167-664: Mob Quad is a four-sided group of buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries in Merton College, Oxford , surrounding a small lawn. It is often claimed to be the oldest quadrangle in Oxford and elsewhere, although Merton's own Front Quad was actually enclosed earlier (albeit with a less unified design) and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge , says that its own Old Court is the oldest structure of its type in either Oxford or Cambridge . The quadrangle pattern has since been copied at many other colleges and universities worldwide. It
334-499: A mulberry tree planted in the early 17th century, an armillary sundial , an extensive lawn, a Herma statue, and the old Fellows' Summer House (now used as a music room and rehearsal space). Merton admits both undergraduate and graduate students. It admitted its first female students in 1980 and was the second former male college to elect a female head of house (in 1994). Merton has traditionally had single-sex accommodation for first-year undergraduates, with female students going into
501-665: A European-wide crusade, it was essential to prevent conflict between the sovereigns on Continental Europe . A major obstacle to this was the conflict between the French Capetian House of Anjou ruling southern Italy and the Crown of Aragon in Spain. In 1282, the citizens of Palermo rose up against Charles of Anjou and turned for help to Peter III of Aragon , in what has become known as the Sicilian Vespers . In
668-587: A baronial reform movement, supporting the Provisions of Oxford . After reconciling with his father, he remained loyal throughout the subsequent armed conflict, known as the Second Barons' War . After the Battle of Lewes , Edward was held hostage by the rebellious barons, but escaped after a few months and defeated the baronial leader Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. Within two years,
835-726: A campaign in Wales against the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd , but Edward's forces were besieged in northern Wales and achieved only limited results. Around the same time, Leicester, who had been out of the country since 1261, returned to England and reignited the baronial reform movement. As the King seemed ready to give in to the barons' demands, Edward began to take control of the situation. From his previously unpredictable and equivocating attitude, he changed to one of firm devotion to protection of his father's royal rights. He reunited with some of
1002-541: A demand of a grant of one-half of all clerical revenues. There was some resistance, but the King responded by threatening opponents with outlawry , and the grant was eventually made. At the time, Robert Winchelsey , the designated Archbishop of Canterbury, was in Italy to receive consecration. Winchelsey returned in January 1295 and had to consent to another grant that November. In 1296, his position changed when he received
1169-448: A distant relative of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. The causes included resentment at the occupation, poor, colonial-style governance, and very heavy taxation. This last conflict demanded the King's attention, but in both cases the rebellions were put down. The revolt was followed by immediate punitive measures including taking 200 hostages. Measures to stop the Welsh from bearing arms or living in the new boroughs probably date from this time, and
1336-660: A formal alliance with one of the main reformers, Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester , and on 15 October announced that he supported the barons' goals and their leader, the Earl of Leicester. The motive behind Edward's change of heart could have been purely pragmatic: the Earl of Leicester was in a good position to support his cause in Gascony. When the King left for France in November, Edward's behaviour turned into pure insubordination. He made several appointments to advance
1503-451: A functional system for raising taxes and reforming the law through statutes. At the same time, he is also often condemned for vindictiveness, opportunism and untrustworthiness in his dealings with Wales and Scotland, coupled with a colonialist approach to their governance and to Ireland, and for antisemitic policies leading to the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290. Edward was born at
1670-427: A great financial strain on the nation. There were several ways through which the King could raise money for war, including customs duties, loans and lay subsidies, which were taxes collected at a certain fraction of the moveable property of all laymen who held such assets. In 1275, Edward negotiated an agreement with the domestic merchant community that secured a permanent duty on wool, England's primary export. In 1303,
1837-573: A group of magnates drew up a document for reform of the King's government – the so-called Provisions of Oxford – largely directed against the Lusignans. Edward stood by his political allies and strongly opposed the Provisions. The reform movement succeeded in limiting the Lusignan influence, and Edward's attitude gradually changed. In March 1259, he entered into
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#17327731701142004-569: A local, temporary basis, the English expulsion was unprecedented because it was permanent. It was eventually reversed in the 1650s . Edward claimed the Expulsion was done "in honour of the Crucified " and blamed the Jews for their treachery and criminality. He helped pay for the renovation of the tomb of Little Saint Hugh , a child falsely claimed to have been ritually crucified by Jews, in
2171-419: A man of faith. Modern historians are divided in their assessment of Edward; some have praised him for his contribution to the law and administration, but others have criticised his uncompromising attitude towards his nobility. Edward is credited with many accomplishments, including restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III and establishing Parliament as a permanent institution, which allowed for
2338-481: A more conciliatory policy to rebuild systems of patronage and service, particularly through his son as Prince of Wales, but Wales remained politically volatile, and a deep distrust remained between the English settlers and the Welsh. Edward never again went on crusade after his return to England in 1274, but he maintained an intention to do so, and in 1287 took a vow to go on another crusade. This intention guided much of his foreign policy, until at least 1291. To stage
2505-450: A novel method of minting coins that involved cutting blank coins from a silver rod, in contrast with the old practice of stamping them out from sheets; this technique proved to be efficient. The practice of minting coins with the moneyer's name on them became obsolete under Edward's rule because England's mint administration became far more centralised under the Crown's authority. During this time, English coins were frequently counterfeited on
2672-680: A reputation as untrustworthy. During the summer campaign he began to learn from his mistakes and gained the respect and admiration of contemporaries through actions such as showing clemency towards his enemies. The war did not end with the Earl of Leicester's death, and Edward participated in the continued campaigning. At Christmas, he came to terms with Simon the Younger and his associates at the Isle of Axholme in Lincolnshire, and in March 1266 he led
2839-457: A score of 82.9. At the 'Time Ceremony', students dressed in formal academic dress walk backwards around the Fellows' Quad drinking port . Traditionally participants also held candles, but this practice has been abandoned in recent years. Many students have now adopted the habit of linking arms and twirling around at each corner of the quad. The alleged purpose of this tradition is to maintain
3006-629: A similar agreement was reached with foreign merchants, in return for certain rights and privileges. The revenues from the customs duty were handled by the Riccardi , a group of bankers from Lucca in Italy. This was in return for their service as moneylenders to the crown, which helped finance the Welsh Wars. When the war with France broke out, the French king confiscated the Riccardi's assets, and
3173-518: A slightly different version of the Latin text of these verses is painted around Old Hall in Queens' College, Cambridge , and is "commonly in use at other Cambridge colleges". Merton alumni (Mertonians) and fellows have pursued careers in a variety of disciplines. Among the earliest people that have been claimed as Merton fellows are William of Ockham and Duns Scotus , outstanding academic figures from
