Edward I was a Strong and Formidable King Whose Presence Once Caused A Man to Die of Fright!

Edward I (known also as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots) was an English king who lived during the 13^th and 14^th centuries AD. Edward belonged to the House of Plantagenet, whose ancestry may be traced back to the Geoffrey V, the Count of Anjou. Not only is Edward remembered for his military campaigns against the Welsh and the Scots, but also for the important legal and administrative reforms he carried out in the kingdom.

Edward I. (Willud Edier / Public Domain)

Did Edward Take After the Saint He Was Named After?

Edward I was born in 1239 in Westminster and was the eldest son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. Henry is recorded to have been a pious man and named his first-born son in honor of his favorite saint, Saint Edward the Confessor. As he grew up, however, Edward would bear little resemblance to the saint he was named after. As a young man, Edward was recorded to have been arrogant, violent, and cruel. According to a story, a man once died of sheer fright in his presence. Apparently, Edward’s contemporaries found this tale easy to believe. In addition to his character, Edward was also distinguished for his physique. Standing at a height of 1.88 m (6 feet 2 inches), Edward earned the epithet ‘Longshanks’.