Margaret, the daughter of Alexander III. Margaret, the child's mother, died during childbirth. |
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| May - Harlech Castle begun |
| Work began on Harlech Castle. Money for the construction being moved from Cymer Abbey a few miles to the south of the new castle's location. |
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| Jun - David of Wales captured |
| David the brother of Llewelyn was handed over to the king by his own supporters who had already surrendered. He was taken to Shrewsbury Castle where a Parliament met and sentenced him to death by execution. |
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| 1284 | Rebuilding work at Aberystwyth |
| Edward I ordered reconstruction work at Aberystwyth Castle after it had been burnt and damaged in an earlier Welsh attack. |
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| 'Round Table' event in Nefyn |
| Edward arranged a 'Round Table' event and tournament at Nefyn in Wales. He promised the Welsh that he would provide them with a Prince of Wales. This he did as in this year, Edward (II) was born who would be invested as the Prince of Wales in February 1301. |
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| Mar - Statute of Wales/Rhuddlan |
| After the second Welsh rebellion Edward decided to bring Wales under direct rule. The Statute of Rhuddlan brought English laws to Wales. Edward appointed sheriffs and bailiffs for the northern teritories while the southern areas were left under the control of the Marcher Lords. |
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| Apr 25 - Edward (II) is born |
| Edward, the future king of England was born at Caernarvon Castle on the 25th April, 1284. His father was Edward I and his mother was Eleanor of Castile. The castle was probably still under construction as work on it had only begun the year before. |
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| 1285 | Oct 14 - Alexander III remarries |
| Because all of Alexander's sons had died there was a threat that a fight would break out for the Scottish throne. To ensure a smooth transittion it was decided that Alexander should remarry. Alexander married Yolande, the youngest daughter of Robert IV, Comte de Dreux in the hope that she would give him a son. |
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| 1286 | Edward and Eleanor go to France |
| Edward I and his wife Eleanor of Castile travelled to France and were away from England for three years. They went to pay homage to King Philippe IV of France and to attend to other matters. |
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| York Minster Chapter-house |
| Building work on the Chapter-house of York Minster until 1296. |
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| Edward and Gascony |
| Edward I travelled around his duchy of Gascony between 1286 and 1289 rebuilding fortifications and generally bringing order to the region. |
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| Mar 19 - Alexander III of Scotland dies |
| Alexander III of Scotland died leaving no male heir. Margaret 'Maid of Norway' was next in line for the Scottish throne because her mother was the only child of Alexander that had children. |
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| 1289 | Norwich Cathedral Chapter-house |
| The Chapter-house at Norwich Cathedral was under construction between 1289 and 1303. |
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| Philippe obtained the area of Quercy |
| Expanding his territories, Philippe obtained Quercy in exchange for a yearly sum. |
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| Aug - Edward returns to England |
| Edward and Eleanor return to England after a three year visit to their foreign domains. |
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| 1290 | Quia Emptores |
| A statute passed by Edward I putting an end to the practice of sub-infeudations. Sub-infeudation was the practice of tenants who had rented land from a lord sub-letting the land to other people. The problem with this was that it was difficult for the lord to raise taxes because he did not have control over all the people who were renting his land. The Statute allowed land to be sold according to royal approval as long as the new owner answered directly to the lord or the king. |
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| Jul 18 - Treaty of Brigham |
| The agreement of the marriage between Margaret Maid of Norway to the first Prince of Wales Prince Edward (II). Margaret was the granddaughter of Alexander III the king of Scotland and was the successor to the Scottish crown. Margaret died on the journey. This led to disputed succession in Scotland. |
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| Sep - Margaret, 'Maid of Norway' dies on voyage |
| Margaret, the 'Maid of Norway', granddaughter of Alexander III and next in line for the Scottish crown was travelling to Scotland when she died on Orkney during the voyage. |
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| Nov 28 - Eleanor of Castile dies |
| Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I died while travelling in the North with the King. Eleanor had been suffering with illness for some time and the cold and damp of the Winter months probably aggravated her condition. |
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| Dec - The 'Eleanor Crosses' |