3340-586: A successful assault on the Cinque Ports . A contingent of rebels held out in the virtually impregnable Kenilworth Castle and did not surrender until the drafting of the conciliatory Dictum of Kenilworth in October 1266. In April it seemed as if the Earl of Gloucester would take up the cause of the reform movement, and civil war would resume, but after a renegotiation of the terms of the Dictum of Kenilworth,
3507-444: A surprise attack at Kenilworth Castle , where the younger Montfort was quartered, before moving on to cut off the Earl of Leicester. The two forces then met at the Battle of Evesham , on 4 August 1265. The Earl of Leicester stood little chance against the superior royal forces, and after his defeat he was killed and his corpse mutilated on the field. Through such episodes as the deception of Derby at Gloucester, Edward acquired
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#17327731701143674-549: A swordsman, long thighs one as a horseman. In youth, his curly hair was blond; in maturity it darkened, and in old age it turned white. The regularity of his features was marred by a drooping left eyelid ... His speech, despite a lisp, was said to be persuasive." In 1254, English fears of a Castilian invasion of the English-held province of Gascony induced King Henry to arrange a politically expedient marriage between fifteen-year-old Edward and thirteen-year-old Eleanor ,
3841-399: A tax of one-twentieth of all movable property; in exchange the King agreed to reconfirm Magna Carta , and to impose restrictions on Jewish money lending. On 20 August Edward sailed from Dover for France. Historians have not determined the size of his accompanying force with any certainty, but it was probably fewer than 1000 men, including around 225 knights . Originally,
4008-560: A troubled existence, and the Secretary noted on 1 November 1900 a motion of censure 'against a person or persons unknown who were responsible for the undoubted blackness which is creeping over the Bodley Club.' Nevertheless, the club has continued in one form or another to the present day. Among the notable papers delivered to the Bodley Club are those by Frederic Harrison , Harold Henry Joachim , Henry Hamilton Fyfe (brother of
4175-418: A war of conquest aimed to "put an end finally to … the malice of the Welsh". The war started with a rebellion by Dafydd, who was discontented with the reward he had received in 1277. Llywelyn and other Welsh leaders soon joined in, and initially the Welsh attack was successful. In June, Gloucester was defeated at the Battle of Llandeilo Fawr . On 6 November, while John Peckham , Archbishop of Canterbury,
4342-433: Is illuminated by a lighting display representing three constellations that were visible on the night of 14 September 1264, the day the college was founded. The garden fills the southeastern corner of the old walled city of Oxford. The walls may be seen from Christ Church Meadows and Merton Field (now used by Magdalen College School, Oxford as a playing field for cricket, rugby, and football). The gardens are notable for
4509-423: Is that it was the first college to be provided with statutes , a constitution governing the college set out at its founding. Merton's statutes date back to 1264, whereas neither Balliol nor University College had statutes until the 1280s. Merton has an unbroken line of wardens dating back to 1264. Of these, many had great influence over the development of the college. Henry Savile was one notable leader who led
4676-428: The 1303 Treaty of Paris , at which point it was partially returned to the English crown, again as a French fief. The relationship between England and Scotland by the 1280s was one of relatively harmonious coexistence. The issue of homage did not reach the same level of controversy as it did in Wales; in 1278 King Alexander III of Scotland paid homage to Edward, who was his brother-in-law, but apparently only for
4843-539: The Alps held by a treaty of 1246. Edward then journeyed to Gascony to put down a revolt headed by Gaston de Béarn . While there, he launched an investigation into his feudal possessions, which, as Hamilton puts it, reflects "Edward's keen interest in administrative efficiency ... [and] reinforced Edward's position as lord in Aquitaine and strengthened the bonds of loyalty between the king-duke and his subjects". Around
5010-693: The Archbishop of Canterbury , Edward removed his crown, saying that he did not intend to wear it again until he had recovered all the crown lands that his father had surrendered during his reign. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd enjoyed the advantage after the Barons' War. The 1267 Treaty of Montgomery recognised his ownership of land he had conquered in the Four Cantrefs of Perfeddwlad and his title of Prince of Wales . Armed conflicts nevertheless continued, in particular with dissatisfied Marcher Lords , such as
5177-505: The Battle of Orewin Bridge . The conquest of Gwynedd was complete with the capture in June 1283 of Dafydd, who was taken to Shrewsbury and executed as a traitor the following year; Edward ordered Dafydd's head to be publicly exhibited on London Bridge . By the 1284 Statute of Rhuddlan , the principality of Wales was incorporated into England and was given an administrative system like
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5344-484: The Byzantine Empire and King Arthur in an attempt to build legitimacy for his new rule, and they made a clear statement about Edward's intention to rule Wales permanently. The Welsh aristocracy were nearly wholly dispossessed of their lands. Edward was the greatest beneficiary of this process. Further rebellions occurred in 1287–88 and, more seriously, in 1294 , under the leadership of Madog ap Llywelyn ,
5511-666: The English Parliament to answer the charges. This the Scottish King did, but the final straw was Edward's demand that the Scottish magnates provide military service in the war against France. This was unacceptable; the Scots instead formed an alliance with France and launched an unsuccessful attack on Carlisle . Edward responded by invading Scotland in 1296 and taking the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed which included
5678-625: The Hammer of the Scots , was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland , and from 1254 to 1306 ruled Gascony as Duke of Aquitaine in his capacity as a vassal of the French king . Before his accession to the throne, he was commonly referred to as the Lord Edward . The eldest son of Henry III , Edward was involved from an early age in the political intrigues of his father's reign. In 1259, he briefly sided with
5845-657: The Holy Land was precarious. Jerusalem had been reconquered by the Muslims in 1244, and Acre was now the centre of the Kingdom of Jerusalem . The Muslim states were on the offensive under the Mamluk leadership of Baibars , and were threatening Acre. Edward's men were an important addition to the garrison, but they stood little chance against Baibars's superior forces, and an initial raid at nearby St Georges-de-Lebeyne in June
6012-551: The Latin mobile vulgus (the fickle crowd) does not appear in English until the late 17th century, and was not commonly used for Mob Quad until the end of the 18th century. It was possibly originally a humorous description of the occupants. The lawn is a 20th-century addition. 51°45′03″N 1°15′09″W / 51.7508°N 1.2524°W / 51.7508; -1.2524 Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in
6179-587: The Mongol court of the east continued during this time. Diplomatic channels between the two had begun during Edward's time on crusade, regarding a possible alliance to retake the Holy Land for Europe. Edward received Mongol envoys at his court in Gascony while there in 1287, and one of their leaders, Rabban Bar Sauma , recorded an extant account of the interaction. Other embassies arrived in Europe in 1289 and 1290,
6346-604: The Palace of Westminster on the night of 17–18 June 1239, to King Henry III and Eleanor of Provence . Edward , an Anglo-Saxon name , was not commonly given among the aristocracy of England after the Norman conquest , but Henry was devoted to the veneration of Edward the Confessor and decided to name his firstborn son after the saint . Edward's birth was widely celebrated at the royal court and throughout England, and he
