On This Day In Royal History . 25 April 1284 . King Edward II was born. . ◼ Edward II was born in Caernarfon Castle in North Wales on 25 April 1284, less than a year after Edward I had conquered the region, & as a result is sometimes called Edward of Caernarfon. The King probably deliberately chose the castle as the location for Edward’s birth, as it was an important symbolic location for the native Welsh, associated with Roman imperial history, & it formed the centre of the new royal administration of North Wales. . ◼ Edward’s birth brought with it predictions of greatness from contemporary prophets who believed that the Last Days of the world were imminent, declaring him to be a new King Arthur, who would lead England to glory. . ◼ Edward’s name was English in origin, linking him to the Anglo-Saxon saint Edward the Confessor, & was chosen by his father instead of the more traditional Norman & Castilian names selected for Edward’s brothers: Edward had three elder brothers: John & Henry who had died before Edward was born, & Alphonso, who died in August 1284, leaving Edward as the heir to the throne. . ◼ Although Edward was a relatively healthy child, there were enduring concerns throughout his early years that he too might die & leave his father without a male heir. . ◼ After his birth, Edward was looked after by a wet-nurse called Mariota or Mary Maunsel for a few months until she fell ill, when Alice de Leygrave became his foster mother. He would have barely known his natural mother Eleanor of Castile who was in Gascony with his father Edward I during his earliest years. An official household complete with staff was created for the new baby, under the direction of a clerk, Giles of Oudenarde. . . . #OnThisDayInHistory #ThisDayInHistory #TheYear1284 #King #KingofEngland #EdwardII #KingEdwardII #HouseofPlantagenet #Plantagenet #Plantagenets #History #EnglishMonarchy #BritishMonarchy #d25apr #otd #OnThisDay #historyinpictures #MedievalHistory #medieval #Medievalperiod #medievaltimes #medievalage #Theking #medievalking #Monarch #Monarchy #Royalty #Royals #RoyalFamily #EnglishHistory (at Caernarfon Castle) https://www.instagram.com/p/COGbEAfMaSb/?igshid=15b110oenpa32
