After staying briefly at the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, King Edward I travelled north to Carlisle. His son, Edward (II) of Caernarfon remained at the Abbey for a week longer, living as a monk, before following his father. The king ensured his standard had been blessed by every holy relic that the Abbey possessed.

After a short siege lasting only 5 days Caerlaverock Castle fell, the Scots giving King Edward I little resistance. Prince Edward of Caernarfon took control of the rearguard of the English army and apart from a small skirmish, saw no action.

Pope Boniface sent a letter to King Edward I demanding that he should withdraw from Scotland. Edward ignored the letter, but because the campaign was not a success, the English soon left for England anyway.

Edward arranged a truce and returned to England.

King Edward I found the land laid waste as he advanced into Scotland. At Linlithgow he halted and built a castle where he spent Christmas.

King Edward I and the Scots signed a peace treaty. John Segrave was left in charge in Scotland with a force of 20,000 men.

A Scottish army of around 8,000 men, led by John Comyn and Simon Fraser, defeated an English army of 30,000 men. Roslin is located just to the south of Edinburgh.

The Scots appointed John Comyn as regent and with Sir Simon Frazer he marched south from northern Scotland to repel the English. Segrave was captured by the Scottish forces.

William Wallace had returned to Scotland from France where he had been in exile and so Edward took an army into Scotland.

As part of Edward's campaign in Scotland he attacked and took control of Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness. Sir Alexander Comyn was left in change.

After his defeat at Courtrai Philippe IV called on King Edward I for a peace treaty. Part to this involved Edward regained some French land and Philippe's daughter, Isabella, marrying Edward's son, the future Edward II, king of England.

King Edward I had reached Perth by June and stayed there until July. In August Edward had besieged Brechin.

Edward spent the winter months at Dunfermline Abbey where he planned the attack on Stirling Castle.

Edward began a siege of Stirling Castle.

The Scots surrendered Stirling Castle to Edward. The constructions of a huge trebuchet was ordered by the English king to bombard the castle into submission. The siege engine was called Warwolf.

William Wallace was betrayed and captured by the English.

William Wallace was tried and executed.

Robert Bruce, the new King of Scotland, was camped on high ground by the River Almond near Methven, west of Perth. An English army led by the Earl of Pembroke attacked the Scots in an early morning raid. Unprepared for the assault, the Scots were defeated but Bruce was able to make his escape.

The English were defeated by the Scots at the battle of Loudoun Hill led by Robert I of Scotland.

Robert Bruce captured Urquhart Castle and placed it in the care of Sir Thomas Ranpolph, the Earl of Moray.

Edward II granted the castle and town of Knaresborough to Pier Gaveston around this time and spent money on the castle to provide his favourite with a palace to live in.

Supported by Earls of Gloucester, Warwick and Cornwall, Edward took an army into Scotland. Edward directed the assaults from Berwick. The campaign was fruitless even though Gaveston managed to reach as far north as Perth.

The conflict within England gave Robert Bruce the opportunity to attack towns and forts in the north of England. He was commonly paid large sums of money by the towns' people to leave them alone. In this way he was able to raise enough money to buy better weapons for his army.

The marriage of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster to Alice de Lacy, the heiress of the of the powerful Henry de Lacy, gave the Earl even more titles and properties. One of these properties was Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire.

Edward and Gaveston were at Newcastle when they were alerted to the news that the Earl of Lancaster was heading for them. They escaped down river to Tynemouth where the King and Gaveston took a boat to Scarborough leaving behind them everything and everybody including Isabella, Edward's wife. Gaveston took refuge at Scarborough Castle and Edward went to York.

While the Earl of Lancaster set up camp midway between York and Scarborough to prevent Gaveston and the King rejoining, the Earls of Pembroke and Surrey besieged Scarborough castle. The castle was not prepared to withstand the stand-off and Gaveston surrendered after a couple of weeks. The terms of his surrender were generous and Pembroke gave his word that Gaveston would not be harmed until he was presented to Parliament.

