Edward III of England

Reign: 1327 – 1377
Life: 1312–1377

The warrior-king Edward III came to the crown after his mother, Queen Isabella ("The She-Wolf of France"), deposed his father, Edward II, and ruled as de facto regent alongside her paramour, Roger Mortimer. Eventually, Edward seized control from his mother and her lover through a midnight coup, executing Mortimer and sentencing his mother to house arrest. Edward launched the Hundred Years' War by claiming the French crown through his mother's lineage, and England became one of the most formidable European military powers under his rule. The arrival of the Black Death midway through his reign wiped out over a third of the English population, however Edward's regime survived the plague intact.

During Edward III of England's reign, Orhan ruled Ottoman Empire, Afonso IV of Portugal ruled Portugal, and Ashikaga Takauji ruled Japan (Shogunate).

Further reading: Edward III by W. Mark Ormrod

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