King Edward

"I'm so sick of Scotland!"

- Edward upon learning of Robert Bruce's rebellion

King Edward I of England was an antagonist in the 2018 movie Outlaw King.

He was portrayed by Stephen Dillane.

As a young man he was friends with Robert Bruce the Elder. Having married he fathered a son whom he named Edward.

Following the English victory at the Battle of Falkirk Edward traveled north to Scotland to accept the surrender of the Scottish nobility and their reaffirmation of their fealty to him as their king. Edward admired the young Robert Bruce for his willingness to stand up to him and his wisdom to stand down at the right time.

Shortly after the elder Robert Bruce died, William Wallace was captured and executed. Wallace's body was drawn and quartered, with his head thrust on a spike and displayed in London. An arm was sent north and nailed on a cross in Scotland, which caused the local population to riot over the death of their national hero. Seeing this Robert decided the time had come to rebel. After killing John Cromyn, Robert was named the King of the Scots.

Hearing the news of this, Edward sent his son north into Scotland, and declared that his son would raise the dragon banner. This meant that the English under this son's command gave no quarter to the Scottish. Robert was able to escape the English onslaught, which infuriated the elder Edward.

When Robert began his offensive against the English, Edward decided that he had to go north and deal with the Bruce himself. After arriving in Scotland Edward's health took a turn for the worse, and the English were forced to make camp. At the end of his life Edward ordered his son to boil the soft tissue off his body and carry his bones into each battle until Bruce was captured and his head placed upon an English spike.

After Edward died, the now Edward II ignored his father's wishes and ordered his immediate burial. Despite outnumbering the Scots six to one, Edward II's army was defeated by Bruce at the Battle of Lounden Hill. Scotland would continue to win victories that assured its independence for several more centuries. King Edward's son - never a popular King - was eventually murdered by his own nobles a number of years after the elder Edward had died.

Trivia

 * In Outlaw King the more negative attributes of Edward that had been seen in the Braveheart version of him were not as prevalent, and he was portrayed as a much more reasonable and honorable man.