Editing Edward II of England (section)

===Death and aftermath===
[[File:Edward II's cell - geograph.org.uk - 585477.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=photograph of walkway in Berkeley Castle|Covered walkway leading to a cell within [[Berkeley Castle]], by tradition associated with Edward's imprisonment]]

Those opposed to the new government began to make plans to free Edward, and Roger Mortimer decided to move him to the more secure location of [[Berkeley Castle]] in [[Gloucestershire]], where Edward arrived around 5 April 1327.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=542–543}}.</ref> Once at the castle, he was kept in the custody of Mortimer's son-in-law, [[Thomas de Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley]], and [[John Maltravers]], who were given £5 a day for Edward's maintenance.<ref name="Phillips2011P541">{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|p=541}}.</ref> It is unclear how well cared for Edward was; the records show luxury goods being bought on his behalf, but some chroniclers suggest that he was often mistreated.<ref name=Phillips2011P541/> A poem, the "[[Lament of Edward&nbsp;II]]", has been attributed to Edward during his imprisonment by some scholars, but this is disputed.<ref name="Poemdetails">{{Harvnb|Galbraith|1935|p=221}}; {{Harvnb|McKisack|1959|p=2}}; {{Harvnb|Smallwood|1973|p=528}}; {{Harvnb|Valente|2002|p=422}}.</ref>{{Efn|For a sceptical comment, see [[Vivian Galbraith]]; [[May McKisack]] reserved judgement, noting that "if he was indeed the author of the Anglo-Norman lament ascribed to him, he knew something of versification"; M. Smallwood feels that "the authorship question has not been settled"; Claire Valente writes "I think it unlikely that Edward&nbsp;II wrote the poem".<ref name=Poemdetails/>}}

Concerns continued to be raised over fresh plots to liberate Edward, some involving the Dominican order and former household knights, and one such attempt got at least as far as breaking into the prison within the castle.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=543–544}}.</ref> As a result of these threats, Edward was moved around to other locations in secret for a period, before returning to permanent custody at the castle in late summer 1327.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=546–547}}.</ref> The political situation remained unstable, and new plots appear to have been formed to free him.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|p=547}}.</ref>

On 23 September Edward III was informed that his father had died at Berkeley Castle during the night of 21 September.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|p=548}}.</ref> Most historians agree that Edward&nbsp;II did die at Berkeley on that date, although there is a minority view that he died much later.<ref name=MainstreamList/>{{Efn|Mainstream historical interpretations of Edward's death include those of Seymour Phillips, who argues that it is "likely that he was murdered, probably by suffocation"; Roy Haines, who suggests that he was probably murdered and that "there is little reason to doubt that Edward of Caernarfon's corpse has remained there [Gloucester Cathedral] undisturbed since December 1327 or thereabouts"; Mira Rubin, who concludes that Edward may have been murdered; Michael Prestwich, who has "no doubt" that Mortimer plotted to murder Edward, and that he "almost certainly died at Berkeley"; Joe Burden, who believes that Mortimer issued orders for Edward to be killed, and that Edward was buried at Gloucester; Mark Ormrod, who argues that Edward was probably murdered, and Edward is buried at Gloucester; Jeffrey Hamilton, who finds the argument that Edward survived Berkeley "fantastic"; and Chris Given-Wilson, who believes it is "almost certainly&nbsp;... true" that Edward died on the night of 21 September and was murdered.<ref name="MainstreamList">{{Harvnb|Rubin|2006|pp=54–55}}; {{Harvnb|Prestwich|2003|p=88}}; {{Harvnb|Burden|2004|p=16}}; {{Harvnb|Ormrod|2004|p=177}}; {{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|p=563}}; {{Harvnb|Haines|2003|pp=198, 226, 232}}; {{Harvnb|Given-Wilson|1996|p=33}}; {{Harvnb|Hamilton|2010|p=133}}; {{Cite web |last=Given-Wilson |first=Chris |date=9 July 2010 |title=Holy Fool |url=http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/reviews/history/article750063.ece |access-date=22 April 2014 |website=Times Literary Supplement |mode=cs2 |archive-date=25 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325201619/http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/reviews/history/article750063.ece |url-status=dead}}.</ref>}} His death was, as Mark Ormrod notes, "suspiciously timely", as it simplified Mortimer's political problems considerably, and most historians believe that Edward was probably murdered on the orders of the new regime, although it is impossible to be certain.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ormrod|2004|p=177}}.</ref> Several of the individuals suspected of involvement in the death, including Sir Thomas Gurney, Maltravers and {{Ill|William Ockley|fr}}, later fled.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=572–576}}; {{Harvnb|Haines|2003|pp=235–236}}.</ref>{{Efn|Thomas Berkeley was spared by Edward&nbsp;III, after a jury concluded in 1331 that he had not been involved in the killing of the late king. The same jury found that William Ockley and Thomas Gurney had been responsible for the death. Ockley was not heard of again, but Gurney fled and was pursued across Europe, where he was captured in Naples; he died as he was being returned to England. John Maltravers was not formally accused of murdering Edward&nbsp;II but left for Europe and from there contacted Edward&nbsp;III, possibly to make a deal over what he knew about the events of 1327; after a period in exile he was ultimately pardoned and given permission to return to England in 1351.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|pp=575–576}}; {{Harvnb|Haines|2003|pp=236–237}}.</ref>}} If Edward died from natural causes, his death may have been hastened by [[major depressive disorder|depression]] following his imprisonment.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2011|p=563}}.</ref>

The rule of Isabella and Mortimer did not last long after the announcement of Edward's death. They made peace with the Scots in the [[Treaty of Northampton]], but this move was highly unpopular.<ref>{{Harvnb|Haines|2003|pp=198–199}}.</ref> Isabella and Mortimer both amassed and spent great wealth, and criticism of them mounted.<ref>{{Harvnb|Haines|2003|pp=199–200}}.</ref> Relations between Mortimer and Edward&nbsp;III became strained and in 1330 the king conducted a ''[[coup d'état]]'' at [[Nottingham Castle]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Haines|2003|pp=214–216}}.</ref> He arrested Mortimer and then executed him on fourteen charges of treason, including the murder of Edward&nbsp;II.<ref>{{Harvnb|Haines|2003|pp=216–217}}.</ref> Edward&nbsp;III's government sought to blame Mortimer for all the recent problems, effectively politically rehabilitating Edward&nbsp;II.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ormrod|2004|pp=177–178}}.</ref> Edward&nbsp;III placed his mother under arrest, but she was released soon after.<ref>{{Harvnb|Rubin|2006|pp=55–56}}.</ref>