6513-614: The Royalists and used to house much of Charles I 's court when Oxford was the Royalists' capital. This included the King's French wife, Queen Henrietta Maria , who was housed in or near what is now the Queen's Room, the room above the arch between Front and Fellows' Quads. A portrait of Charles I hangs near the Queen's Room as a reminder of the role it played in his court. Brent gave evidence against Laud in his trial in 1644. After Laud
6680-461: The Statute of Gloucester in 1278 the King challenged baronial rights through a revival of the system of general eyres (royal justices to go on tour throughout the land) and through a significant increase in the number of pleas of quo warranto to be heard by such eyres. This caused great consternation among the aristocracy, who insisted that long use in itself constituted licence . A compromise
6847-575: The Statute of the Jewry , which outlawed loans with interest and encouraged the Jews to take up other professions. In 1279, using a crack-down on coin-clippers as a pretext, he organised the arrest of all the heads of Jewish households in England. Approximately a tenth of the Jewish population, around 300 people, were executed. Others were allowed to pay fines. At least £16,000 was raised through fines and
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7014-520: The Treaty of Aberconwy in November 1277, he was left only with the land of Gwynedd , though he was allowed to retain the title of Prince of Wales. War broke out again in 1282. The Welsh saw the war as being over national identity and the right to traditional Welsh law. This enjoyed wide support, provoked by attempts to abuse the English legal system to dispossess prominent Welsh landowners, many of whom were Edward's former opponents. For Edward, it became
7181-453: The Treaty of Tunis with the Emir, and there was little to do but return to Sicily. Further military action was postponed until the following spring, but a devastating storm off the coast of Sicily dissuaded both Charles and Philip III , Louis's successor, from any further campaigning. Edward decided to continue alone, and on 9 May 1271 he landed at Acre. The Christian situation in
7348-518: The chronicler Matthew Paris , who circulated tales of unruly and violent conduct by Edward's inner circle, raising questions about his personal qualities. Edward showed independence in political matters as early as 1255, when he sided with the Soler family in Gascony in their conflict with the Colomb family. This ran contrary to his father's policy of mediation between the local factions. In May 1258,
7515-534: The massacre of civilians . At the Battle of Dunbar , Scottish resistance was effectively crushed. Edward took the Stone of Destiny – the Scottish coronation stone – and brought it to Westminster, placing it in what became known as King Edward's Chair ; he deposed Balliol and placed him in the Tower of London , and installed Englishmen to govern the country. The campaign had been very successful, but
7682-472: The papal bull Clericis laicos . This prohibited the clergy from paying taxes to lay authorities without explicit consent from the Pope. When the clergy, with reference to the bull, refused to pay, Edward responded with outlawry. Winchelsey was presented with a dilemma between loyalty to the King and upholding the papal bull, and he responded by leaving it to every individual clergyman to pay as he saw fit. By
7849-725: The 1890s and was Secretary of the Myrmidon Club . Merton has also produced notable alumni and fellows in more recent times. In science, Merton is associated with four Nobel prize winners: chemist Frederick Soddy (1921), zoologist Nikolaas Tinbergen (1973), physicist Anthony Leggett (2003) and physicist Anton Zeilinger (2022). Other Mertonians in science include Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield , mathematician Andrew Wiles who proved Fermat's Last Theorem , computer scientist Tony Hoare , chemist George Radda , economist Catherine Tucker , geneticist Alec Jeffreys and cryptographer Artur Ekert . Notable Mertonians within
8016-464: The 7th Earl of Gloucester, similarly committed themselves, although some, like Gloucester, did not ultimately participate. With the country pacified, the greatest impediment to the project was funding. King Louis IX of France, who was the leader of the crusade, provided a loan of about £17,500. This was not enough, and the rest had to be raised through a direct tax on the laity , which had not been levied since 1237. In May 1270, Parliament granted
8183-741: The BBC and later CEO of the New York Times Company Mark Thompson , CEO of Stonewall Ben Summerskill and former CEO of Sony Howard Stringer are alumni. In law, Henry Litton served as one of the first Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong ( Hong Kong 's court of last resort ), while Brian Leveson was President of the Queen's Bench Division from 2013 to 2019 and Head of Criminal Justice. Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and
8350-463: The Channel to France, some became victims to piracy, and many more were dispossessed or died in the October storms. The Crown disposed of their property through sales and 85 grants made to courtiers and family. The Edict appears to have been issued as part of a deal to secure a lay subsidy of £110,000 from Parliament, the largest granted in the medieval period. Although expulsions had taken place on
8517-596: The Continent, especially the Low Countries , and despite a ban in 1283, English coinage was secretly exported to the European continent. In August 1280, Edward forbade the usage of the old long cross coinage , which forced the populace to switch to the newly minted versions. Records indicate that the coinage overhaul successfully provided England with a stable currency. Edward's frequent military campaigns put
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#17327731701148684-401: The Crown. The 1290 statute of Quo warranto was only one part of a wider legislative reform, which was one of the most important contributions of Edward's reign. This era of legislative action had started already at the time of the baronial reform movement; the Statute of Marlborough (1267) contained elements both of the Provisions of Oxford and the Dictum of Kenilworth. The compilation of
8851-599: The Crusaders intended to relieve the beleaguered Christian stronghold of Acre in Palestine , but King Louis and his brother Charles of Anjou , the king of Sicily , decided to attack the emirate of Tunis to establish a stronghold in North Africa. The plan failed when the French forces were struck by an epidemic which, on 25 August, killed Louis. By the time Edward arrived at Tunis, Charles had already signed
9018-494: The Earl of Gloucester, Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford. Problems were exacerbated when Llywelyn's younger brother Dafydd and Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn of Powys , after failing to assassinate Llywelyn, defected to the English in 1274. Citing ongoing hostilities and Edward's harbouring of his enemies, Llywelyn refused to do homage to the King. For Edward, a further provocation came from Llywelyn's planned marriage to Eleanor , daughter of Simon de Montfort
9185-494: The Elder. In November 1276, Edward declared war. Initial operations were under the captaincy of Mortimer, Edward's brother Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, and William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick . Support for Llywelyn was weak among his countrymen. In July 1277 Edward invaded with a force of 15,500, of whom 9,000 were Welsh. The campaign never came to a major battle, and Llywelyn realised he had no choice but to surrender. By
9352-659: The Eleanor Crosses. Edward took a keen interest in the stories of King Arthur , which were popular in Europe during his reign. In 1278 he visited Glastonbury Abbey to open what was then believed to be the tomb of Arthur and Guinevere , recovering "Arthur's crown" from Llywelyn after the conquest of North Wales; his castle-building campaign in Wales drew upon the Arthurian myths in their design and location. He held "Round Table" events in 1284 and 1302, involving tournaments and feasting, and chroniclers compared him and
9519-565: The English triumph would be only temporary. Edward had a reputation for a fierce and sometimes unpredictable temper, and he could be intimidating; one story tells how the Dean of St Paul's , wishing to confront Edward over high taxation in 1295, fell down and died once he was in the King's presence, and one 14th-century chronicler attributed the death of Archbishop Thomas of York to the King's harsh conduct towards him. When Edward of Caernarfon demanded an earldom for his favourite Piers Gaveston ,
