Sliced and diced

In the winter of 1283 Peter of Aragon and Charles of Anjou agreed to meet at Bordeaux in June, to fight each over the crown of Sicily. They were to bring a hundred knights each and fight until one side was hacked to pieces. Edward I of England, as Duke of Gascony, was invited to act as umpire.

Charles of Anjou conspired with his kinsman, Philip III of France, to ambush Peter at Bordeaux and murder him. This seems to have been a standard tactic: the same fate had overcome Prince Llywelyn of Wales a few months earlier. Philip acted with the full knowledge and authority of the pope. At Paris, before his council, the French king was formally absolved by the papal legate of any oath or obligation towards Peter. This meant the king of Aragon could be betrayed and killed without fear of excommunication.

Philip then rose and said to Charles:

“We will go with you in person, and we shall go so well accompanied that we do not believe the king of Aragon will be so bold as to dare to appear on the day; or, if he does, he will lose his life. Neither the king of England nor anyone else will be able to help him.”

Conwy Castle

King Edward was far away at Conwy in North Wales, overseeing the war against Prince Dafydd. His seneschal in Gascony, Jean de Grailly, got wind of the plot and sent word to his master. He also received a frenzied appeal from the pope, ordering him to stop the tournament at Bordeaux. Since the pope had already given King Philip permission to murder Peter, this was sheer hypocrisy.

Edward, horrified at what was about to unfold, wrote to Charles:

“We cannot find it in our heart, nor in any manner possible, that such great cruelty should be done in our presence, nor within our power, nor in any other place where we could put a stop to it. For know truly, that not even to gain two such kingdoms as Sicily and Aragon would we guard the lists where such a battle should take place.”

Edward’s refusal to attend did nothing to stop the tournament going ahead. He dared not openly defy the combined power of France and Anjou, and in any case his entire army was in Wales. His fears were confirmed when Charles and Philip arrived at Bordeaux, not with a hundred knights as agreed, but at the head of twelve thousand armoured cavalry. The moment Peter turned up, he would be sliced and diced.

Although Peter lied to Edward about the invasion of Sicily, the English king had no desire to see him murdered. Such a political assassination would only plunge Europe into an even bigger war, and end any hopes of another crusade. So Edward had to think of something. At the same time he had to cope with the conflict raging in Wales, and the threat of another baronial revolt in England.

It was shit to be the king.