EDWARD III, King of England. - Son and successor of Edward II, born at Windsor on 13 Nov. 1312 and died at Sheen on 21 June 1377. He began the Hundred Years' War against France, to whose throne he laid claim. In 1340 he assumed the title of king of France, occupying vast territories of it through a series of fortunate enterprises in which his son of the same name, called the "Black Prince," played a great part.

To finance his enterprises, Edward III imposed very heavy taxes, which exhausted England and provoked strong discontent. Toward the Church, Edward III resumed the policy of his predecessor Edward I, aimed at limiting in England the power of the Pope; in 1353, with the decree Praemunire, he forbade the receiving of benefices from the hands of the Pope. This attitude, although it did not call into question the spiritual task of the Church and of the papacy, favored the revolutionary work of reform heralded by John Wycliffe, who found powerful supporters at court.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: G. M. Trevelyan, England in the age of Wycliffe, London 1899; J. Mackinnon, History of Edward III, ibid. 1900; B. Wilkinson, The chancery under Edward III, Manchester 1929.

Stanislao Majarelli

@incollection{ec5_edoardo_iii_re_d_inghilterra, author = {Majarelli, Stanislao}, title = {Edoardo III, re d'inghilterra}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {88}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/edoardo-iii-re-d-inghilterra} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Edward III, King of England

About this entry