English noble of Gascon origin; favorite of King Edward II
1284 CE
to 1312 CE
Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall (c. 1284 – 19 June 1312) is an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favorite of King Edward II of England.
At a young age makes a good impression on King Edward I "Longshanks", and is assigned to the household of the King's son, Edward of Caernarfon.
The prince's partiality for Gaveston is so extravagant that Edward I sends the favurite into exile, but he Gaveston is recalled a few months later, after the King's death leads to the prince's accession as Edward II.
Edward bestows the Earldom of Cornwall on Gaveston, and arranges for him to marry his niece Margaret de Clare, sister of the powerful Earl of Gloucester.
Gaveston's exclusive access to the King provokes several members of the nobility, and in 1307 the King is again forced to send him into exile.
During this absence he serves as the King's Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
Edward manages to negotiate a deal with the opposition, however, and Gaveston returns the next year.
Upon his return his behavior becomes even more offensive, and by the Ordinances of 1311 it is decided that Gaveston shall be exiled for a third time, to suffer outlawry if he returns.
When he does return in 1312, he is hunted down and executed by a group of magnates led by Thomas of Lancaster and Guy de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.
It was alleged by medieval chroniclers that Edward II and Piers Gaveston were lovers, a rumor that was reinforced by later portrayals in fiction, such as Christopher Marlowe's late sixteenth-century play Edward II.
This assertion has received the support of some modern historians, while others have questioned it.
According to Pierre Chaplais, the relationship between the two was that of an adoptive brotherhood, and Gaveston served as an unofficial deputy for a reluctant king.
Other historians, like J. S. Hamilton, have pointed out that concern over the two men's sexuality was not at the core of the nobility's grievances, which rather centered on Gaveston's exclusive access to royal patronage.
