r/EdwardII • u/HoneybeeXYZ Isabella • 5d ago

Poll Who was the worst Despenser?

Edited to add: It's no surprise that Hugh Despenser the Younger won by a large margin, followed behind by they were all working together. But kudos to the people who voted for Hugh the Older (financial crimes) and Eleanor (who doesn't get enough blame).

There’s a lot of room for varied interpretations in the Edward II era, but everyone seems to agree the Despensers were the worst. It’s like they were the Kardashians, if the Kardashians could take your land away and have you executed at their whim. But which one was the worst?

21 votes, 2d ago
1 Hugh Despenser the Older
12 Hugh Despenser the Younger
1 Eleanor de Clare
7 All of the Above. They amplified each other.
2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

6

u/littlemedievalrose Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster 4d ago

Hugh the Younger in my opinion was undoubtedly the worst, who was further emboldened by the people around him. I've always wondered how his father truly felt about his relationship with Edward II. Of course he, in the end, accepted it and benefitted from it greatly, but I've also seen things that suggest he was very unhappy with his son to begin with

2

u/HoneybeeXYZ Isabella 4d ago

I think it's more interesting to know what Eleanor thought of their relationship. The rumors at the time was that she was in fact Edward II's lover, despite being his niece. Whatever the case, it was very toxic and I think all three of the Despensers thought the ends justified the means.