Edmund Crouchback facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edmund Crouchback
Effigy and monument of Edmund Crouchback, Westminster Abbey
Earl of Lancaster, Leicester, and Derby
Predecessor	None (position established)
Successor	Thomas of Lancaster
Born	16 January 1245 London, England
Died	5 June 1296 (aged 51) Bayonne, Duchy of Aquitaine
Burial	24 March 1301 Westminster Abbey
Spouse	Aveline de Forz ​ ​ (m. 1269; died 1274)​ Blanche of Artois ​ ​ (m. 1275)​
Issue more...	Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster
House	Plantagenet (by birth) Lancaster (founder)
Father	Henry III of England
Mother	Eleanor of Provence

Edmund, 1st Earl of Lancaster (16 January 1245 – 5 June 1296), also known by his epithet Edmund Crouchback, was a member of the royal Plantagenet Dynasty and the founder of the first House of Lancaster. He was Earl of Leicester (1265–1296), Lancaster (1267–1296) and Derby (1269–1296) in England, and Count Palatine of Champagne (1276–1284) in France.

Named after the 9th-century saint, Edmund was the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence and the younger brother of King Edward I of England, to whom he was loyal as a diplomat and warrior. In his childhood, Edmund engaged in the "Sicilian business" in which his father accepted a papal offer granting the Kingdom of Sicily to Edmund, and he made preparations to become king. However, Henry III could not provide funds for the operation, prompting the Papacy to withdraw the grant and give it to Edmund's uncle, Charles I of Anjou. The "Sicilian business" outraged the barons led by the Earl of Leicester and Edmund's uncle, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, and was cited as one of the reasons to limit Henry's power. Deterioration of relations between the barons and the king resulted in the Second Barons' War, in which the royal government, supported by Edmund, triumphed over the baronage following the death of Simon in the Battle of Evesham in 1265.

Edmund received the lands and titles of Simon and the defeated barons Nicholas Segrave, 1st Baron Segrave and Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby, and became Earl of Lancaster, Leicester, and Derby. Primarily known as the earl of the first county, he eventually became the most powerful baron of England. Later, Edmund accompanied his elder brother Edward on his crusade in the Holy Land, where his epithet, "Crouchback", originated from a corruption of 'cross back', referring to him wearing a stitched cross on his garments. Following the death of his first wife, Aveline de Forz, Edmund's aunt and Dowager Queen of France, Margaret of Provence, arranged his second marriage to Blanche of Artois, the recently widowed Queen Dowager of Navarre and the Countess of Champagne. With his second wife Blanche, Edmund governed Champagne as count palatine in the name of his stepdaughter Joan until she came of age. Edmund was active in supporting his family members, such as assisting Edward in conquering Wales, advocating for the claims of his aunt Margaret against his uncle Charles I of Anjou in his mother and aunt's homeland of Provence, and managing Ponthieu on behalf of his sister-in-law, Eleanor of Castile.

When Edmund's stepson-in-law, King Philip IV of France, demanded Edward, who was also his vassal through his lands of Gascony, to come to Paris to answer charges of damages caused by English mariners in 1293, Edward sent Edmund to mediate the crisis to avert war. Edmund negotiated an agreement with Philip where France would occupy Gascony for forty days, and Edward would marry Philip's half-sister, Margaret. When the forty days were over, Philip tricked Edward and Edmund by refusing to relinquish control over Gascony, citing Edward again to answer for his charges. Edmund and Edward then renounced their homages to Philip and prepared for war against France. Edmund sailed for Gascony with his army and besieged the city of Bordeaux. Unable to pay his troops, Edmund was deserted by his army, and retreated to Bayonne, where he died from illness in 1296. Edmund's body was brought back to England, where he was buried in Westminster Abbey in 1301.

Early years, 1245–1265

Birth and childhood

Birth of Edmund, 1245. Recorded by Matthew Paris

Edmund was born in London to King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence on 16 January 1245. Henry named him after the martyred and canonised 9th-century East Anglian king, whom Henry prayed to for a second son. He was a younger brother of Edward (later King Edward I of England), Margaret and Beatrice, and an elder brother of Catherine. Alongside his siblings, Edmund spent most of his childhood at Windsor Castle. Edmund grew emotionally attached to his father Henry, who rarely spent extended periods apart from his family.

