Piers Gaveston Edward II's Adoptive Brother [Hardcover]

Written by one of the foremost historians of the period, this is a highly original reappraisal of the role of Piers Gaveston in English history and of his personal relationship with Edward II. It challenges the accepted view that Gaveston had a homosexual relationship with Edward II and reassesses the main events of Gaveston's career, including his exile from England and the scandal over the alleged theft of royal jewels. Pierre Chaplais draws his evidence from published and unpublished documentary and narrative sources, and presents some fascinating and often surprising conclusions. Lively, original, and highly readable, this study will make interesting reading for scholars and students of medieval British history; social, political, and legal historians; specialists in royal governments; and general readers interested in the truth behind Piers Gaveston and Edward II.

Pierre Chaplais is the master of English diplomatic history, and he displays his erudition in some magnificent vignettes. --Albion

Edward II is the most dismal failure of all the medieval English kings, and Gaveston is usually seen as a major villain in the tale: the king's homosexual lover, of minor Gascon family and jumped up into the high peerage, a would-be thief of royal jewels and the realm's treasure. Chaplais shows us how flimsy is the evidentiary base for many of these traditional accusations. --CHOICE

Chaplais has given historians of the reign of Edward II considerable food for thought....[T]his slim volume will remain a model of insightful scholarship. --American Historical Reveiw