This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1860 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER II. EDWARD OF CAERNARVON. Bobn 1284. Died (king) 1327. The tide of the Welsh war rapidly ebbed after the death of Llewellyn, but a huge wave would occasionally rush and shatter itself into spray against the bulwarks reared by Edward I. expressly to check and break such assailants. Before the ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1860 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER II. EDWARD OF CAERNARVON. Bobn 1284. Died (king) 1327. The tide of the Welsh war rapidly ebbed after the death of Llewellyn, but a huge wave would occasionally rush and shatter itself into spray against the bulwarks reared by Edward I. expressly to check and break such assailants. Before the storm had quite lulled, the King manifested his sense of security by leaving his daughters, Eleanor and Joanna, to keep their little court in some Welsh castle alone, under ordinary guard, but with such good look-out as to insure the uninterrupted conveyance of supplies. Pennant calls Caernarvon Castle the magnificent badge of his countrymen's subjection. This palace-fortress, the very shell of which reflects honour on the names of its various architects, was commenced, by order of the King, in 1282, and was completed in about forty years. As portions were finished, they were inhabited; and, in 1284, a legend says that Edward's consort was brought there for the purpose of working out a political end which the astute King had in view. Hitherto he had been unlucky in his sons. He had had three, but two were dead; and the infant Alphonso, surviving in the early part of 1284, was in such poor health that he too passed away before the year itself had died out. On the other hand, the Princess Royal, Eleanor, was at this time a handsome and healthy girl, reckoning in age just a score of years. Even in the lifetime of her sickly brothers she had been designated by Edward as his successor. But the sceptre was not destined, in this instance, to go to the distaff. The Welshmen are reported to have longed for a native prince as vicegerent of their royal conqueror. The Queen of England was, in good old English phrase, in the family-way; and when she gave...
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