9686-400: The English, with counties policed by sheriffs. English law was introduced in criminal cases; the Welsh were allowed to maintain their own customary laws in some cases of property disputes. After 1277, and increasingly after 1283, Edward embarked on a project of English settlement of Wales, creating new towns like Flint , Aberystwyth and Rhuddlan . Their new residents were English migrants,
9853-570: The Hundred Rolls was followed shortly after by the issue of Westminster I (1275), which asserted the royal prerogative and outlined restrictions on liberties. The Statutes of Mortmain (1279) addressed the issue of land grants to the Church. The first clause of Westminster II (1285), known as De donis conditionalibus , dealt with family settlement of land, and entails . The Statute of Merchants (1285) established firm rules for
10020-417: The King died in 1307, he left to his son Edward II a war with Scotland and other financial and political burdens. Edward's temperamental nature and height (6 ft 2 in, 188 cm) made him an intimidating figure. He often instilled fear in his contemporaries, although he held the respect of his subjects for the way he embodied the medieval ideal of kingship as a soldier, an administrator, and
10187-624: 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. At times, Edward exhibited a gentler disposition, and was known to be devoted to his large family. He was close to his daughters, and gave them expensive gifts when they visited court. Despite his harsh disposition, Edward's English contemporaries considered him an able, even an ideal, king. Though not loved by his subjects, he
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#173277317011410354-548: The Latin text are based on verses 15 and 16 of Psalm 145 . Oculi omnium in te respiciunt, Domine. Tu das escam illis tempore opportuno. Aperis manum tuam, et imples omne animal benedictione tua. Benedicas nobis, Deus, omnibus donis quae de tua beneficentia accepturi simus. Per Jesum Christum dominum nostrum, Amen. Roughly translated it means: The eyes of the world look up to thee, O Lord. Thou givest them food in due season. Thou openest thy hand and fillest every creature with thy blessing. Bless us, O God, with all
10521-512: The Library in 1373–1378. But Merton's own Front Quad was probably enclosed earlier, albeit with a less unified design. Other colleges can point to similarly old and unaltered quadrangles, for example Old Court at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge , built c .1353–1377. The grandest quadrangle in Merton is the Fellows' Quadrangle, immediately south of the hall. The quad was the culmination of
10688-455: The Mamluks captured Acre , the last Christian stronghold in the Holy Land. Edward had long been deeply involved in the affairs of his own Duchy of Gascony. In 1278 he assigned an investigating commission to his trusted associates Otto de Grandson and the chancellor Robert Burnell, which caused the replacement of the seneschal Luke de Tany. In 1286, Edward visited the region and stayed for almost three years. On Easter Sunday 1287, Edward
10855-405: The River in Summer Eights once; its men's 1st VIII held the headship in 1951. Merton's women have done better in recent years, gaining the headship in Torpids in 2003 and rowing over to defend the title in 2004. The college preprandial grace is amongst the longest in Oxford, and is always recited before formal dinners in Hall, usually by the senior postmaster present. The first two lines of
11022-632: The Rose Lane buildings and most male students going into three houses on Merton Street . This policy was abandoned in 2007, with all accommodation now mixed by sex and course. Undergraduate admission to the college, like other Oxford colleges, is based solely on academic potential. In 2010, it was (incorrectly) reported that Merton had not admitted a black student in the previous five years. A university spokeswoman commented that black students were more likely to apply for particularly oversubscribed subjects. The university also reported that Merton had admitted at least one black undergraduate since 2005. Since
11189-453: The UK stayed one hour ahead of GMT all year round. There are three toasts associated with the ceremony. The first is "to a good old time!"; the second, a joint toast to the sundial and the nearby mulberry tree ( morus nigra ), " o tempora, o more "; and the third, "long live the counter-revolution!". Merton is the only college in Oxford to hold a triennial winter ball , instead of the more common Commemoration ball . The most recent of these
11356-441: The United Kingdom in September and October 2022. Merton is one of the wealthiest colleges in Oxford and held funds totalling £298 million as of July 2020. Merton College was founded in 1264 by Walter de Merton , Lord Chancellor and Bishop of Rochester . It has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford, a claim which is disputed between Merton College, Balliol College and University College . One argument for Merton's claim
11523-403: The University of Oxford ) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton , chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I , first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to support it. An important feature of de Merton's foundation was that this "college"
11690-426: The Warden, Nathaniel Brent , and the Visitor of Merton and Archbishop of Canterbury , William Laud . Brent had been Vicar-General to Laud, who had held a visitation of Merton College in 1638, and insisted on many radical reforms: his letters to Brent were couched in haughty and decisive language. Brent, a parliamentarian, moved to London at the start of the Civil War: the college's buildings were commandeered by
11857-481: The Welsh administration continued to be nearly wholly imported. In 1284, King Edward had his son Edward (later Edward II ) born at Caernarfon Castle, probably to make a statement about the new political order in Wales. In 1301 at Lincoln, the young Edward became the first English prince to be invested as Prince of Wales, when the King granted him the Earldom of Chester and lands across North Wales, hoping to give his son more financial independence. Edward began
12024-724: The Younger before embarking on a retaliatory campaign against Derby's lands. The baronial and royalist forces met at the Battle of Lewes , on 14 May 1264. Edward, commanding the right wing, performed well, and soon defeated the London contingent of the Earl of Leicester's forces. Unwisely, he pursued the scattered enemy, and on his return found the rest of the royal army defeated. By the Mise of Lewes , Edward and his cousin Henry of Almain were given up as hostages to Leicester. Edward remained in captivity until March 1265, and after his release
12191-515: The ancient structure has survived the successive reconstruction efforts; first by James Wyatt in the 1790s and then again by Gilbert Scott in 1874, whose work included the “handsome oak roof”. The hall is still used daily for meals in term time. It is not usually open to visitors. Front quad itself is probably the earliest collegiate quadrangle , but its informal, almost haphazard, pattern cannot be said to have influenced designers elsewhere. A reminder of its original domestic nature can be seen in
12358-668: The bank went bankrupt. After this, the Frescobaldi of Florence took over the role as moneylenders to the English crown. Edward also sought to reduce pressure on his finances by helping his wife Eleanor to build an independent income. Edward held Parliament on a regular basis throughout his reign. In 1295, a significant change occurred. For this Parliament, as well as the secular and ecclesiastical lords, two knights from each county and two representatives from each borough were summoned. The representation of commons in Parliament
12525-465: The campaign. On 24 September 1272 Edward left Acre. Shortly after arriving in Sicily, he was met with the news that his father had died on 16 November. Edward was deeply saddened by this news, but rather than hurrying home, he made a leisurely journey northwards. This was due partly to his still-poor health, but also to a lack of urgency. The political situation in England was stable after
12692-564: The cause of the reformers, and his father believed that Edward was considering a coup d'état. When Henry returned from France, he initially refused to see his son, but through the mediation of Richard of Cornwall and Boniface, Archbishop of Canterbury , the two were eventually reconciled. Edward was sent abroad to France, and in November 1260 he again united with the Lusignans, who had been exiled there. Back in England, early in 1262, Edward fell out with some of his former Lusignan allies over financial matters. The next year, King Henry sent him on