The Earl of Pembroke with his captive Gaveston, stopped at Deddington for the night. Pembroke left Gaveston to attend to other matters. The Earl of Warwick took advantage of Pembroke's absence and took Gaveston from his bed. They went to Warwick Castle and Gaveston was thrown in the dungeon. The four Earls, Lancaster, Warwick, Arundel and Hereford took the decision that Gaveston should be punished and took him to Blacklow Hill where he was executed. As Gaveston was under excommunication, the body was not buried straight away.

More lands were added to Philippe's domain.

Using stealth and surprise tactics Robert Bruce's army recaptured Perth, Dundee, Edinburgh and Roxburgh from English occupation.

Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, started the construction of a castle at Dunstanburgh on the Northumbrian coast.

Stirling Castle was still under the control of English forces but was under siege from the Scots led by Edward Bruce. Bruce and the English commander, Sir Philippe de Mowbray, came to an agreement that if English forces had not reached the castle by midsummer 1314, Mowbray would surrender the castle to the Scots. Bruce even let Mowbray leave the castle to inform the English king of the agreement.

King Edward II called upon the earls to provide men and arms and to meet at Berwick on the 10th of June 1314 to attack the Scots.

To prevent Scottish castles falling into English hands, Robert Bruce ordered that the castles at Roxburgh, Linlithgow and Edinburgh should be destroyed.

Edward II and his army left Berwick to march to Stirling Castle which they had to reach before midsummer's day if the castle were to be saved from falling back into the hands of the Scots.

Forces led by Edward II were defeated by Robert I at Bannockburn. Edward was trying to reach Stirling Castle to relieve the English forces there. This was an important battle for the Scots to win and helped them to make some gains of land in northern England even if the success was short-lived.

Edward Bruce landed in Ireland in an attempt to become King of Ireland.

Edward Bruce was defeated and killed at the Battle of Faughart by the English led by John de Birmingham.

The last Scottish town to be held in English hands had been captured by Robert the Bruce. The loss of Berwick brought Edward and Lancaster together. Their common goal was to recapture the town and together with the Earl of Pembroke and Surrey they marched north.

While the best of the English army were at Berwick, a Scottish army led by Sir James Douglas invaded Yorkshire. With an untrained army the Archbishop of York, William Melton, tried to fight off the Scots but was defeated at Myton-in-Swalesdale. With the Scots threatening their lands in the north the earls, with Edward at Berwick, abandoned the siege and returned to their homes. Queen Isabella who was in York at the time managed to escape to safety at Nottingham.

Hugh Despenser began obtaining lands in South Wales. He did this by exchanging estates he held in England and by obtaining grants from the king. He even obtained the Isle of Lundy. When the last male heir of the Marcher Lord Braose family died, Despenser was able to obtain the land that the family owned in and around Swansea. This angered the other Marcher Lords as they had customs that allowed land to pass into the hands of one another. The Marcher Lords threatened to start a civil war and it was agreed that a Parliament should be called to settle the matter. It was also agreed that Despenser was to be held in custody by Lancaster until the meeting but Despenser refused.

Edward was forced to lay siege to Leeds Castle after an incident involving his wife Queen Isabella. The Queen had wanted to stay at the castle while travelling to Canterbury but was refused entry by the owners wife. The owner of the castle, who was not there at the time, was Lord Badlesmere, a supporter of Lancaster. When Isabella's men tried to gain access to the castle, some of them were killed. On hearing of the problem, Edward took an army to the castle and after a week broke the siege. Several of the Marcher Lords began to march into England in support of Lord Badlesmere. They only got as far as Kingston-upon-Thames when the siege ended. Edward then had every excuse to engage the Marcher Lords in their act of rebellion.

Edward advanced up the Severn Valley and crossed the river at Shrewsbury. Several of the Marcher Lords surrendered to the King without a fight. Lancaster had moved to his base at Pontefract. The King took time to take control the castles belonging to the Marcher Lords.

Lancaster left his base at Pontract and headed north. At the bridge crossing the river Ure at Boroughbridge he was halted by an army led by Andrew Harcley, the Earl of Carlisle. Harcley held the bridge against Lancaster's attacks and Lancaster was forced to surrender. Lancaster was taken back to Pontefract Castle where Edward had taken control.

The two year truce that had been agreed after the failed siege by the English at Berwick expired and Robert the Bruce invaded the north of England.

