"Edward III perpetrated one of the most brutal acts of war committed during the Middle Ages"

HELEN CARR speaks to Emily Briffett about the royal power struggles, bloody wars and horrific diseases that ruptured the structure of English society in the 14th century.

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Emily Briffett: Why does the 14th century, which is often dubbed 'calamitous', have such a bad reputation?

Helen Carr: Some pretty bad things happened during the 14th century — including the greatest human catastrophe, the Black Death. There was also a period of famine in northern and central Europe, as well as major wars and two regicides in England. The 'calamitous' label comes from A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century (1978), a book by historian Barbara Tuchman. But it was a century jam-packed full of calamity, so I think it’s a reasonable reputation.

Your book begins with the death of Edward I in 1307. How did Edward II step up when he inherited the throne?

Filling the shoes of his father was a monumental job for Edward II. Edward I, later known as the ‘Hammer of the Scots’ and ‘Longshanks’, was famed for being tall and fierce. He was an intimidating figure — nobody wanted to mess with him. Edward I came as close as any English monarch to being king of all the British Isles: he was lord of Ireland, had conquered Wales and had spent the latter part of his reign trying to bring Scotland to heel.

Edward II was not the same kind of man. He didn’t have the same political nous or taste for war as his father. He was far more interested in the inner workings of his own court and in his relationship - possibly romantic, certainly a deep friendship - with his favourite courtier, Piers Gaveston. His father was probably deeply concerned about his son’s accession to the throne. All in all, it might seem that Edward II was doomed to fail from the start.

Your book features the popular medieval motif of the Wheel of Fortune. Why is this such a good metaphor for Edward II's reign and for the 14th century as a whole?