Editing Edward III of England (section)

=== Creating a new nobility ===
When Edward took power, he found his family in "complete disarray",{{sfn|Ormrod|1987|p=400}} says Ormrod. His nobility was divided into factions after the troublesome reign of his father and was weakened by line failure among many families.{{sfn|McFarlane|1973|pp=xxiii, 15, 55}} While the lesser baronage was less affected by political misadventure as their seniors, they were also weaker due to their rights being more insubstantive. Edward had to pacify two noble parties: one which had been against his father from the beginning, and another which had opposed Mortimer's and Isabella's minority regime.{{Sfn|Bothwell|1997|p=1111}} James Bothwell argues that, while he managed to reconcile the sides bloodlessly and with minimum acrimony, it was insufficient to leave him secure on his own: he lanced the opposition but had not turned them into a loyalist cadre.{{Sfn|Bothwell|1997|pp=1111–1112}} Only the [[Richard Fitzalan, 3rd Earl of Arundel|Earls of Arundel]], [[John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[Thomas Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick|Warwick]] could be counted on as loyalists.{{Sfn|Raven|2021|p=498}}

To counter the limited loyalty among the aristocrats, following the March 1337 Parliament{{Sfn|Raven|2021|p=498}} Edward created six new [[earl]]s. He also summoned 61 new men to the lords with lesser titles, usually by [[writ of summons]], over the rest of his reign.{{Sfn|Bothwell|1997|p=1112}} These creations – although expensive – received very little ill will among the extant aristocracy, including the royal family.{{Sfn|Bothwell|1997|p=1126}} The 1337 creations were [[Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester|Hugh de Audley]] to the [[Earldom of Gloucester]], [[William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton|William de Bohun]] to that of [[Earl of Northampton|Northampton]], [[William de Clinton]] to [[Earl of Huntingdon|Huntingdon]],  [[Henry of Grosmont]] to [[Earl of Derby|Derby]], [[William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury|William de Montagu]] to [[Earl of Salisbury|Salisbury]] and [[Robert Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk|Robert de Ufford]] to [[Earl of Suffolk|Suffolk]].{{Sfn|Raven|2021|p=498}} Of these, Bohun, Clinton, Montagu and Ufford had played leading roles in Edward's coup against Mortimer; they were likewise the greatest beneficiaries in terms of grants and estates.{{Sfn|Bothwell|2001|p=40}} Another common denominator was that most of them had also been trusted companions of Edward before the coup; Ufford, for example, jousted with him and attended him in his homage before [[Philip VI of France]],{{Sfn|Bothwell|2004|p=23}} while Montagu had been his "closest supporter",{{Sfn|Bothwell|2004|p=23}} and had run secret diplomatic missions to the Pope for him before the coup.{{Sfn|Bothwell|2008|p=84}}

James Bothwell has noted that, while these men may have been less well off before they were promoted, they were not less experienced,{{Sfn|Bothwell|2004|p=22}} either politically or militarily.{{Sfn|Raven|2021|p=499}} These promotions were especially important to Edward because it had been from among the earls that his father had created so many bitter enemies, and therefore that was the demography that Edward wanted to reorganise in his favour.{{Sfn|Bothwell|2004|pp=19, 22}} These promotions reinforced his own and the Crown's position and, with war approaching, he created six new recruitment conduits from the regions directly to the royal army.{{Sfn|Raven|2021|p=499}} For the earls themselves, the prospect was not so positive: due to the parlous state of the royal finances, most of them did not receive a minimum of 1000 [[Mark (currency)|mark]]s{{efn|A medieval English mark was a unit of currency equivalent to two-thirds of a [[Pound sterling|pound]].{{sfn|Harding|2002|p=xiv}}}} a year that was promised to them to uphold their new estate. All except Gloucester{{efn|Gloucester was an exception because he had married [[Margaret de Clare]], a co-heiress to the earldom of Gloucester, and this gave him an income of over £2000 a year.{{Sfn|Raven|2021|p=502}}}} had to be satisfied with irregular grants of land to boost their incomes, but these would often not be available until the incumbent died and they [[escheat]]ed to the King.{{Sfn|Raven|2021|pp=501–502}}