In response to Robert the Bruce's attacks in the north of England, Edward called for an army and took them into Scotland. The Scots were prepared for the English and had burnt land and supplies in front of Edward's army making it difficult for the English to survive.

After returning from Scotland, Edward and Queen Isabella rested at Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire. The Scots were still nearby and met the English army led by the Earl of Richmond near Old Byland. The Scots defeated the English army and Edward had to flee to escape capture. Isabella too escaped.

Edward and Robert the Bruce began negotiations for a peaceful settlement of their differences. There were difficulties because Robert claimed the title of King of Scotland but Edward initially refused this because he had inherited the title from his father King Edward I. The execution of the Earl of Carlisle had led to the start of negotiations. Carlisle had approached Robert with the intention of preparing the ground for peace talks but had not informed the king of his intentions. His actions were discovered and the king assumed his actions were treasonable. Carlisle was executed as a traitor.

A thirteen year peace was signed at York between Scotland and England.

At a Parliament called to discuss the situation in France, it was decided to send a petition to Isabella for her return to England. She refused. In France, her brother the King had become annoyed with Isabella's conduct. Isabella left France and went to the court of William II, Count of Hainault who assisted her with preparations to invade England. A promise was made to marry Prince Edward, now Duke of Aquitaine to William's daughter Philippa.

Preparations were made in England for the threatened invasion from Isabella. Preparations were made difficult because Hugh Despensers was so unpopular.

Isabella arranged the future marriage between her son Edward and Philippa the daughter of William count of Hainault. Isabella claimed part of Philippa's dowry in advance so that she could finance her invasion of England.

The King was captured in Wales at the Abbey of Neath. He had hoped to get some support in Wales but that was not to be the case. The Despensers were also captured. Hugh Despenser was given a short trial and executed as a traitor. Edward was taken to Kenilworth Castle and imprisoned.

Edward II was imprisoned in Berkeley Castle.

King Edward III gave the castle at Sherborne to the Earl of Salisbury.

With help from English archers Edward Balliol forwarded his right to the Scottish throne by defeating the Scots fighting for the young King David II at Dupplin Moor. Many Scots were killed in the battle including the Earl of Mar and King David's uncle Lord Robert Bruce.

Edward Balliol's fortunes changed when he was overthrown and had to flee to England.

Montagu, an English Baron, took control of the Isle of Man from Scotland. From that time the island has been associated with England.

King Edward had positioned his army on Halidon Hill overlooking Berwick which he had under siege. He choose the location because it allowed him to look out for the Scots who may try and relieve the Scottish who were besieged with the town. A Scottish force tried to get to Berwick put were defeated by Edward's army. King Edward III's attacks on Scotland and victory at Halidon Hill put Edward Balliol back on the Scottish throne for four more years. Robert (II), the future King of the Scots, was one of the Scottish commanders at the battle of Halidon Hill.

After the defeat of their relief force at Halidon Hill the day before, the Scots holding out in Berwick had no option but surrender to the English and King Edward III.

Edward Balliol granted England control of parts of southern Scotland.

King Edward III, assisted by Balliol, moved up through Scotland. There was a chance that the French would invade while the King was in the North as Philippe VI had sent ships to help the Scottish cause.

License to crenelate (fortify) the castle at Bampton in Devon was granted.

Two cardinals, Peter Gomez and Bertrand of Montfavence, were sent by Pope Benedict XII to Europe to try and prevent King Edward III of England and Philipe VI of France going to war.

King Edward III reached Stirling Castle with supplies to assist the English garrison there that was under siege from Sir Andrew Moray.

Relations between England and France were not good. Philippe VI the French King had sent ships to help the Scots who were attacking English merchant shipping and ports. There was the threat that the French would invade England. King Edward III then laid a claim to the French throne. The claim centred on the fact that Isabella, his mother, was the daughter of Philippe IV of France. All of Philippe's sons John I, Philippe V and Charles IV had died without passing the French throne onto a son. On his death-bed Charles IV designated Philippe of Valois, his first cousin, as regent. Charles' wife was expecting a child and it was hoped that the child would be a boy. The child was a girl and Philippe of Valois claimed the throne for himself. Edward's claim to the throne was disputed because in French law it was stated that the line of succession could not pass through the female line. Philippe VI then declared that all of the English held lands in France were forfeit. These events were the start of conflict between England and France that would last on and off for more than one hundred years.

