| “ | I am so sick of Scotland! | „ |
| ~ Edward upon learning of Robert Bruce's rebellion. |
- See King Edward I of England for the Braveheart character.
King Edward I of England is the overarching antagonist in the 2018 movie Outlaw King.
He was portrayed by Stephen Dillane, who also played Stannis Baratheon in Game of Thrones.
Biography[]
In the years before William Wallace's rebellion he had participated in the crusades with the elder Robert Bruce, who saved his life at one point during the Crusades. 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 courage to stand up to him and Robert's wisdom to stand down at the right time. He names Aymer de Valence as the supervisor of Scotland.
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, the brother-in-law of Valence and cousin of Lord MacDougall, Robert was named the King of the Scots.
Hearing the news of this, Edward sent his son Edward, Prince of Wales 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 Loudoun 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, in turn making him far more accurate to his historical counterpart.
- The real Edward I was still alive after the Battle of Loudoun Hill. When he died, his body was taken south to England and buried in Westminster Abbey. His son was not with him at the time of his death.