Throughout the baronial efforts of the reign, constitutional views and personal interests had been closely interwoven. The single-minded patriotism of Simon de Montfort had been entirely absent. It was the personal ambition of a Prince of the blood, of enormous wealth and influence, which had supplied the baronial party with their first leader. The vindictive feelings of personal dislike had produced an unjustifiable murder of the royal favourite. Success had been followed by an unconstitutional appropriation of all the powers of government. To support their supremacy the Barons had not shrunk from an alliance with their national enemies. To secure a second triumph and revenge they had adopted the cause of an adulterous Queen and her worthless favourite. Yet throughout, the pretence of their action had been the maintenance of the old constitution, and the act which closed the reign was a formal declaration on the part of Parliament of a constitutional right of the nation to depose a sovereign who proved himself unfit for his high position. EDWARD III., died 1377. | 1 2 | 3 5 +---+ +-------------------+---+-----+----------------------------+---| A | | | | | +---+ | | | | Edward, = Joan, William, Lionel, = Elizabeth | the Black | daughter died Duke of | de Burgh. | Prince, | of Earl 1335. Clarence, | | died 1376. | of Kent, died 1368. | | | widow Philippa = Edmund | | of Sir T. | Mortimer, | | Holland. | Earl of | | | March. | Richard II., | | died 1400. Roger, = Alianore | Earl of March, | Holland, | declared heir- | daughter | apparent, died | of Earl | in battle in | of Kent. | Ireland, 1398. | | | | +----------------------------------------+ | | | | +---------+ +-------+-----------+ +------------+ | | | | | Edmund = Isabel, Edmund, Anne = Richard, | Duke of | daughter died 1424.