Page "Edward I of England" Paragraph 40

Physically, Edward was an imposing man ; at 6 feet 2 inches ( 1. 88 m ) he towered over most of his contemporaries, and hence perhaps his epithet " longshanks ".

He also had a reputation for a fierce temper, and he could be intimidating ; one story tells of how the Dean of St Paul's, wishing to confront Edward over the high level of taxation in 1295, fell down and died once he was in the king's presence.

When Edward of Caernarfon demanded an earldom for his favourite Gaveston, the king erupted in anger and supposedly tore out handfuls of his son's hair.

Some of his contemporaries considered Edward frightening, particularly in his early days.

The Song of Lewes in 1264 described him as a leopard, an animal regarded as particularly powerful and unpredictable.

Despite these frightening character traits, however, Edward's contemporaries considered him an able, even an ideal, king.

Though not loved by his subjects, he was feared and respected.

He met contemporary expectations of kingship in his role as an able, determined soldier and in his embodiment of shared chivalric ideals.

In religious observance he also fulfilled the expectations of his age: he attended chapel regularly and gave alms generously.