Sicilian business

Engraving of Edmund's seal as King of Sicily granted during the "Sicilian business"

In 1254, Henry III accepted a papal offer from Pope Innocent IV to make Edmund the next king of Sicily. Sicily had been ruled by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, who was a rival to Innocent for many years, and the papacy hoped for a friendlier ruler to succeed Frederick following his death in 1250. For Henry, Sicily was a valuable prize for his son and would also provide a great base to launch his planned crusades in the east. Innocent tasked Henry with sending Edmund and an army to reclaim Sicily from Frederick's son, Manfred, King of Sicily, and to cover expenses and debts up to a total of £135,000, for which the papacy would provide assistance in funding.

The nine-year-old Edmund made preparations to become king, sailing to Gascony with his mother, Eleanor, in May 1254. In Bordeaux, on 3 October, Edmund granted his granduncle Count Thomas of Flanders the Principality of Capua before returning home in December of that year. On 18 October 1255, Edmund received a ceremonial investiture in Sicily, where his father Henry styled him as king and presented him with a ring. The following year, in January, Edmund granted a reward to one of his Italian followers, and in April, he proposed marriage to Plaisance of Antioch, the queen of Cyprus and Lady of Beirut. In April 1257, Henry paraded Edmund in Parliament dressed in Italian clothing to appeal for funds. He also suggested marrying Edmund to a daughter of Manfred to resolve the 'Sicilian business' in the summer of that year.

Prospects turned grim when Pope Alexander IV succeeded Innocent and faced military pressure from the Holy Roman Empire. Alexander could no longer finance Henry's expenses and instead demanded that Henry pay £90,000 in debts to the Papacy as compensation for the war. This was an enormous sum, and Henry found himself desperate for funds, seeking assistance from Parliament, but his request was denied. Despite further attempts, Parliament only granted partial assistance in funds to Henry. Growing impatient, Alexander sent an envoy to Henry in 1258, threatening him with excommunication unless he paid his debts and sent an army to Sicily. Failing to convince Parliament further, Henry resorted to extorting money from the senior clergy, raising approximately £40,000. Subsequently, either under Alexander or Pope Urban IV, the papacy revoked the grant of the Kingdom of Sicily to Edmund between 1258 and 1263 and instead bestowed the title upon Edmund's uncle, Charles I of Anjou.

Second Barons' War

Second Barons' War between Henry III (left) and Simon de Montfort (right)

The barons, led by Edmund's uncle, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, cited the 'Sicilian business' as one of their grievances against Edmund's father, King Henry III of England. This led to Henry's signing of the Provisions of Oxford in 1258, which curtailed his power as well as that of the major barons. However, Edmund collaborated with his brother, Edward, and Henry to overturn the Provisions in midsummer of 1262. Power in England swung back and forth between Henry and the barons, culminating in the Treaty of Kingston, where disputes would be resolved by Edmund's uncles, Richard of Cornwall and King Louis IX of France.

Despite the treaty, an open civil war erupted between the royal government and the radical barons led by Simon in the summer of 1263, prompting Edmund to flee from the Tower of London to Dover Castle. On 10 July, Henry wrote to Edmund and Robert de Glaston, the constable of Dover Castle, urging them to surrender the castle to the Bishop of London, Henry of Sandwich, who represented the barons, in preparation for peace negotiations. However, in a letter dated 28 July, Edmund and Robert refused to comply, arguing that surrendering the castle would go against their duties until peace was established. As a result, Henry had to personally command them to relinquish the castle.

When Simon's coalition of barons showed signs of fragmentation, Henry appealed to Louis for arbitration in the dispute, as stipulated in the Treaty of Kingston. Initially resistant to this, Simon eventually agreed to French arbitration, and representatives of Henry and Simon traveled to Paris. On 23 January 1264, Louis declared in the Mise of Amiens that Henry had the right to rule over the barons, thereby annulling the Provisions of Oxford. However, upon Henry's return to England, unrest brewed due to the unpopular French decision, and violence was imminent.

The Second Barons' War finally erupted in April 1264 when Henry's army occupied Simon's territories in the Midlands and advanced to reoccupy a route to France in the southeast. Accompanied by his mother, Eleanor, Edmund was in France, helping to raise a mercenary army to support his father, with financial assistance from his uncle Louis. Despite Simon's capture of Henry, Richard, and Edmund's brother Edward in the Baronial victory at Lewes on 14 May, he failed to consolidate his control over England as Edward managed to escape captivity. Following the Baronial defeat at Evesham on 4 August 1265, Simon was killed and dismembered by the royal army, and his lands and title as Earl of Leicester were forfeited.