12859-451: The church, who were increasingly intolerant of Judaism and usury. The Jews were the King's personal property, and he was free to tax them at will. Over-taxation of the Jews forced them to sell their debt bonds at cut prices, which was exploited by the crown to transfer vast land wealth from indebted landholders to courtiers and his wife, Eleanor of Provence, causing widespread resentment. In 1275, facing discontent in Parliament, Edward issued
13026-500: The club has changed form over the years, and was reformed in the 1980s as a speaker society. All members of the college, and usually members of the university as a whole, are invited to their events. The club began on 19 May 1894 (though it was not christened 'The Bodley Club' until June). The initial constitution contained a rule (Rule 7) which stated that 'a written paper is preferred, but any member may speak on any literary subject instead or may propose that any literary work be read at
13193-419: The coal fireplaces have been replaced with electric heating. The south and west ranges which complete the quadrangle were built in 1373–1378. They were built to provide more accommodation (on the ground floor) and to house the expanding college library (on the upper floor). The old part of the library is still there, and, still expanding, it also now occupies most of the ground floor as well (and other parts of
13360-434: The coinage system, which was in a poor state by 1279. Compared to the coinage already circulating at the time of Edward's accession, the new coins issued proved to be of superior quality. In addition to minting pennies , halfpences and farthings , a new denomination called the groat (which proved to be unsuccessful) was introduced. The coinmaking process itself was also improved. The moneyer William Turnemire introduced
13527-441: The college muniments , while the ground floor was probably the original bursary . It is not known exactly when the building was completed, but there are references to it in the college accounts for 1288 and 1291. The Muniment Room being built above a vaulted arch is suggested as evidence that the range of buildings to the south was either planned at the time of the original design or was replacing an existing building. This range to
13694-419: The college to flourish in the early 17th century by extending its buildings and recruiting new fellows. In 1333, masters from Merton were among those who left Oxford in an attempt to found a new university at Stamford . The leader of the rebels was reported to be one William de Barnby , a Yorkshireman who had been fellow and bursar of Merton College. St Alban Hall was an independent academic hall owned by
13861-447: The college). The large dormer windows were added as part of Warden Savile's rebuilding work which began in 1589. The origin of the name "Mob Quad" is obscure. On older plans and accounts the quad is called variously Little Quadrangle, Old Quadrangle, Bachelors' Quadrangle (that is, B.A. Fellows), Postmasters' Quadrangle, and Undergraduates' Quadrangle (at least after the construction of Fellows' Quadrangle). The word "mob", derived from
14028-442: The college. TS Eliot Lecture Theatre is a new lecture theatre named after T. S. Eliot , a former member of the college, opened in 2010. It has a bust of the writer by Jacob Epstein , presented by Frank Brenchley , a former member and Fellow of the college. Brenchley presented his collection of Eliot first editions and ephemera to the college, which is believed to be the second largest collection of such material worldwide. The foyer
14195-402: The contest, he had to be fully recognised as Scotland's feudal overlord. The Scots were reluctant to make such a concession, and replied that since the country had no king, no one had the authority to make this decision. This problem was circumvented when the competitors agreed that the realm would be handed over to Edward until a rightful heir had been found. After a lengthy hearing, a decision
14362-487: The convent of Littlemore until it was purchased by Merton College in 1548 following the dissolution of the convent . It continued as a separate institution until it was finally annexed by the college in 1881, on the resignation of its last principal, William Charles Salter . During the English Civil War , Merton was the only Oxford college to side with Parliament . This was due to an earlier dispute between
14529-528: The country unable to address its basic needs, while the administration was wholly focused on providing for Edward's war demands; troops looted and fought with townspeople when on the move. Gaelic Ireland enjoyed a revival, due to the absence of English magnates and the weakness of the Lordship, assimilating some of the settlers. Edward's government was hostile to the use of Gaelic law , which it condemned in 1277 as "displeasing to God and to reason". Conflict
14696-567: The county. Henry made sizeable endowments to Edward in 1254, including Gascony; most of Ireland, which was granted to Edward, while making the claim for the first time that dominion of Ireland would never be separated from the English crown; and much land in Wales and England, including the Earldom of Chester . They offered Edward little independence, for Henry retained much control over the land, particularly in Ireland, and benefited from most of
14863-515: The death of the heir to the Scottish throne, Edward was invited to arbitrate a succession dispute . He claimed feudal suzerainty over Scotland and invaded the country, and the ensuing First Scottish War of Independence continued after his death. Simultaneously, Edward found himself at war with France (a Scottish ally ) after King Philip IV confiscated the Duchy of Gascony. The duchy
15030-403: The defendant could not produce a royal licence to prove the grant of the liberty, then it was the Crown's opinion – based on the writings of the influential 13th-century legal scholar Henry de Bracton – that the liberty should revert to the King. Both the Statute of Westminster 1275 and Statute of Westminster 1285 codified the existing law in England. By enacting
15197-401: The dispute. The actual decision would be made by 104 auditors – 40 appointed by Balliol, 40 by Brus and the remaining 24 selected by Edward from senior members of the Scottish political community. At Birgham, with the prospect of a personal union between the two realms, the question of suzerainty had not been of great importance to Edward. Now he insisted that, if he were to settle
15364-587: The early 14th century (however, these claims are disputed). Other early fellows include the Oxford Calculators , a group of 14th-century thinkers associated with Merton who took a logico-mathematical approach to philosophical problems. Theologian and philosopher John Wycliffe was another early fellow of the college. Founder of the Bodleian Library , Thomas Bodley , was admitted as fellow in 1564. Another significant figure, Henry Savile ,
15531-407: The east of the church which now form the north range of Front Quad. Walter also obtained permission from the king to extend from these properties south to the old city wall to form an approximately square site. The college continued to acquire other properties as they became available on both sides of Merton Street. At one time, the college owned all the land from the site that is now Christ Church to
15698-456: The end of November 1254, Edward and Eleanor left Castile and entered Gascony, where they were warmly received by the populace. Here, Edward styled himself as "ruling Gascony as prince and lord", a move that the historian J. S. Hamilton states was a show of his blooming political independence. From 1254 to 1257, Edward was under the influence of his mother's relatives, known as the Savoyards ,
15865-641: The end of the 13th century. Mob Quad , one of Merton's quadrangles , was constructed between 1288 and 1378, and is claimed to be the oldest quadrangle in Oxford, while Merton College Library , located in Mob Quad and dating from 1373, is the oldest continuously functioning library for university academics and students in the world. Like many of Oxford's colleges, Merton admitted its first mixed-sex cohort in 1979, after over seven centuries as an institution for men only. Merton's second female warden, Irene Tracey ,