Sir William Heron started building work on Ford Castle in Northumberland

Philippe used Genoese troops to attack ports on the south coast of England including Southampton, Plymouth, Hastings and Rye. The attacks reached right around the coast as far as Bristol.

Edward crossed to Antwerp and attempted an invasion of France.

Towns at Dover, Folkestone, Harwich, Hastings, Portsmouth, Rye, and the Isle of Wight were attacked and many merchant ships were destroyed. The attackers even sailed into Portsmouth harbour pretending to be English by raising English flags and sacked the town.

The French attacked Gorey Castle on the island of Jersey but the castle's garrison held out and fought off the invaders.

Philippe VI of France and the Normandy elite planned an invasion of England. Their invasion force consisted of around 20,000 to 25,000 men.

A French fleet attacked Dover, Folkestone and Sandwich but they were driven back to France. Boulogne was attacked in revenge.

With the promised help of the counts of Hainault and Namur Edward took his army into northern France. The Counts changed their minds as they had lands to lose if they fought against Philippe. Edward continued without their help and the English confronted the French at La Fremengerie. The French refused to fight and the English, short of supplies, turned back.

The Round Tower was rebuilt at Windsor Castle.

In Ghent (Flanders) Edward declared himself as the true King of France. When he left Flanders for England Philippa remained as assurance that money Edward owed would be paid.

Parliament agreed to raise taxes so that Edward could fund an army to invade France.

A naval battle between the English and French. The French tried to prevent the English ships landing at Flanders. The French were defeated by Edward's forces. Edward did not follow up with the advantage.

King Edward III besieged the important French town of Tournai. The town proved impossible to break and when King Philippe VI arrived nearby with an army a truce was agreed. The truce with mediated by Philippe's sister who was also Edward's mother-in-law. The truce lasted until June of 1341.

The Treaty of Esplechin was a peace treaty between King Edward III of England and Philippe VI of France. Edward had large debts and further campaigning was not possible so he accepted that the truce between the two kings was the best course of action. This treaty marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years War.

Afonso of Portugal and Alfonso of Castile join forces to produce a major victory against the Muslim Moors who were invading from Africa.

To raise funds for further French expeditions Edward had to confront Parliament. Parliament insisted that Edward reconfirmed various ancient charters.

Edward went north to deal with the threat posed by David's return to Scotland.

King Edward III of England and King David II of Scotland agreed peace terms and Edward returned to London.

Edward sailed to Brittany to assist English troops already there. They were supporting Jean de Montfort's claim to be the Duke of Brittany. Philippe, king of France, disputed this claim and supported his own contender to the title. Edward left his eldest son in charge of England while he was away.

Edward had to control Vannes if he was to hold Brittany and he laid siege to the city. The city did not fall to the English.

After a hard winter without any new gains in France Edward signed a new peace treaty with the French and returned to England.

Building work on Chillingham Castle was started by Sir Thomas De Heton.

A jousting tournament at Windsor Castle may have been the time of the creation of the Order of the Garter based on King Arthur's knights of the Round Table. A huge circular hall was built within the grounds of the castle just for the event. The hall is supposed to have been 200 feet in diameter. The formal creation of the Order occurred later in 1348.

Edward gives permission to William de Clinton to build a castle.

King Edward III gave the order that an invasion fleet should be assembled at Portsmouth harbour.

King Edward III's invasion fleet finally left Southampton harbour, delayed by bad weather earlier in the year. Estimates of the number of men Edward took with him vary but could have been around 20,000. This would have required hundreds of ships to transport them all.

King Edward III's invasion fleet landed on the north west coast of Normandy at Saint-Vaast de la Hougue on the Cotentin Peninsula (also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula). Edward stayed there for several days while the large army came ashore.

King Edward III's army began their march east across Normandy attacking and destroying French towns as they went. Those towns that did not surrender were shown no mercy and when they fell to the English many of the inhabitants were killed. Other towns surrendered to avoid bloodshed. Many hostages were taken and shipped back to England so that ransom money could be demanded. The English fleet sailed along the coast at the same time destroying French ships and attacking ports as they went.

