Edward the First

Edward I of England (1239-1307) will always be remembered as the "Hammer of the Scots" who condemned William Wallace (Braveheart) to a traitor's death in 1297. But Edward was one of England's greatest statesman-kings. In this short biography the British historian, Thomas Frederick Tout writes of Edward that he was "a man of unusual and commanding height," lean and powerful, who, despite a slight stammer, was able to "speak with a simple and natural eloquence that often moved his susceptible auditors to tears." Edward conquered Wales, reformed the legal and judicial systems of England, curbed the power of the church, and through conquest and diplomacy managed to subdue the ambitions of the wily French King, Philip the Fair.