Earl of Leicester and Lancaster, 1265–1293

Becoming earl

Chartley Castle in Staffordshire, one of the properties Edmund retained from the disgraced baron, Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby

On 26 October 1265, Edmund became the Earl of Leicester when his father, King Henry III of England, granted him the title and associated lands, following the re-creation of the earldom. Additionally, he received all the lands that had belonged to the rebel baron, Nicholas Segrave, 1st Baron Segrave. Once the king's victory over the barons was assured, Edmund returned to England on 30 October 1265. As a political refugee, he harboured a desire for revenge against the barons. Alongside his brother Edward, Edmund focused on suppressing the rebel barons known as the "disinherited," whose lands had been confiscated by the royal government. On 6 December of the same year, Edmund gained control of the castles of Cardigan and Carmarthen, and on 8 January 1266, he acquired the demesnes of Dilwyn, Lugwardine, Marden, Minsterworth and Rodley.

The Great Keep of Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire. Edmund received Kenilworth Castle following the Dictum of Kenilworth, which was signed to break the six-month siege of the castle by Edmund, his brother Edward, and his father King Henry III of England.

On 28 June of the same year, Edmund acquired the forfeited estates of Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby, whose family had held a significant feudatory since the time of Stephen, King of England. During the Second Barons' War, Robert was seen as an unreliable and violent ally to the barons, as he failed to appear promptly at the Battle of Lewes. Moreover, Robert had engaged in indiscriminate raids on the lands belonging to his rival and Edmund's brother, Edward. As a result, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, imprisoned him, fearing his excessive power. After receiving a pardon from Edmund's father, Henry III, Robert rebelled once again and was captured following his defeat at the Battle of Chesterfield on 15 May of that year. Edmund compelled Robert to agree that he would regain his estates upon payment of an exceedingly hefty sum, fully aware that Robert would be unable to afford such a penalty. This allowed Edmund to retain control of Robert's estates. When Edward ascended to the throne, he granted Edmund Robert's former domain of Chartley Castle on 26 July 1276 and absolved Edmund from the debts owed by Robert and his ancestors on 5 May 1277.

During the summer of 1266, Edmund led an army in Warwick to counter the raids carried out by the rebels occupying Kenilworth Castle. The Kenilworth garrison attempted to attack Warwick, but Edmund's forces successfully repelled them back to the castle. Subsequently, the royal army besieged Kenilworth Castle, with Edmund commanding one of the four divisions alongside his father, King Henry III of England, and his brother, Edward. The siege concluded on 13 December with the implementation of the Dictum of Kenilworth, which brought peace between the king and the baronial forces by 31 October. Shortly thereafter, Edmund acquired Kenilworth Castle, either in the same month or the following year.

Since Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd of the Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd was an ally of the barons, King Henry III of England dispatched Edmund, along with his Justiciar, Robert Walerand, on a diplomatic mission to negotiate peace with the prince on 21 February 1267. However, Llywelyn refused to make peace with the English until September when Henry threatened to invade Gwynedd. Edmund continued his diplomatic activities by attending the knighting ceremony of his cousin, Philip, conducted by his uncle, King Louis IX of France, in Paris on 4 June. During his visit, he received the hospitality of Robert II, Count of Artois and his sister Blanche of Artois.

Grosmont Castle in Monmouthshire in Wales, one of the Three Castles, which Edmund received from his brother Edward.

On 30 June 1267, Edmund became the Earl of Lancaster following the title's creation by Henry, and he was granted the royal demesne lands in Lancashire, along with the lordships of Lancaster, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Pickering. Edmund was primarily referred to as this title, and the other counties that he controlled, namely Leicester and later Derby, did not overshadow his association with Lancaster. On the same day, Edward granted Edmund the Three Castles and Monmouth Castle in Wales. The following year, Henry appointed Edmund as the Constable of Leicester Castle, a royal possession held in the king's name. The conclusion of the Second Barons' War marked a significant turning point in Edmund's life. Although he had been disappointed by losing the Sicilian crown to his uncle Charles I of Anjou, he now received a powerful earldom that established the Lancastrian branch of the Plantagenet dynasty. By this time, Edmund had gained a reputation as a ruthless and formidable warrior. With these acquisitions, he became the most influential peer in England, and even upon becoming king, Edward did not mind Edmund's powerful position or the affairs of most of the baronage due to Edmund's unwavering loyalty to him.