King Philippe VI of France had ordered bridges across the Seine to be destroyed so that King Edward III could not cross the river. Edward marched south towards Paris but at Poissy his engineers managed to repair the bridge. His army crossed the river and turned north.

Under King Edward III, the English forces defeated a superior French army at Crecy. Estimates give the English numbers at around 12,000 and a French contingent at 36,000. The English longbow made its mark in the battle against the armour of the French knights.

King Edward III began the siege of Calais that would last for almost a year. The governor of the town was man called Jean de Vienne. Edward demanded that the town should surrender but de Vienne refused, hoping that the town walls would hold the English out until King Philippe VI could come to their rescue. The English set up camp around the town and arranged for supplies to be brought from England. Wooden houses were also built to house the soldiers while they waited. Edward's wife Philippa even joined her husband at the camp.

During the absence of King Edward III while he was on campaign in France the Scottish king David II was approached by the French King Philippe VI to invade England. David II did so and advanced south. On the way to Corbridge the army captured Aydon Castle, allowing the inhabitants to leave safely if they handed the castle over. At Neville's Cross the Scottish were defeated by a band of monks, priests and land workers led by the archbishop of York, William Zouche. David II was captured and sent to London to be held at the Tower.

Philippe VI finally arrived at Calais and challenged King Edward III to a fight. Edward agreed but instead Philippe withdrew abandoning the town to the English. The governor, Jean de Vienne, had no other option other than to surrender the town to Edward. The town's leaders should have been executed according to siege rules because they refused to surrender when first asked, but Edward spared their lives and they were taken as hostages. The town of Calais was emptied of all its citizens and all their property was confiscated. Edward then made Calais English territory and sent word to England that anyone who wanted to live in Calais was welcome as long as they could get there quickly.

King Edward III of England established the Order of the Garter, the first English order of knighthood. It was based on the Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur. The name of the order is supposed to have originated when Edward III picked up a garter that had been lost on the dance floor during a banquet. Edward tied the garter around his own leg telling all present not to pass judgement. The garter may have belonged to the beautiful Joan of Kent. Joan was later to marry Edward's son, the Black Prince.

Building work on Maxstoke Castle in the Midlands was begun by William De Clinton.

At the Tower of London King Edward III had a water gate constructed at the base of the Cradle Tower. This allowed access to royal apartments directly from the river.

On St. George's Day at Windsor Castle, the Order of the Garter was created. The initial Knights of the Order were: The King (Edward III); the Prince of Wales (The Black Prince); Henry, Earl (afterwards Duke) of Lancaster; Thomas Beauchamp, 3rd Earl of Warwick; the Captal of Buch; Ralph, Lord Stafford; Motacute, Earl of Salisbury; Sir Roger Mortimer; Sir John (afterward Lord) Lisle; Sir Bartholomew (afterwards Lord) Burghershe; Sir John Beauchamp; Lord Mohun; Sir Hugh Courtenay; Sir Thomas Holland; Lord Grey; Sir Richard FitzSimon; Sir Myles Stapleton; Sir Thomas Wales; Sir Hugh Wrottesley; Sir Neel Loryng; Sir John Chandos; Sir James Audley; Sir Otho Holland; Sir Henry Eam; Sir Sanchete d'Ambrichecourt; and Sir Walter Paveley.

Spain had signed a naval treaty with France and a fleet of Spanish galleys sailed past France and up the English Channel attacking English ships as it went.

The Spanish fleet was returning from Sluys where it had stayed over winter. King Edward III had taken his time and prepared an English fleet that could attack the Spanish boats as they came back down the English Channel. The two fleets met off the south coast near Winchelsea. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting took place as the ships, using grappling hooks, came together. Both Edward III and his son the Black Prince took part in the battle and defeated the Spanish.

Because so many people died from the plague, labour was a scarce resource. To prevent workers demanding their own prices, the costs were fixed for labourer's wages at the pre-plague levels. Labourers had to stay in their own villages, and had to appear before a steward or constable each year to swear to abide by the rules of the statute. Stocks were built in each village to punish and deter any that did not abide by the rules.

Robert Wyvil, the Bishop of Salisbury regained control of the castle at Sherborne.

