Edward I (June 17, 1239 – July 7, 1307) was the fifth King of England of the Plantagenet Dynasty (reigned 1272-1307) and the son of Henry III. Also known as "Long Shank", "Hammer of Scotland" (due to his suppression of the Scottish people), or "Cruel Edward", he is one of the most important representatives of the House of Sparrows. His domestic and foreign policies were very proactive, making England an important power in Europe at that time.
In British history, Edward I was an outstanding king with outstanding academic and military achievements.
He ascended to the throne as the King of England in 1272, when he was already a well-trained middle-aged man in his thirties.
However, his death led to his son Edward II ascending to the throne and failing to conquer Scotland. Long Legs reigned for 35 years and ascended the throne on November 20, 1272, after the death of his father Henry III. His mother was Eleanor of Provence.
According to the naming convention of the Normans (not Anglo Saxons) for monarchs, "Long Legged" Edward was known as Edward I, although he was the fourth King of England, with the first three being Edward the Elder, Edward the Martyr, and Edward the Confessor.

The Age of Princes
Edward I was the eldest son of King Henry III of England, born on June 17, 1239 in Westminster.
In 1254, at the age of 15, he obtained his own territory from his father and married Eleanor, the sister of King Alfonso X of Leon.
Lewellyn Epp Gruford was the grandson of King Lewellyn. In 1246, he acquired the territory of his uncle, Lord Daffield of Gwyneth. However, under the intervention of Henry III in 1247, he had to share his grandfather's limited right to stay in the Gwyneth region with his brother Owen. In order to gain absolute power in the region, Gruford led his army to defeat his brother Owen in the summer of 1255 and imprisoned him, while rejecting his brother David's inheritance rights to ensure the unity of power. In order to retaliate against Henry III and maintain the authority of Wales, in early November 1256, Gruford led his army to cross the Conway River and seized all areas except for the Castle of Diessers and the Castle of Diganui. As the Prince of Wales, Edward had to borrow 2666 pounds from his uncle Richard, the Earl of Cornwall, to suppress the rebellion. At this time, the Kingdom of England was influenced by the French faction and the Pope due to Henry III's wrong decision, and supported his second son Edmund, the Earl of Lancaster, in an attempt to seize the throne of Sicily. He wasted a lot of money and was unable to support Prince Edward at all. At the same time, due to conflicts between father and son, the unwillingness of the Welsh region after being registered (when Edward sought help from his father in February 1257, Henry III did not suppress his temper and once said, "What does this have to do with me? I have already given you the land"), and Prince Edward's tendency to be independent, both made Henry III only talk about it, suggesting that Edward should seize the opportunity of the Welsh rebellion that has not yet grown, make some achievements, and satirize that he can make a name for himself.
When Prince Edward was helpless, Gruford seized the opportunity to return the land captured in the northern region of Wales to the former Welsh nobility, gathering a large number of troops around him. According to Welsh chronicles, Gruford left nothing for himself except for fame and honor. In December 1256 and January of the following year, he led his troops to recapture Dehebas and Boas. In February, the attack began on the southern coastal areas of Wales, reaching the Kidweili and Gore Peninsula areas, breaking and burning down Swansea Castle, making its reputation soar.

As the Prince of Wales, Edward's main territory was in the southern part of Wales. In order to maintain his own territory and castle, he had to organize an army to launch a counterattack. In late May 1257, he gathered and set off from Castle Carson and Castle Cardigan, especially Castle Cardigan, which was located on the west coast of Wales and could receive supplies from Ireland. The army was constantly harassed by Welsh guerrilla warfare from the start, causing heavy losses. On June 2, the two sides engaged in direct combat, and the Welsh won the battle. The English were brutally defeated, and a large number of nobles died in battle. Henry III had to personally lead his own troops. In August, Henry and his son gathered a large army in the Chester region and led troops into the northern part of Wales in mid August. The region was the core of Gruford's power, and in the face of Welsh guerrilla warfare, the British army continued to recapture the northern region and break free from the siege of Diessers and Diganui Castle. However, the supply ships that were supposed to be transported from Ireland did not arrive as scheduled, and with the impact of guerrilla warfare, the British army waiting for a week in Diganui had to be disbanded by Henry III. The battle ended in less than a month from the departure from Chester to disbandment, and during the retreat, they were constantly attacked by the Welsh. In October, Henry III returned to Westminster.
Prince Edward soon became embroiled in the civil war in England in the 1360s and played an important role. Edward's father, Henry III, faced sharp opposition from the aristocracy, including citizens and wealthy farmers, due to his adherence to a series of unpopular policies. In 1258, the English aristocracy forced Henry III to sign the Oxford Ordinance, which effectively formed an oligarchic rule within the country. Henry III's refusal to comply with Oxford regulations led to his war with the princes in 1263. In 1264, a volunteer team led by aristocratic leader Simon Montfort (formerly known as Simon de Montfort in French), including knights, citizens, and farmers, defeated Henry III in the Battle of Lewis, forcing him to relinquish power and taking Edward hostage.