First marriage and crusading

Edmund's seal (19th-century reproduction by Henri d'Arbois de Jubainville)

In the Holy Land, under the leadership of Baibars, the Mamluks captured Antioch, the last remnant of the Principality that bears its namesake. The fall of the city led the papal legate of England, Ottobuono, the future head of the Catholic Church as Pope Adrian V, to preach for a new crusade. In an elaborate ceremony on 24 June 1268, Edmund pledged himself to undertake a crusade alongside his elder brother Edward and their cousin Henry of Almain. However, after years of civil war, the English crown had depleted funds to support a crusade. Edward was forced to borrow a loan from King Louis IX of France, who was organizing a large crusader force with the intent of invading Tunis. Despite being in a better position with his newly received earldom, Edmund hastened to marry a wealthy lady to fund the crusade.

On 20 November 1268, King Henry III of England, Edmund's father, arranged a marriage between Edmund and the recently widowed Isabel de Forz, 8th Countess of Devon. Isabel was a great and wealthy countess, holding the earldoms of Devon and Aumale, as well as the lordships of Holderness and the Isle of Wight. However, Edmund wanted to ensure the security of his inheritance and decided to marry Isabel's daughter, Aveline de Forz, Countess of Aumale. The marriage between Edmund and Aveline was arranged by Edmund's mother, Eleanor of Provence. On 8 or 9 April 1269, Edmund married Aveline, who was fourteen years his junior, in Westminster Abbey. As Aveline was only ten years old at the time, the marriage could not be consummated until she turned fourteen. Throughout the year of 1269, Edmund and his brother Edward prepared for the crusade, although they also participated in carrying the remains of Edward the Confessor to Westminster Abbey following the partial completion of the church's reconstruction by Henry on 13 October 1269. In addition, Edmund assumed the title of Earl of Derby on that year since Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby, was unable to fulfill his obligations. As a result, Edmund merged the title and estates of the Earldom with his Earldoms of Leicester and Lancaster.

Edmund and his elder brother Edward were preparing to join Louis on the expedition, but it faced several delays in the summer of 1270. The indecisiveness of their father, King Henry III of England, caused the postponements as he could not make up his mind on whether to participate. Upon the advice of his councilors, Henry III chose to remain in England while Edward led the first group of English crusaders, setting sail from Dover on 20 August that year. Unfortunately, the crusaders' plans failed when an epidemic broke out in their camp, killing Louis on 25 August. Edward arrived at Tunis on 10 November 1270, but it was too late to engage in battle due to the Treaty of Tunis, which had been signed on 30 October. As a result, most of the crusaders returned home.

Between 25 February and 4 March 1271, Edmund embarked for the Holy Land, leaving his mother Eleanor in charge of his estates. Edward had already set off on a crusade to Palestine to support Bohemund VI of Antioch, and arrived in Acre on 9 May 1271. In September 1271, Edmund arrived with a larger army, reinforced by King Hugh III of Cyprus, to assist his brother. Despite some successes, such as the raid on Qaqun, where the crusaders reputedly killed a thousand Turkomans and seized numerous cattle, and the repulsion of several Mamluk attacks, the limited size of the crusader forces compelled Hugh to sign a ten-year truce with Baibars in May 1272, much to Edward's dismay. With the crusade coming to an end, Edmund returned to England around 6 December, greeted by jubilant crowds in London upon his homecoming. However, Edmund's crusade proved futile and incurred significant expenses.

Historians Peter Heylyn and Simon Lloyd believe that the epithet 'Crouchback' for Edmund was conceived during the crusade, suggesting it as a corruption of 'crossback,' indicating that Edmund wore a cross stitched into the back of his garments while on the crusade. In 1394, John of Gaunt, the founder of the second House of Lancaster and husband of Edmund's great-granddaughter Blanche of Lancaster, interpreted the epithet differently, believing that Edmund was a hunchback. According to chronicler John Hardyng, John would forge chronicles to assert that Edmund was the elder brother and not Edward, claiming that the crown passed over him due to his physical deformity. However, Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, presented evidence countering these claims, stating that the chronicles described Edmund as a handsome knight who was skilled in combat.