After the death of Isabella de Fortibus in 1293 Carisbrooke Castle became the property of King Edward I and the Crown. In 1355 King Edward III granted the ownership of the castle to his daughter Isabel.

King Edward III landed in Calais. His plan was to lay waste to the northern lands owned by France.

Edward the Black Prince set out from Bordeaux at the start of a chevauchée into lands held by King John of France. Chevauchée was a medieval term for a process destroying the towns, villages and land of an enemy lord in an attempt to reduce the wealth that the lord could extract and put to use in going to war. It also caused panic in the local population and an exodus of refugees.

Construction of new walls around Paris started in this year and building work would take several years.

After the defeat of David II of Scotland at Neville's Cross Edward Balliol had attempted to claim the Scottish throne but eventually decided to surrender his title as King of the Scots to Edward III and accept a pension in return.

On Saturday 17th of September while the Black Prince was moving his army to English owned city of Bordeaux the English and French armies finally came across each other near Poitiers. Edward moved his army into a defensive position protected by hedges on three sides and a narrow lane on the fourth.

On the Sunday a Cardinal attempted to get the English prince and French king to agree a truce, but the two leaders used the Sunday to rest their troops and prepare for the battle ahead.

On Monday the 19th of September the battle of Poitiers took place. Even though the English army was outnumbered the Black Prince used superior tactics in the battle and defeated the French without suffering many losses. John, the French King, was captured along with many other French nobles and taken to Bordeaux.

King John of France was held prisoner at St. Alban's monastery after being captured at Poitiers.

On behalf of the King of England, Edward, the Black Prince arranged a two year truce with John, the King of France at Bordeaux.

The Black Prince with the French king and many other prisoners began the journey from France to England. Once back in England these nobles were ransomed for large amounts of money.

The Treaty of Berwick, signed between King Edward III of England and David II of Scotland, allowed David to go free from prison where he had been kept for the previous 11 years. A ransom of 100,000 marks was the price of his freedom.

Edward and his eldest sons departed from England and arrived in Calais the same day. They met no resistance as they marched to Reims. But the town was too well fortified to be captured so the English troops spent their time attacking the local towns and villages and taking supplies.

The Treaty of Bretigny brought a period of peace for nine years during the Hundred Years War. The treaty was arranged between the Black Prince and the dauphin the future King Charles V of France before being approved by King Edward III of England and King John of France. As part of the treaty Edward was given control of the areas of Gascony, Calais and Ponthieu as long as he agreed to give up his claim for the French throne. King John of France, currently being held hostage in England, was to be released on condition of a payment of 3 million gold crowns to be paid in instalments.

At Calais King Edward III of England and King John of France, who had be released from captivity, signed the Treaty of Bretigny.

John of Gaunt married Blanche, the daughter of Henry, Duke of Lancaster. Henry owned Kenilworth Castle and when he died (?) John became Duke of Lancaster and took ownership of the castle. Gaunt rebuilt the hall and constructed new grand apartments.

King King Edward III transferred control of Gascony to his eldest son, the Black Prince. Edward the Black Prince had just married Joan of Kent at Windsor and together they created a magnificent court in Bordeaux.

Edward the Black Prince went to assist Peter the Cruel, King of Castile, who had been driven from his throne by Henry Trastamara. With a combined army of English, Gascons, Navarrese and Castilians the Black Prince won a battle to put Peter back on the thrown. The victory at Nájera also brought the Castilian fleet under control which had been fighting on the side of the French when Trastamara was in power. Peter was later overthrown and the fleet again started fighting on the French side.

When Peter de Montfort died, the castle's ownership passed to Thomas, Earl of Warwick.

The English Parliament freed King Edward III from the Treaty of Bretigny that was signed in 1360. When Edward signed the treaty he had agreed to give up the claim for the French throne. Now that Edward was free from the treaty he was able to restate and pursue his claim to be the French King.

John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, left Calais with 2,000 soldiers and marched across northern France destroying towns along the way.

French forces led by the Duke of Berry retook the town of Limoges.

Edward, the Black Prince, used miners to undermine the section of the town that did not surrender to the English. The walls were brought down and those who had not surrendered were executed. This included women and children.

