biography
| name: |
Edward III
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known as Edward of Windsor
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1312–77)
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| biography:
| King of England from 1327, born in Windsor, S England, UK, the elder son of Edward II and Isabella of France. He married Philippa of Hainault in 1328, and their eldest child Edward, later called the Black Prince, was born in 1330. By banishing Queen Isabella from court, and executing her lover, Roger Mortimer Earl of March (c.1287–1330), he assumed full control of the government (1330), and began to restore the monarchy's authority and prestige. He supported the attempts of Edward Balliol (c.1250–1315) to wrest the Scots throne from David II, and his victory at Halidon Hill (1333) forced David to seek refuge in France until 1341. In 1337, after Philip VI had declared Guyenne forfeit, he revived his hereditary claim to the French crown through Isabella, the daughter of Philip IV, thus beginning the Hundred Years' War. Renowned for his valour and military skill, he destroyed the French navy at the Battle of Sluys (1340), and won another major victory at Crécy (1346). David II was captured two months later at the Battle of Neville's Cross, near Durham, and remained a prisoner until 1357. |
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