16032-593: The entire population. Whereas Henry III had only collected four of these in his reign, Edward collected nine. This format eventually became the standard for later Parliaments, and historians have named the assembly the " Model Parliament ", a term first introduced by the English historian William Stubbs . Edward's policy towards the English Jews dominated his financial relations with Parliament until 1290. Jews, unlike Christians, were allowed to charge interest on loans, known as usury . Edward faced pressure from
16199-581: The events at his court to Arthur. In some cases Edward appears to have used the Arthurian myths to serve his own political interests, including legitimising his rule in Wales and discrediting the Welsh belief that Arthur might return as their political saviour . Soon after assuming the throne, Edward set about restoring order and re-establishing royal authority after the troubled reign of his father. To accomplish this, he immediately ordered an extensive change of administrative personnel. The most important of these
16366-500: The expectations of his age: he attended chapel regularly, gave alms generously and showed a fervent devotion to the Virgin Mary and Saint Thomas Becket . Like his father, Edward was a keen participant in the tradition of the royal touch , which was believed to cure those who were touched from scrofula . Contemporary records suggest that the King touched upwards of a thousand people each year. Despite his personal piety, Edward
16533-967: The field of literature include poet T. S. Eliot , who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, and author J. R. R. Tolkien who was Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton from 1945 to 1959. Jamaican-British Professor of Sociology Stuart Hall was a pioneer in the academic field of cultural studies and director of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies . Former students with careers as politicians include British politicians Reginald Maudling , Airey Neave , Jesse Norman , Ed Vaizey , Denis MacShane , Liz Truss and Peter Tapsell , while international alumni include Bob Krueger , former U.S. Senator from Texas , and Arthur Mutambara , former Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe . In business, former Director-General of
16700-562: The former relaying Ilkhan Abaqa's offer to join forces with the crusaders and supply them with horses. Edward responded favourably, declaring his intent to travel to the east once he obtained papal approval. This did not materialise, but the King's decision to send Geoffrey of Langley as his ambassador to the Mongols showed that he was seriously considering the prospective Mongol alliance. Eleanor of Castile died on 28 November 1290. The couple loved each other, and like his father, Edward
16867-674: The future Chancellor Godfrey Giffard – until Bartholomew Pecche took over at Giffard's death in 1246. The details of Edward's upbringing are unknown, but he received an education typical of an aristocratic boy his age, including in military studies. There were concerns about Edward's health as a child, and he fell ill in 1246, 1247, and 1251. Nonetheless, he grew up to become a strong, athletic, and imposing man. At 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) he towered over most of his contemporaries, hence his epithet "Longshanks", meaning "long legs" or "long shins". The historian Michael Prestwich states that his "long arms gave him an advantage as
17034-603: The gifts which by thy good works we are about to receive. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen. For the relevant verses of the Psalm, the Authorized Version has: In contrast, Merton's post-prandial grace is brief: Benedictus benedicat ("Let him who has been blessed, give blessing"). The latter grace is spoken by the senior Fellow present at the end of dinner on High Table. At the University of Cambridge ,
17201-516: The half-sister of King Alfonso X of Castile . They were married on 1 November 1254 in the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas in Castile. As part of the marriage agreement, Alfonso X gave up his claims to Gascony, and Edward received grants of land worth 15,000 marks a year. The marriage eventually led to the English acquisition of Ponthieu in 1279 upon Eleanor's inheritance of
17368-494: The income from those lands. Split control caused problems. Between 1254 and 1272, eleven different Justiciars were appointed to head the Irish government, encouraging further conflict and instability; corruption rose to very high levels. In Gascony, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester , had been appointed as royal lieutenant in 1253 and drew its income, so Edward derived neither authority nor revenue from this province. Around
17535-574: The inquest was to establish what land and rights the Crown had lost during the reign of Henry III. The inquest produced a set of census documents called the Hundred Rolls . These have been likened to the 11th-century Domesday Book , and they formed the basis for the later legal inquiries called the Quo warranto proceedings. The purpose of these inquiries was to establish by what warrant ( Latin : Quo warranto ) liberties were held. If
17702-415: The integrity of the space–time continuum during the transition from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time , which occurs in the early hours of the last Sunday in October. However, the ceremony (invented by two undergraduates in 1971) mostly serves as a spoof of other Oxford ceremonies, and historically as a celebration of the end of the experimental period of British Standard Time from 1968 to 1971 when
17869-492: The introduction of an official Norrington Table published by the university in 2004, Merton occupied one of the top three positions every year (often coming in 1st), until 2012 when it dropped to 14th. In 2014, it regained the first position, preserving its status as one of the most academically successful colleges of the last twenty years. In 2021, Merton was ranked Oxford's top college in the Norrington Table, with
18036-524: The lands he held in England. Problems arose only with the Scottish succession crisis of the early 1290s. When Alexander died in 1286, he left as heir to the Scottish throne Margaret , his three-year-old granddaughter and sole surviving descendant. By the Treaty of Birgham , it was agreed that Margaret should marry King Edward's six-year-old son Edward of Caernarfon , though Scotland would remain free of English overlordship . Margaret, by now seven, sailed from Norway for Scotland in late 1290, but fell ill on
18203-463: The local Welsh being banned from living there, and many were protected by extensive walls. An extensive project of castle building was also initiated, under the direction of James of Saint George , a prestigious architect Edward had met in Savoy on his return from the crusade. These included Beaumaris , Caernarfon , Conwy and Harlech castles, intended to act as fortresses, royal palaces and as
18370-523: The marriage was delayed by the outbreak of war. Edward made expensive alliances with the German king , the counts of Flanders and Guelders , and the Burgundians , who would attack France from the north. The alliances proved volatile and Edward was facing trouble at home at the time, both in Wales and Scotland. His admiral Barrau de Sescas kept remaining English forces in Gascony supplied, but it
18537-413: The meeting.' It was not long before this provision was required, as the minute-book reveals in its entry for 19 October 1894: 'Owing to unpardonable slackness on the part of members, the four months of vacation proved insufficient to collect coherent ideas on any particular subject...However an agreeable and instructive evening was passed in reading Tennyson's 'Maud'.' From early years the club has maintained
18704-418: The men he had alienated the year before – including Henry of Almain and John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey – and retook Windsor Castle from the rebels. Through the arbitration of King Louis IX of France an agreement was made between the two parties. This Mise of Amiens was largely favourable to the royalist side and would cause further conflict. From 1264 to 1267 the Second Barons' War
18871-539: The mid-century upheavals, and Edward was proclaimed king after his father's death, rather than at his own coronation, as had until then been customary. In Edward's absence, the country was governed by a royal council, led by Robert Burnell . Edward passed through Italy and France, visiting Pope Gregory X and paying homage to Philip III in Paris for his French domains. Edward travelled by way of Savoy to receive homage from his great-uncle Count Philip I for castles in
