Edward I (June 17, 1239 – July 17, 307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (from Latin: Malleus Scotorum), is King of England from 1272 to 1307.

The first son of Henry III, Edward is involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which includes an outright rebellion by the English barons.

In 1259, he briefly sides with a baronial reform movement, supporting the Provisions of Oxford.

After reconciliation with his father, however, he remains loyal throughout the subsequent armed conflict, known as the Second Barons' War.

After the Battle of Lewes, Edward is hostage to the rebellious barons, but escapes after a few months and joins the fight against Simon de Montfort.

Montfort is defeated at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, and within two years the rebellion is extinguished.

With England pacified, Edward leaves on a crusade to the Holy Land.

The crusade accomplishes little, and Edward is on his way home in 1272 when he is informed that his father has died.

Making a slow return, he reaches England in 1274 and he is crowned king at Westminster on 19 August.

He spends much of his reign reforming royal administration and common law.

Through an extensive legal inquiry, Edward investigates the tenure of various feudal liberties, while the law is reformed through a series of statutes regulating criminal and property law.

Increasingly, however, Edward's attention is drawn towards military affairs.

After suppressing a minor rebellion in Wales in 1276–77, Edward responds to a second rebellion in 1282–83 with a full-scale war of conquest.

After a successful campaign, Edward subjects Wales to English rule, builds a series of castles and towns in the countryside and settles them with Englishmen.

Next, his efforts are directed towards Scotland.

Initially invited to arbitrate a succession dispute, Edward claims feudal suzerainty over the kingdom.

In the war that follows, the Scots persevere, even though the English seems victorious at several points.

At the same time, there are problems at home.

In the mid-1290s, extensive military campaigns require high levels of taxation, and Edward meets with both lay and ecclesiastical opposition.

These crises are initially averted, but issues remain unsettled.

When the king dies in 1307, he leaves to his son, Edward II, an ongoing war with Scotland and many financial and political problems.

Edward I is a tall man for his era, hence the nickname "Longshanks".

He is temperamental, and this, along with his height, makes him an intimidating man, and he often instills fear in his contemporaries.

Nevertheless, he holds the respect of his subjects for the way he embodied the medieval ideal of kingship, as a soldier, an administrator and a man of faith.

Modern historians have been more divided on their assessment of the king; while some have praised him for his contribution to the law and administration, others have criticised him for his uncompromising attitude to his nobility.

Currently, Edward I is credited with many accomplishments during his reign, including restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III, establishing parliament as a permanent institution and thereby also a functional system for raising taxes, and reforming the law through statutes.

At the same time, he is also often criticzed for other actions, such as his brutal conduct towards the Scots, and issuing the Edict of Expulsion in 1290, by which the Jews were expelled from England.

The Edict remains in effect for the rest of the Middle Ages, and it will be over 350 years until it is formally overturned under Oliver Cromwell in 1656.