The elder Spencer was besieged in the castle of Bristol, and fell into the hands of his enemies. Though he was nearly ninety years old, and had never done any real wrong, he was barbarously hanged; and his son, who was shortly afterwards captured with the king while attempting to escape from England, was likewise put to death. Edward was sent to Kenilworth castle, where he was compelled to resign the crown.
No very grave accusations were brought against him, the chief thing that could be alleged against him being that he could not govern the country, and gave his power to others, while he indulged in foolish and frivolous amusements. He was first placed as a prisoner in the hands of the Earl of Lancaster;* but as that nobleman seemed to pity the fallen king’s misfortunes, the Queen Isabella and her friend Roger Mortimer were afraid that the earl might wish to replace him on the throne, and therefore removed Edward to Berkeley Castle, where soon afterwards they caused him to be cruelly murdered.
This unhappy king perished on the 21st of September, 1327, in the forty-third year of his age. He had reigned over England during twenty miserable, turbulent years.
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* Henry (?1281-1345), 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster. He was a grandson of King Henry III of England (r. 1216-1272), making Edward II his cousin. Henry’s father Thomas, the 2nd Earl, had played a key role in the fall of Piers Gaveston, and after Edward’s humiliating defeat by Robert I of Scotland at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Thomas had been the country’s de facto governor. However, he overstretched himself in attempting to bring down the Despensers. He lost the Battle of Boroughbridge to them on March 16th, 1322, and Thomas was beheaded six days later after a trial in which he was not permitted to provide any defence.