Second marriage to Blanche of Artois

Blanche of Artois, Edmund's second wife, 1285

Edmund's father King Henry III of England died back in 16 November 1272, and Edmund's elder brother Edward was proclaimed king. However, Edward was on his way back to England from the Holy Land and his journey was slow, as Edward had to negotiate with King Philip III of France about several claims and put down a Gascon revolt. A rumour spread around that Edward was never going to return to England, leading to a growing rebellion in the northern part of the country. Edmund then dispersed the rebels with Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer of Wigmore. In 1273, Edmund's wife Aveline turned fourteen and Edmund consummated his marriage with her.

Edward returned to England on 2 August 1274 and following Edward's coronation as King Edward I of England on 19 August 1274, Edmund succeeded him as Lord High Steward of England on the day after. On 10 November 1274, Aveline suddenly died, leaving Edmund with no children and dashing his hopes to inherit Aveline's titles and earldoms. Edmund's maternal aunt and the Queen Dowager of France Margaret of Provence wanted to secure a wealthy bride for her nephew not only for familial reasons, but to convince Edmund's brother Edward to support her claims to Provence against Charles I of Anjou, King of Sicily.

Margaret of Provence pushed for the marriage between Edmund and Blanche of Artois, the Queen Dowager of Navarre as widow of King Henry I of Navarre and the Countess of the wealthy and powerful County of Champagne and Brie, which made up more than Edmund's lost possessions. Blanche accepted the match because she needed a second husband that was congenial to King Philip III of France, of which Edmund is his cousin, to help manage Champagne with her. However, the chronicler John of Trokelowe reported that Edmund and Blanche have also heard of each other as a chivalrous knight and a skilled and beautiful regent respectively, and they became mutually attracted to each other. Blanche's brother Robert II, Count of Artois, an ally to Charles I of Anjou, was furious upon hearing about their engagement, believing the English to still be hostile to France. Edward meanwhile was neutral to the couple's betrothal, seeing it as nothing more than an additional familial link with his French relatives.

On 6 August 1275, Edmund received a writ of protection to travel overseas from England to France to meet his bride. Between December 1275 and January 1276 in Paris, Edmund married Blanche, three years his junior, and thus became a stepfather to Blanche's daughter Joan. In the name of Joan, Edmund became the count palatine of Champagne and would govern the County along with his wife until Joan reaches the age of majority. In that month, Edmund did homage to Philip III, becoming his vassal. The kings of France struggled in controlling Champagne as a vassal until Joan's betrothal to Philip the Fair, the son of Philip III, which allowed Philip III to fully control the county. Due to his commitments elsewhere, Edmund could only administer Champagne intermittently with the Grand Butler of France John II of Brienne serving in his absence. In June, Edmund brought Blanche to England to see his English possessions and in July made a journey to his wife's kingdom of Navarre around the same time Blanche's brother Robert was pacifying the region.

Commander at Wales and diplomat

Seal depicting Edmund's coat of arms as Count Palatine of Champagne

Following the deterioration of relations between England and the Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd, Edmund's brother King Edward I of England declared war on Gwynedd in November 1276. In early 1277, Edmund returned to England following a military summons by Edward alongside other English nobles to proceed against the Prince of Wales Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. Edmund succeeded Payne de Chaworth as capitaneus of the royal forces in South Wales in April and launched military operations against the Welsh alongside Roger Mortimer and William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick. Payne has previously has success in the valley of the River Towy, capturing the castles of Dryslywn, Dinefwr, Carreg Cennan and Llandovery, allowing Edmund who assumed his command to push further north, seizing the lands of the Welsh noble Rhys ab Maelgwyn and taking Aberystwyth at the end of July 1277. Edmund assigned his troops to rebuild Aberystwyth Castle, then known as Llanbadarn Castle, and returned to England on 20 September, assigning Roger Myles as constable of the castle. War ended with the Treaty of Aberconwy in November 1277, with Gwynedd surrendering and ceding control over its vassals and conquered territories.