| As Edward travelled with the body of his wife Eleanor from Harby near Lincoln where the Queen died to Westminster a series of crosses were later erected at each location that the body rested over night. |
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| 1291 | Licence to crenelate at Stokesay |
| Edward I grants Lawrence of Ludlow a licence to fortify his manor house at Stokesay. |
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| York Minster Nave and West Front |
| Building work on the Nave and West Front of York Minster until 1345. |
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| Beaugency is bought by Philippe |
| Expanding lands once again, Philippe buys Beaugency. |
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| May 10 - Edward I meets Scottish Claimants |
| Edward I met the claimants for the Scottish crown at Norham. |
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| 1292 | Rebuilding work at Exeter Cathedral |
| Bishop Bitton rebuilt the choir at Exeter Cathedral between 1292 and 1307. |
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| Rebuilding work at Carlisle Cathedral |
| Work began on rebuilding the choir, piers and east bay of the cathedral after a damaging fire |
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| Carlisle Cathedral damaged by fire |
| The Cathedral is extensively damaged by fire. |
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| English and Norman sailor fight |
| A small scale war breaks out between English and Norman sailors after a Norman sailor is killed in a brawl with an English Sailor. The Normans demand the English sailor is handed over but he is not and in following battles many sailors were killed on both sides. Things escalate and Philippe of France demands Edward pay homage to him as Edward is Duke of Aquitaine, a vassal of the French King. Edward refuses and sends his brother Edmund instead. Edmund agrees with Philippe to surrender Gascony to the French. |
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| Nov 17 - John Balliol chosen by Edward I as Scottish King |
| At Berwick Edward I declared John Balliol to be the new Scottish King. |
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| Nov 30 - John Balliol become King of the Scots |
| Balliol was crowned at Scone Abbey on St. Andrew's Day. |
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| 1293 | Philippe obtains Maguellone and Montpellier |
| Philippe added the bishopric of Maguellone and the east side of Montpellier to his domains. |
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| Wells Cathedral chapter House begun |
| The Chapter House and the complicated arangement of steps leading to them were started in this year and were not completed until around 1310. |
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| 1294 | Commercial treaty with Portugal |
| Diniz, the Farmer King of Portugal, signs a commercial treaty with England, beginning a sequence of alliances between the two countries. |
| Outrage at Philippe's actions |
| Edward I concluded a marriage agreement between his son Edward (II) and Philippa, the daughter of Guy, Count of Flanders. Aware of possible dangers of this alliance, Philippe, king of France invited Guy and his wife to Paris where he kidnapped and imprisoned them. Because of the general outrage at this action, Philippe was forced to free Guy and his wife, but to prevent the marriage, Philippa was brought to Paris where she was held as a hostage. She was twelve years old at the time. |
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| Edward Balliol asks for resources |
| Edward Balliol arrived in London and asked for men and money for Edward's French war. |
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| May - Philippe IV confiscates Gascony |
| Philippe IV, king of France confiscated Gascony. |
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| Qtr 3 - Caernarfon Castle attacked |
| Madog ap Llewelyn, one of the Welsh rebels, attacked and burnt Caernarfon Castle. |
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| Oct 30 - A Welsh rebellion |
| Edward needed an army to fight in France and ordered the Welsh to provide men to meet at Shrewsbury. Unwilling to fight abroad, the Welsh took the opportunity to rise up against an English army reduced in numbers due to the problems in France. Edward once again had to fight the Welsh. One of the leaders of this revolt was Madog ap Llewelyn. |
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| 1295 | Southwell Cathedral Chapter-house |
| Work began on the Chapter-house of Southwell Cathedral in 1295 and continued until 1300 |
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| Jan - Edward besiged at Conway |
| After spending Christmas at Conway castle Edward's attempts to defeat the Welsh were hampered by bad weather and losses of supplies to the Welsh. He held his position at Conway castle waiting for improved weather and to receive supplies by sea. |
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| Apr - Edward occupies Anglesey |
| Supplies reached Edward at Conway castle and he was able to march against the Welsh. By April had occupied Anglesey. |
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| Apr - Beaumaris Castle begun |
| Building work on Beaumaris Castle is begun. |
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| Oct - Treaty Auld Alliance |
| John Balliol went to France and arranged the Treaty Auld Alliance (Content ?) |