In 1265, Edward I successfully escaped with his intelligence and bravery.
King Henry III of England suffered a defeat in the Battle of Lewis, and as a result, the rule over all parts of England, except for the Welsh border areas, fell into the hands of the earls. Simon Day Montfort was preparing to embark on his triumphal march from there, wanting to cross the Severn River and advance all the way to Newport. Prince Edward had already escaped from the army of the earls and collected the troops of the loyal king in the Welsh border area. He seized the bridge over the Severn River and advanced to the rear of Day Montfort, thus breaking Day Montfort's plan. Edward not only drove the enemy across the Ouse River, but also formed a strike team with three large rowboats, suddenly attacking the enemy ships parked in Newport, thus breaking Day Montfort's plan to transport his army back to England. In this way, De Montfort had to make a long and arduous march north, and had to pass through the barren and barbaric region of Wales. At this point, Edward had retreated to Worcester, guarding the Severn River, waiting for the arrival of Day Montfort. When De Montfort's son led his troops from the east of England to rescue his father, Edward took advantage of his central position and adopted a strategy of individually defeating the father and son who were blindly advancing. To this end, he first launched a forced army, followed by a reverse march, maneuvering troops back and forth, and launching surprise attacks, finally achieving victory twice, the first at Kenilworth and the second at Evesham.
In August 1265, Edward I led his army alone and won a battle with Montfort at the Battle of Ivsham, resulting in Montfort's death. Henry III restored power, but he handed over real power to Edward and ordered him to oversee the country.
In 1268, Edward attempted to participate in the Eighth Crusade led by King Louis IX of France and went to France. This Eastern Expedition was a complete failure. When Louis IX attacked Tunisia in 1270, he died of a plague, leaving Edward stranded in the east with nowhere to go. He launched the Ninth Crusade to the East, but did not achieve much success.

After becoming the king
In 1272, Henry III passed away, and the English nobility unanimously supported Edward's succession to the throne.
But Edward did not return to the country until the third year and was crowned in August 1274.
In 1277, Edward I led his army to invade Wales, and Luelin Epp Gruford was defeated, losing a large area of territory.
In 1282 AD, Luelin Epp Gruford led his subordinates to launch a large-scale rebellion against English rule. Edward I quickly dispatched a large number of messengers to issue military assembly orders to the nobles scattered throughout the kingdom. In the Gascony territory in southwestern France, crossbowmen were also provided for reinforcement in accordance with ancient feudal obligations. More provisions were gathered in the counties across the sea, and the coastal ports of England also had to prepare ships for the king's actions.
Soon, the English soldiers split into two routes and entered Wales. The vanguard of the northern front was border lord Leonard Gray, along with his border knights and 7000 infantry. The southern front was also assisted by 1600 infantry and 100 cavalry led by the Earl of Gloucester. Their progress was exceptionally smooth, especially with Gray leading the North Line, which was unstoppable and occupied three castles, Hope, Yoro, and Harden, consecutively. The Welsh, who were unable to fight against the Norman knights in the field, could only demolish all castles before retreating. But Edward's subordinates still prepared a team of over 300 carpenters and over 1000 excavators with foresight. As soon as these people wait for the army to occupy the ruins of the castle, they will immediately use wood to build a simple castle on the original site.
But on the weaker southern route, Count Gloucester's army inevitably suffered a disastrous defeat. After he reluctantly retreated to his place of departure, Edward I decided to personally mobilize and lead his elite soldiers on a boat to attack the Welsh retreat. This British army first occupied Anglesey Island near the Welsh coast, and then transported a large amount of wood, nails, and ropes from London, preparing to build a floating bridge between Anglesey Island and Snowdonia across the sea. A large number of British troops swarmed into the weak resistance rear of Wales through this pontoon bridge.
Even though trapped in a tight encirclement, Prince Luelin of Wales still decided to fight back with all his might. Near the Anglesey Bridge, he used ambush tactics to defeat the reckless English knights and killed at least 16 of their nobles. Driven by the unfavorable situation of a new military defeat, insufficient numbers, and a large number of lords serving their terms of service, Edward I insisted on maintaining a state of encirclement against Wales. Finally, it led to a decisive battle between the two sides in the central mountainous area of Biles. Unfortunately, shortly after the start of the battle, Llewellyn dispersed from his own army and mistakenly entered the British formation. As a result, he was surrounded and killed by the opponent who was fighting fiercely. Luelin's head was chopped off, first given to Edward, then to the English troops on Anglesey Island, and finally to London, where he was hung on the gate of the Tower of London for 15 years. It is said that a cavalry carried it onto the tip of his spear and brought it into the city of London.

Luelin's younger brother and successor David were captured by the British army and tried, sentenced to death, and hanged in October 1283.
In 1283, Edward I completely conquered Wales and rebuilt the famous Castle of Carnarvon.
The Welsh Act of 1284 placed Wales under English law. Edward I once again conferred the title of Prince of Wales on his newly born son, and this title has been used by the heir to the throne to the present day.
In 1295, in order to raise military funds, the Model Parliament was convened, which included the Archbishop, Bishop, Abbot, Earl, Baron, and representatives of each county and town, totaling over 400 people.
Old age and death
Edward's later life was full of ups and downs, as he lost his beloved first wife Eleanor and his heir did not possess the expected royal aura.
In 1298, Edward personally led his army to conquer Scotland and defeated Scottish rebel leader William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk.
In 1304, Edward led his army again to conquer Scotland and built the famous "Wolf Warrior" catapult during the siege of Stirling Castle, which quickly forced the defenders to surrender.
In 1305, Edward captured Scottish rebel general William Wallace and executed him in public, but he was unable to deter the surging rebel forces in Scotland.
In 1307, Edward, who was nearly seventy years old, died on the way to conquer Scotland again under the leadership of Robert Bruce at Burgh by Sands, Cumberland on the Scottish border.
According to later records, Edward requested that his bones be brought to military campaigns in Scotland. In more reliable records and reports by contemporary writers, the king's final request is to bring his heart to the holy land. It can be confirmed that Edward was buried in a pure black marble tomb in Westminster Abbey, known as "Edwardus Primus Scottorum malleus hic est, pactum servant.".
On January 2, 1774, the Society of British Collectors of Cultural Relics opened the coffin and found that Edward's body had been well preserved for 467 years. Measurement revealed that he was 6 feet 2 inches (188 centimeters) long, making him a true "long leg".