In 1278, Edmund travelled to his dominion of Champagne to administer the county, before returning to England to approve and attend the wedding of Llywelyn and his cousin Eleanor de Montfort, the daughter of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester in Worcester. In the same year, Edmund's wife Blanche gave birth to their son Thomas, becoming heir to the Earldom of Lancaster and all of Edmund's domains. The next year, Edward appointed Edmund to be Ambassador to France to negotiate with their cousin King Philip III of France regarding the English claims of Counties of Agenais and Quercy due to them being part of the dowry of Edmund and Edward's grand-aunt Joan of England, which were under the control of Alphonse, Count of Poitiers.

Since Alphonse died without issue, according to the Treaty of Abbeville of 1259 signed between England and France, the counties as part of Joan's dowry should return to the English crown. Edmund managed to sign a treaty with Philip in May 1279, with Philip renouncing his oath of allegiance that he made from the vassals of Aquitaine back in 1275 and ceding only Agenais to the English, as he did not believe Quercy to be a part of Joan's dowry. In addition, with the approval of Philip, Edmund started governing the County of Ponthieu alongside his brother-in-law Duke John II of Brittany (through his sister Beatrice) on behalf of his sister-in-law Eleanor of Castile, who inherited the County as Countess following the death of her mother Joan of Dammartin in 1279.

Business in France

Ramparts of Provins in France

In January 1280, a mob formed in Provins, the capital of Brie and also part of the County of Champagne, following the implementation of an unpopular tax, and installed Gilbert de Morry as mayor, killing the previous mayor William Pentecost. Edmund and the Grand Butler of France John II of Brienne marched to Provins with an army, and the leaders of the mob fled and the gates open to them. Edmund and John forfeited the town's privileges and authorities, disarmed the inhabitants of Provins, and condemned the leaders of the mob to death or banishment, with Gilbert excommunicated. ..... Edmund went back to visit his estates in England following his chastisement of Provins.

Edmund returned to France and pardoned the town of Provins in July 1281 through the meditation of several church officials and Gilles de Brion, the grand mayor of Donnemarie and brother of Pope Martin IV. Edmund returned privileges to the town, and allowed the inhabitants of Provins to build new fountains, acquire buildings for their courts, and establish a bell to mark the work hours and curfew, but in exchange, enacted a harsh tax on the town. The prosperity of Provins soon declined, in contrast to Leicester, a town in Edmund's English domains that saw major growth during his reign. In the same year, Blanche gave birth to Edmund's second son Henry, of which his son Henry of Grosmont would eventually become one of the powerful leaders of England during the Hundred Years' War.

In the autumn of 1281, Edmund, as Count Palatine of Champagne, joined forces in Mâcon in October with Philip I of Savoy, Robert II of Burgundy, Otto IV of Burgundy, and other nobles to support the claims of his aunt Margaret of Provence to her homeland of Provence against his uncle Charles I of Anjou, who had solidified his control over the region and was unwilling to negotiate. Edmund and the nobles would assemble their forces at Lyon in May 1282 to invade Provence, but the eruption of the Sicilian Vespers forced Charles to rent out Provence to Margaret, averting war. At that month, Edmund heard that Wales had launched a war against England, and returned to England to command the English army in South Wales. The Prince of Wales Llywelyn ap Gruffudd retreated southwards when Edward's army pressed hard in North Wales, but a detachment of Edmund's army lured Llywelyn into a trap and killed him in the Battle of Orewin Bridge on 11 December 1282. Edward finalized his conquest of Wales through the capture of Llywelyn's brother Dafydd ap Gruffydd in June 1283, who succeeded Llywelyn as Prince of Wales in December.

Ceding Champagne and managing England

Edmund's stepdaughter Joan I of Navarre

As Joan approaches the age of eleven, the age of majority in France, Edmund debated with his cousin King Philip III of France that Joan would still be under his guardianship until she turned twenty-one in accordance to the laws of Champagne. This would allow him to attain management and revenue of the county for a longer duration. For three months, Edmund would query on Joan's age of majority until Philip III gave a definite assertion and he finally yielded.

Following Joan reaching the age of majority on 14 January 1284, Philip III compromised with Edmund's wife Blanche of Artois on 17 May via a treaty that allows her to keep several of her dowerlands: the castles of Sézanne, Chantemerle, Nogent-sur-Seine, Pont-sur-Seine and Vertus, and the Palace of Navarrese Kings in Paris, as well as 60,000 to 70,000 livres tournois to Edmund and Blanche. In addition, Philip relinquished any claim to half of the property acquired and held jointly by Blanche and her first husband King Henry I of Navarre in Champagne and extended this renouncement to Edmund since he married Blanche.