William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester and chancellor, asked for supplies for war. Parliament petitioned the king to stop the practice of ecclesiastics having positions of power and not being liable to account for their actions, and that non-clerical laymen should replaced them. An important supporter of this action was John of Gaunt.

King Edward III granted the castle at Knaresborough to his son John of Gaunt. This couild have been in 1371.

The Battle of La Rochelle was a Castilian-English naval battle fought at the entrance of the harbour of La Rochelle on the French coast in the Bay of Biscay. Commanded by John Hastings, the English fleet had been sent to rescue the town that was being besieged by the French. Both fleets sides were equally matched but after two days of fighting the English fleet was totally destroyed and many of the English sailors and knights had been killed or captured.

Work on the Somerset castle by Sir John de la Mare began.

Work on Bolton Castle was begun by Lord Scrope, the Chancellor to Richard II.

The French landed on the Isle of Wight and attacked Carisbrooke castle. The castle did not fall to the French.

Sir Thomas Hungerford began the construction of a castle at Farleigh.

Several attacks on the south coast of England tool place in this year. The village of Rye was sacked and left burning.

With just forty men, Alexander Ramsay approached Berwick Castle and finding no guards on the walls raised ladders and gained entry to the keep. There they killed the castle's commander and took control, The residents of Berwick reacted by destoying the drawbridge to the castle to prevent the Scots from leaving. A larger Scottish army was north of Berwick and Ramsay decided to wait for their arrival, but the Earl of Northumberland with 10,000 men arrived first. They laid siege to the castle and quickly recaptured it, killing all the Scots apart from Ramsay who surrendered.

Westminster Abbey was closed for several months after a murder took place in the Choir. The Abbey was not reopened for services until it was reconsecrated. Two knights called Schakell and Hawle had taken a Spanish Count prisoner whilst fighting with the Black Prince. As usual a ransom was required for the release of the Count. The Count was allowed to return to Spain to organise the ransom leaving his son as a hostage to ensure the ransom was paid. At this time John of Gaunt was in the process of acquiring the crown of Castile and the saga with the Count's son was an embarrassment. When the two knights refused to release their prisoner they were arrested and sent to the Tower of London. They managed to escape from the Tower and fled to Westminster Abbey and sanctuary, but this was ignored by a group of soldiers led by the Constable of the Tower, Alan Boxhall. Schakell was captured but Hawle and a monk were murdered in the Choir. Several of those involved were excommunicated meaning that they could not be buried after their deaths.

Sir Thomas Percy built Wressle Castle.

The village of Hastings on the south coast of England was attacked by the French.

John Neville, the 6th Lord of Raby, began the building of Raby Castle.

Essex villagers resisted tax collection; beginning of the Peasant's Revolt in England.

The Kentish section of the Revolt reached Maidstone where they were joined by Wat Tyler who became their leader. They released John Ball from the church prison.

William Courtenay was elected the new archbishop of Canterbury by the Kentish rebels who crowded into the church. The previous archbishop was in London with the king and was to be beheaded by the rebels. The Essex section of the revolt burnt and sacked a Hospitaller commandery that had previously belonged to the Templars called Cressing Temple.

Both the Kentish and the Essex rebels move towards London.

The Essex rebels reach Mile End near Aldgate and the Kentish rebels reach Southwark.

The English rebels entered London and joined the local poor in attacking the Savoy Palace and other property; a general insurrection began in Cambridgeshire.

King Richard II negotiated with the rebel peasants at Mile End, London. At the same time a group of rebels entered the Tower of London and Archbishop Simon of Sudbury, Sir Robert Hales and other officials were killed. Disturbances also started in St.Albans.

Richard II again met the rebels, at Smithfield; they demanded the confiscation of church land; Watt Tyler was killed and the rebels dispersed; the Prior of Bury St.Edmunds was executed by the townspeople; University property was attacked in Cambridge.

The English rebellion spread to Norfolk and on the 19th to Somerset. Sir John Cavendish was murdered by rebels.

Norfolk rebels entered Norwich but were repelled by local landowners, led by Henry le Despenser, bishop of Norwich; the bishop met the rebels on the 26th at North Walsham and captured their stronghold. Rebel attacks occurred at Peterborough Abbey and Dunstable Priory, and in Buckinghamshire and Leicestershire.