19038-715: The most notable being the Halsbury Society (Law) and the Chalcenterics (Classics). Other academic societies include the Neave Society, which aims to discuss and debate political issues, and the Bodley Club , founded in 1894 as a forum for undergraduate papers on literature but now a speaker society. The Bodley Club is a speaker society at Merton College, Oxford. Founded in 1894 as a forum in which undergraduates delivered academic papers on literature,
19205-562: The most notable of whom was Peter II of Savoy , the Queen's uncle. After 1257, Edward became increasingly close to the Lusignan faction – the half-brothers of his father Henry III – led by such men as William de Valence . The two groups of privileged foreigners were resented by the established English aristocracy, who would be at the centre of the ensuing years' baronial reform movement. Edward's ties to his Lusignan kinsmen were viewed unfavourably by contemporaries, including
19372-484: The new building. These buildings were designed, and are still used, as accommodation for members of the college. They consist of three storeys of rooms, the third being built in the steeply-pitched attics. The rooms are arranged in sets on either side of central wooden staircases. The walls are thick and faced in rag-finished Cotswold stone . There are no chimneys and although all the rooms had fireplaces and chimneys by about 1600, they have been removed in modern times as
19539-486: The new centres of civilian and judicial administration. His programme of castle building in Wales heralded the widespread introduction of arrowslits in castle walls across Europe, drawing on Eastern architectural influences. Also a product of the Crusades was the introduction of the concentric castle , and four of the eight castles Edward founded in Wales followed this design. The castles drew on imagery associated with
19706-534: The new king, Philip IV . Following an outbreak of piracy and informal war between English, Gascon, Norman, and French sailors in 1293, his brother Edmund Crouchback allowed Philip IV to occupy Gascony's chief fortresses as a show of good faith that Edward had not intended the seizure of several French ships or the sacking of the French port of La Rochelle . Philip refused to release the fortresses, and declared Gascony forfeit when Edward refused to appear before him again in Paris. Correspondence between Edward and
19873-484: The nominal king of Jerusalem , signed a ten-year truce with Baibars. Edward was initially defiant, but in June 1272 he was the victim of an assassination attempt by a member of the Syrian Order of Assassins , supposedly ordered by Baibars. He managed to kill the assassin, but was struck in the arm by a dagger feared to be poisoned, and was severely weakened over the following months. This persuaded Edward to abandon
20040-437: The north east corner where one of the flagstones is marked "Well". The quad is formed of what would have been the back gardens of the three original houses that Walter acquired in the 1260s. Visitors to Merton are often told that Mob Quad is the oldest quadrangle of any Oxford or Cambridge college and set the pattern for future collegiate architecture. It was built in three phases: 1288–1291, 1304–1311, and finally completed with
20207-414: The parish church as well as the chapel until 1891. It is for this reason that it is generally referred to as Merton Church in older documents, and that there is a north door into the street as well as doors into the college. This dual role also probably explains the enormous scale of the chapel, which in its original design was to have a nave and two aisles extending to the west. A new choral foundation
20374-590: The part that faces onto Merton Street); the Grove building, built in 1864 by William Butterfield but "chastened" in the 1930s by T.H. Hughes ; the buildings beyond the Fellows' Garden called "Rose Lane"; several buildings north of Merton Street, including a real tennis court , and the Old Warden's Lodgings (designed by Champneys in 1903); and a new quadrangle in Holywell Street , some distance away from
20541-628: The parties came to an agreement. Around this time, Edward was made steward of England and began to exercise influence in the government. He was also appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1265. Despite this, he was little involved in the settlement negotiations following the wars as he was planning his forthcoming crusade . Edward pledged himself to undertake a crusade in an elaborate ceremony on 24 June 1268, with his brother Edmund Crouchback and cousin Henry of Almain. Some of Edward's former adversaries, such as John de Vescy and
20708-488: The rebellion was extinguished and, with England pacified, Edward left to join the Ninth Crusade to the Holy Land in 1270. He was on his way home in 1272 when he was informed of his father's death. Making a slow return, he reached England in 1274 and was crowned at Westminster Abbey . Edward spent much of his reign reforming royal administration and common law . Through an extensive legal inquiry, he investigated
20875-472: The recovery of debts, and the Statute of Winchester (1285) dealt with security and peacekeeping on a local level by bolstering the existing police system. Quia emptores (1290) – issued along with Quo warranto – set out to remedy land ownership disputes resulting from alienation of land by subinfeudation . The age of the great statutes largely ended with the death of Robert Burnell in 1292. Edward's reign saw an overhaul of
21042-520: The same style as the Eleanor crosses, to take political credit for his actions. As historian Richard Stacey notes, "a more explicit identification of the crown with the ritual crucifixion charge can hardly be imagined." Edward's primary interest in Ireland was as a source of resources, soldiers and funds for his wars, in Gascony, Wales, Scotland and Flanders. Royal interventions aimed to maximise economic extraction. Corruption among Edward's officials
21209-674: The same time, the King organised political alliances with the kingdoms in Iberia . His four-year-old daughter Eleanor was promised in marriage to Alfonso , the heir to the Crown of Aragon , and Edward's heir Henry was betrothed to Joan , heiress to the Kingdom of Navarre . Neither union would come to fruition. On 2 August 1274 Edward returned to England, landing at Dover. The thirty-five-year-old king held his coronation on 19 August at Westminster Abbey, alongside Queen Eleanor. Immediately after being anointed and crowned by Robert Kilwardby ,
21376-446: The secretary, William), Northrop Frye , Alister Clavering Hardy , and Ronald Knox . Several of the club's first members went on to become significant figures, including Herbert George Flaxman Spurrell and William Hamilton Fyfe . Merton has a long-standing sporting relationship with Mansfield College , with the colleges fielding amalgamated sports teams for many major sports. In rowing, Merton College Boat Club has been Head of
21543-677: The seizure of fragments of the Holy Cross from Wales after its defeat in 1283, and subsequently the Stone of Scone and regalia from Scotland after defeats in 1296. Some historians question Edward's good faith and trustworthiness in relation to his dealing with Wales and Scotland, believing him to have been capable of behaving duplicitously. Historian Michael Prestwich believes Edward 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 fulfilled
21710-539: The seizure of property from the dead. In 1280, he ordered all Jews to attend special sermons, preached by Dominican friars, with the hope of persuading them to convert, but these exhortations were not followed. By 1280, the Jews had been exploited to a level at which they were no longer of much financial use to the crown, but they could still be used in political bargaining. With the Edict of Expulsion in 1290, Edward formally expelled all Jews from England. As they crossed
21877-527: The south of the Muniment Room (the East side) was complete by about 1310–1320. The matching North side is probably slightly earlier and apparently stands on the site of the former church of St John, which was no longer needed once the new chapel was complete. The college accounts indicate that the old church was being used as rooms by 1308, and it is possible that parts of its structure were incorporated into
22044-534: The south-eastern corner of the city. The land to the east eventually became the current Fellows' garden, while the western end was leased by Warden Richard Rawlins in 1515 for the foundation of Corpus Christi (at an annual rent of just over £4). By the late 1280s, the old church of St John the Baptist had fallen into "a ruinous condition", and the college accounts show that work on a new church began in about 1290. The present choir , with its enormous east window,