Following the marriage of Joan and Prince Philip the Fair, Philip III's son, on 16 August 1284, Edmund renounced the title of Count Palatine of Champagne and ceded control of all of the county except his wife's dowerlands to Philip the Fair. Edmund and Blanche's last son, John, arrived before May 1286. For the rest of the 1280s, Edmund oversaw the affairs of his lands, such as hiring a chaplain for Tutbury Castle, but also accompanied his brother King Edward I of England when he stayed in Gascony for almost three years.

Edward soon inherited the County of Ponthieu following the death of his wife Eleanor of Castile on 28 November 1290. On 23 April 1291, due to Edmund's experience in managing his French domains, Edward granted Ponthieu to Edmund in which he would administer the county until Edward's son Edward of Caernarfon becomes of age. During the assembly at Norham on 13 June 1291 to select the next King of Scotland, Edmund witnessed the submission of rival claims to the Scottish crown under Edward's arbitration. Edmund also observed the claimants' pledge to accept his brother's decision and witnessed the Scottish nobility swearing fealty to Edward as their overlord.

On 5 February 1292, Edmund was chosen as part of a five-member commission with full authority to establish and enforce regulations to uphold the use of arms in the kingdom. During the same year, he also provided bail for Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, when he was involved in a private war with Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford, regarding their rights and privileges as Marcher lords. In 1293, Edmund founded the Abbey of the Minoresses of St. Clare without Aldgate, a convent for the Order of Poor Clares, outside Aldgate. Blanche, his wife, facilitated the arrival of the first nuns of the convent from France to England. Due to the high rank of Edmund and Blanche in society, the Abbey grew more rapidly than any other Minoresses houses in England. Additionally, he played a role in establishing a Greyfriars priory at Preston, located in his earldom of Lancaster.

Last years, 1293–1296

Crisis with France

King Philip IV of France, Edmund's stepson-in-law through his stepdaughter Joan and his cousin first removed through his cousin King Philip III of France

The cordial relationship between England and France soured intensely when English mariners of the Cinque Ports defeated the Norman fleet off of Brittany in 15 May 1293 and afterwards sacked the port of La Rochelle in Poltiers. Edmund's stepson-in-law and first cousin once removed, King Philip IV of France, was outraged and demanded Edmund's brother King Edward I of England to deliver the offenders and to pay for damages or he will confiscate the English-held vassal of Gascony and imprison many of its influential citizens. On 27 October 1293, Philip IV formally summoned Edward to come to Paris in person to answer for the charges against him in January 1294. The French, especially followers of Philip's brother, Count Charles of Valois, wanted France to annex the Duchy of Aquitaine, which comprises Gascony, believing that Edward wanted war.

Edward did not want war and wanted to show his respect to Philip as his vassal, and sent Edmund and some ambassadors to Paris to negotiate with Philip. Edmund left England for France between the end of 1293 to the beginning of 1294, bringing his wife Blanche with him. In Paris, Edmund was unsuccessful in negotiating a compromise with Philip, until Philip's wife and Edmund's stepdaughter through Blanche Queen Joan I of Navarre and his cousin-in-law Queen Dowager of France Marie of Brabant offered to intervene on Edmund's behalf. The private conversation between the queens and the English envoys was cordial and easy-going, with the queens assuring Philip now and then.

The English was able to make a secret agreement with Philip in which in exchange of Edward's citation being withdrawn, Edward will marry Philip's half-sister Margaret and France will occupy Gascony for forty days. To arrange the marriage, Edward will come under safe-conduct to Amiens in the week before or after Easter of 1294 once the forty days of occupation is over. Edmund, satisfied with the agreement, ordered John St John, the Lieutenant of Gascony, to hand Gascony over to the French, but not before receiving a personal assurance from Philip that he will honor his agreement in front of an audience including the English envoys, Blanche, and Duke Robert II of Burgundy. After hearing rumours of French betrayal and that Margaret will not accept him as a husband, Edward decided not to visit France, much to Philip's anger.