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| Nov - The first Model Parliament |
| Edward called together a parliament consisting of a cross-section of society; the heads of the church, the Barons and members of the burghs. The parliament agreed that a tax could be raised to allow Edward to launch attacks on the Scots and the French. |
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| 1296 | Edward captures Urquhart Castle |
| The castle on Loch Ness fell to the English. Sir William Fitz Warine was left in charge of the castle as its Constable. |
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| Apr - Balliol: Renounces homage to England |
| In March of 1296 Edward I had attacked and sacked Berwick. Balliol renounced homage to England. |
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| Apr 27 - Battle of Dunbar |
| John Balliol was defeated at the battle of Dunbar by Edward I. |
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| Summer - Philippe IV threatens Edward |
| Philippe the King of France took the opportunity of Edward's troubles in England to threaten the lands that Edward held from in France. |
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| Jul - Balliol: Surrenders at Stracathro, Edward takes the Stone of Scone |
| The English had taken many castles and in July 1296 Balliol surrendered to Edward I. Balliol was allowed to retire to France some years later. Edward advanced to Elgin and on his return to England took the Stone of Scone. |
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| Aug - The First Interregnum |
| Edward I created a government for Scotland consisting of John de Warnne, Earl of Surrey as Governor; Hugh de Cressingham as Treasurer; Walter of Agmondesham as Chancellor; William Ormesby as Justicar. This English government was very unpopular and soon the Scots where up in revolt. |
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| 1297 | Norwich Cathedral cloisters |
| Cloisters at Norwich Cathedral were built between 1297 and 1318. |
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| Jan - Marriage proposal |
| In response to the fear that the King of France would try to take back some of the lands Edward held in France, Edward I arranged a marriage between his son Edward and Philippa, the daughter of the Count of Flanders, an enemy of the King of France. |
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| Feb - Edward is deserted by the Barons |
| Opposed to his plans to invade Flanders and Guienne, the Barons including the Earl of Hereford and the Earl of Norfolk deserted Edward I. 1500 knights also decided to oppose the plans. Aware of the dangers of the opposition to his power, Edward appeared before a large crowd at Westminster Hall and received total loyalty. |
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| Apr 14 - Edward appeals for support |
| Outside Westminster Hall, Edward I made an appeal for support for the war in France. He apologised for high tax demands he had previously levied. He also asked the Barons to swear allegiance to Edward of Caernarvon, the future Edward II, King of England. He received the support he needed. |
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| Jul - Confederacy formed and destroyed |
| In Scotland, a group of nobles form a confederacy (organised by Bishop Wishart of Glasgow), but were defeated at Irvine. An agreement of submission to Edward I was signed by the future king of the Scots Robert I and other Scottish leaders. |
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| Aug - Edward sails for Flanders |
| Leaving an unhappy England behind him, Edward left for France to fight Philippe. |
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| Aug - Confirmation of the Charters |
| Before Edward left for his campaign against the French, he was given a list of grievances by the Earls of Hereford and Norfolk. Two charters were the result, the Charter of the Forest and the Magna. The charters were a big defeat for Edward and meant he could no longer levy taxes as he wished without the approval of the Church, Barons, Earls and other free men. Edward sealed the charters whilst at Ghent in November of the same year. |
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| Sep 11 - Battle at Stirling Bridge |
| William Wallace and Andrew De Moray leaders of the Scottish revolt in the South and North joined forces and defeated the English army led by Surrey at Stirling. The Scots caught the English forces as they crossed a bridge across the Forth. |
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| Winter - Edward accepts Truce |
| A truce proposed by Philippe was accepted by Edward I. |
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| 1298 | Jul 22 - Battle of Falkirk |
| Edward's army defeated Wallace. The battle is dominated by the English and Welsh longbows. |
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| 1299 | Mar - Edward evades Parliament |
| Edward I was supposed to appear before Parliament at Westminster where the Barons wanted him to abide by rules preventing him levying taxes not agreed upon by the Barons. Edward failed to attend but the Barons tracked him down and forced him to comply. |
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| Sep - Edward marries |
| Edward I married Philippe's sister Margaret and his son, Edward (II), married Philippe's daughter Isabella. |
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