Edward III

His mother, Isabella of France, conspired with her lover, Roger Mortimer, the first Earl of March, to depose Edward II and become de facto ruler of England. The Earl of March acquired a large number of fiefs (including the famous Denby fief) and became domineering in England.

After his father was deposed in February 1327, Edward III was crowned King of England by Walter Reynolds, Archbishop of Canterbury, one of Edward II's favourites. Real power was held by the regent queen mother and her lover, Count March. However, Edward III quickly gathered his strength to punish the man who killed his father. In 1330, Edward III took office and immediately ordered the execution of Roger Mortimer and the confiscation of his property (but in 1348 he re-awarded the title of Earl of March to Roger Mortimer's grandson).

In 1348, Edward III's England suffered one of the greatest catastrophes of all time, the Black Death. He issued decrees to force people to continue working. In 1353, the English Parliament passed an act prohibiting people from appealing to the church courts and paying tithes to the Pope. Around 1348, Edward III founded the Knights of the Garter.

Another major hostile target during the reign of Edward III was Scotland. As early as 1333, Edward III repelled King Robert I of Scotland who invaded England. In 1356 he entered southern Scotland again.

Edward III was a wise monarch, but in his later years he became fatuous and was controlled by his mistress, Mrs. Perez. It was also at this time that the Raward religious reform movement, considered heresy, became popular.