When the forty days expired, Edmund and the English envoys asked that Gascony be returned to Edward and the citation be withdrawn. Philip reassured them that they should not be alarmed when he gives a negative answer in public since Philip did not want to refuse some of his council members who are opposed to restoring Gascony back to English control. The English asked if they could attend the council meeting but they were refused, and they waited anxiously for Philip's response. Once the meeting was completed, the bishops of Orléans and Tournai told the English envoys that France will keep Gascony from Edward and Philip's mind will not change. Finally, in 21 April, in a parlement session overseen by Philip, Edward was cited again to appear in Paris with no safe-conducted granted nor a delay allowed, fooling Edmund, Blanche and Edward. Historian Michael Prestwich believes that the French queens were likely acting in good faith in representing Edmund's interests, but they and Edmund underestimate their influence on Philip.

War in France

A map of Bordeaux in 1229, where Edmund launched his siege

Upon hearing the decision on his brother King Edward I of England, Edmund renounced his homage to King Philip IV of France, and with his wife Blanche of Artois, sold a part of her dowerlands to an abbey. The couple returned to England with all of their English household and John of Brittany, who had also renounced his homage to Philip. Edward formally renounced his homage to Philip and the English baronage prepared for war. On 1 July 1294, Edward wrote to his administrators in Gascony, apologizing of the secret treaty and will send Edmund and the Earl of Lincoln Henry de Lacy to reclaim Gascony and on 3 September ordered the Cinque Ports to provide shipping for Edmund's voyage. Following the suppression of a Welsh rebellion, Edmund and his envoys explained the causes of the war to a council of magnates on 5 August 1295. Edmund was among the loudest of the nobles in their cries for war.

Edmund planned to launch his expedition to Gascony in October, but fell ill in that autumn and did not depart England until the winter. With his expedition, he brought his wife Blanche, Earl Henry de Lacy, 26 knights bannerets and 1,700 men-at-arms. The English prince landed in Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Brittany, sending messengers that the Englishmen will rest there for several days. The Bretons responded by hanging the messengers, resulting in Edmund's forces looting the countryside. English soldiers also looted the Abbey of Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre, though Edmund ordered them to return all stolen valuables back to the abbey. The English army then arrived at Brest, where they received supplies, and sailed down to Blaye and later Castillon, where they landed their forces.

The castle of Lesparre surrendered to Edmund's forces on 22 March 1296, and Edmund launched his siege of Bordeaux with his encampment in Bègles in the south. On 28 March, the Bordeaux garrison attempted to surprise-attack the English encampment but realized the English were waiting for them and hastily retreated back to the city, though sustaining many casualties. On 30 March, the English managed to break into the outer wall of Bordeaux, but did not have siege engines to break into the city's inner walls. Hearing his brother-in-law Robert II, Count of Artois, in command of a French army was at Langon, Edmund and his army left Bordeaux to meet him. Edmund did not find his brother-in-law in Langon, though the village surrendered to him. Edmund then launched the siege of the castle in nearby Saint-Macaire, alerting Robert to send his forces to relieve the castle. Realizing his funds are low, Edmund returned to Bordeaux to siege the city.

Death and burial

By this point, Edmund ran out of money to pay his army, so his mercenaries deserted him. Edmund and his remaining forces then travelled to Bayonne, where he was warmly received, though the failure of his campaign troubled him. The English prince soon fell sick on 13 May 1296, and died on 5 June. In his will, Edmund instructed that his body should not be buried until his debts are paid. Edmund's remains were embalmed and initially kept at the church of the Friars Minors in Bayonne. After six months, they were transferred to the Convent of the Minoresses in London, England. On 17 November 1296, Edmund's widow, Blanche of Artois, obtained a safe conduct for her return to England. In 1298, she received a third of Edmund's estates as part of her dowry. On 24 March 1301, Edmund's body was transported to St Paul's Cathedral and later moved to Westminster Abbey, where it was laid to rest in an elaborate tomb near the resting place of Edmund's first wife, Aveline de Forz.

Family

Coat of arms of Edmund Crouchback and the House of Lancaster

Issue

Edmund's first wife Aveline de Forz died before the couple could have any children.

By his second wife Blanche of Artois, Edmund had four children. Of these, all of his three sons outlived their father. Edmund's children with Blanche were:

• Thomas (b. c. 1278 – 22 March 1322)
• Henry (b. c. 1281 – 22 September 1345)
• John (b. bef. May 1286 – 13 June 1317)
• Mary, no dates were recorded, presumably died young in France

Through his marriage to Blanche, Edmund also became stepfather to Queen Joan I of Navarre.

Ancestry and family tree