Building work on a new castle started under the direction of John Neville.

Threats of invasion prompted Richard to allow the creation of fortified manor houses. Donnington is one example.

All through the summer months, the French prepared men and supplies in the Norman ports.

The king granted Sir Edward Dalyngrigge a licence to crenellate his mansion in Sussex due to threats of invasion. But Dalyngrigge decided to build a completely new structure instead.

With the defeat of the Castilians by John of Aviz, the king of Portugal, John of Gaunt saw his chance of taking the Castilian throne by right of his wife. He asked King Richard for a loan to be repaid once he had the throne. Richard was pleased to pay the loan and get rid of Gaunt, as Gaunt was criticising Richard's handling of finances and his choice of advisors.

An invasion from France seemed to be imminent as the French fleet mass at Sluys.

King Richard II did not always agree with the council that was running England on his behalf and his uncle John of Gaunt was one his main opponants. The potential conflict between them came to an end when John set sail from Plymouth to take the Castilian throne. But his departure led to a greater conflict between the king and Thomas Woodstock, the Duke of Gloucester.

Fear of an invasion from France led Henry Bolingbroke to prepare defences along the south coast during the winter months of 1387 and spring months of 1388,

Forces belonging to the Lords Appellant defeated forces led by Robert de Vere, the favourite of Richard II. The battle took place at Radcot Bridge, a bridge over the River Thames at Oxfordshire. Robert de Vere managed to escape by swimming across the Thames and then fleeing over seas. This led to King Richard temporarily being deposed.

The Battle of Otterburn took place some thirty miles north west of Newcastle upon Tyne where the tributary called the Otter Burn joins the River Rede. The Scots led by the Earl of Douglas had sent two armies into northern England and had agreed to meet near Newcastle.The Earl of Northumberland, now too old to take part in any fighting, sent his sons Henry Percy, known as Harry Hotspur, and Ralph Percy to deal with the invasion. When the armies met, Douglas and Hotspur agreed to single hand-to-hand combat, Hotspur lost this fight and attacked the Scots at their encampment. Although the Scots were initially surprised by the attack the English were defeated and both of the Percy brothers were captured. The Earl of Douglas was killed in the battle.

Lumley Castle at Chester-le-Street was built by Ralph, Lord Lumley.

The work on Wardour Castle (now Old Wardour Castle) was begun in this year. The architect in charge may have been William Wynford who was responsible for the changes made to Winchester Cathedral around about the same time. The castle is very unusual in that is hexagonal and aligned to the north-east.

The construction of the huge circular tower called Guy's Tower at Warwick Castle was completed.

King Richard II had a palace built at Portchester Castle. This included the improvement to two ranges of buildings within the inner bailey of the castle. Kitchens, a large hall and private appartments were added to the castle to provide royal accommodation for when the King stayed at the castle.

An act of Parliament is passed which brings the ownership of Urquhart Castle into the hands of the English King.

Thomas de Mowbray, the Duke of Norfolk, made a remark about King Richard II which Henry Bolingbroke took as treasonable. Henry informed the King and Mowbray was arrested. Richard had executed or exiled other members of the Lords Appellant the previous year and now Henry and Thomas were concerned that their turn was next. Mowbray had confided these concerns with Bolingbroke. Mowbray denied the accusations and that he ever talked to Bolingbroke. To bring the dispute to an end, a duel between the two was arranged. But before the duel took place Richard changed his mind and banished Bolingbroke for ten years and Mowbray for life.

In this year Beeson Castle, which had belonged to Richard II, was handed over to Henry IV. In the castle a hoard of Richard's treasure was found.

Richard sailed to Ireland to suppress a rebellion. He took almost all of his closest supporters with him, leaving an inexperienced Edmund of York in command.

Landing at Ravenspur in Yorkshire, Bolingbroke returned to England intent to taking the throne from Richard. He marched south to Bristol taking control of Lancastrian castles on route, all of which welcomed his return.

Richard returned to England landing in Wales where he became a fugitive. He was captured at Conwy Castle and at a meeting with Bolingbroke at Flint Castle agreed to surrender himself and the throne of England. Richard was transferred to Pontefract Castle where he was imprisoned.