22211-457: The tenure of several feudal liberties. The law was reformed through a series of statutes regulating criminal and property law , but the King's attention was increasingly drawn towards military affairs. After suppressing a minor conflict in Wales in 1276–77, Edward responded to a second one in 1282–83 by conquering Wales . He then established English rule, built castles and towns in the countryside and settled them with English people . After
22378-553: The war that followed, Charles of Anjou's son, Charles of Salerno , was taken prisoner by the Aragonese. The French began planning an attack on Aragon, raising the prospect of a large-scale European war. To Edward, it was imperative that such a war be avoided, and in Paris in 1286 he brokered a truce between France and Aragon that helped secure Charles's release. As far as the crusades were concerned, Edward's efforts proved ineffective. A devastating blow to his plans came in 1291, when
22545-538: The way and died in Orkney . This left the country without an obvious heir, and led to the succession dispute known as the Great Cause . Fourteen claimants put forward their claims to the title, of whom the foremost competitors were John Balliol and Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale . The Scottish magnates made a request to Edward to conduct the proceedings and administer the outcome, but not to arbitrate in
22712-402: The withdrawal of troops to be used against Wales and Scotland and elsewhere, helped induce lawless behaviour. Resistance to 'purveyances', or forced purchase of supplies such as grain, added to lawlessness, and caused speculation and inflation in the price of basic goods. Pardons were granted to lawbreakers for service for the King in England. Revenues and removal of troops for Edward's wars left
22879-488: The work undertaken by Henry Savile at the beginning of the 17th century. The foundation stone was laid shortly after breakfast on 13 September 1608 (as recorded in the college Register), and work was complete by September 1610 (although the battlements were added later). The southern gateway is surmounted by a tower of the four Orders , probably inspired by Italian examples that Warden Savile would have seen on his European travels. The main contractors were from Yorkshire (as
23046-423: The years 1294–1297, raising over £200,000. Along with this came the burden of prises , seizure of wool and hides, and the unpopular additional duty on wool, dubbed the maltolt ("unjustly taken"). The fiscal demands on the King's subjects caused resentment, which eventually led to serious political opposition. The initial resistance was caused not by the lay taxes, but by clerical subsidies. In 1294, Edward made
23213-460: Was baptised three days later at Westminster Abbey . He was commonly referred to as the Lord Edward until his accession to the throne in 1272. Among his childhood friends was his cousin Henry of Almain , son of King Henry's brother Richard of Cornwall . Henry of Almain remained a close companion of the prince for the rest of his life. Edward was placed in the care of Hugh Giffard – father of
23380-436: Was Savile); John Ackroyd and John Bentley of Halifax supervised the stonework, and Thomas Holt the timber. This group were also later employed to work on the Bodleian Library and Wadham College . Most of the other buildings are Victorian or later and include: St. Alban's Quad (or "Stubbins"), designed by Basil Champneys , built on the site of the medieval St Alban Hall (elements of the older façade are incorporated into
23547-616: Was appointed Warden some years later in 1585 (held the position until 1621) and had great influence of the development of the college. William Harvey , who was the first to describe in detail the systemic circulation , was warden from 1645 to 1646. Lord Randolph Churchill , Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons (and father of Winston Churchill ), matriculated in October 1867, while Max Beerbohm , an English essayist, parodist , and caricaturist studied at Merton in
23714-473: Was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 2022, and Professor Jennifer Payne was subsequently elected as acting warden in 2022 and as warden in 2023. Alumni and academics past and present include five Nobel laureates , the writer J. R. R. Tolkien , who was Merton Professor of English Language and Literature from 1945 to 1959, and Liz Truss , who served as Prime Minister of
23881-486: Was at a high level, and despite Edward's efforts after 1272 to reform the Irish administration, record keeping was poor. Disturbances in Ireland increased during the period. The weakness and lack of direction given to the Lordship's rule allowed factional fighting to grow, reinforced by the introduction of indentured military service by Irish magnates from around 1290. The funnelling of revenue to Edward's wars left Irish castles, bridges and roads in disrepair, and alongside
24048-464: Was built in three distinct phases. The oldest part is the college's Treasury or Muniment Room that stands above and behind the arch in the north east corner. The roof of this part is strikingly steep and is made of stone in order to protect it (and its contents) from fire. The steep pitch of the roof is necessary to support the weight of the stone. The present roof was restored with new Purbeck stone in 1966. The upper floor has always been used to store
24215-524: Was complete by 1294. The window is an important example (because it is so well dated) of how the strict geometrical conventions of the Early English Period of architecture were beginning to be relaxed at the end of the 13th century. The south transept was built in the 14th century, the north transept in the early years of the 15th. The great tower was complete by 1450. The chapel replaced the parish church of St. John and continued to serve as
24382-471: Was completed. The chapel is known for its acoustics. A spire from the chapel has resided in Pavilion Garden VI of the University of Virginia since 1928, when "it was given to the University to honor Jefferson 's educational ideals." The hall is the oldest surviving college building, originally completed before 1277, but apart from the fine medieval ironwork on the door, almost no trace of
24549-401: Was conducting peace negotiations, Edward's commander of Anglesey , Luke de Tany , carried out a surprise attack. A pontoon bridge had been built to the mainland, but shortly after Tany and his men crossed over, they were ambushed by the Welsh and suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Moel-y-don . The Welsh advances ended on 11 December, when Llywelyn was lured into a trap and killed at
24716-522: Was established in 2007, providing for a choir of sixteen undergraduate and graduate choral scholars singing from October 2008. The choir was formerly directed by Peter Phillips , director of the Tallis Scholars , and is now directed by Benjamin Nicholas, a former director of music at Tewkesbury Abbey . In 2013, the installation of a new organ, designed and built by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders ,
24883-515: Was eventually reached in 1290, whereby a liberty was considered legitimate as long as it could be shown to have been exercised since the coronation of Richard the Lionheart in 1189. Royal gains from the Quo warranto proceedings were insignificant as few liberties were returned to the King, but he had nevertheless won a significant victory by establishing the principle that all liberties emanated from
25050-458: Was eventually recovered but the conflict relieved English military pressure against Scotland. By the mid-1290s, extensive military campaigns required high levels of taxation and this met with both lay and ecclesiastical opposition in England. In Ireland, he had extracted soldiers, supplies and money, leaving decay, lawlessness and a revival of the fortunes of his enemies in Gaelic territories . When
25217-505: Was executed on 10 January 1645, John Greaves , one of the subwardens of Merton and Savilian Professor of Astronomy , drew up a petition for Brent's removal from office; Brent was deposed by Charles I on 27 January 1646 and replaced by William Harvey . Thomas Fairfax captured Oxford for the Parliamentarians after its third siege in 1646 and Brent returned from London. However, in 1647, a parliamentary commission (visitation)
25384-437: Was feared and respected, as reflected in the lack of armed rebellions in England during his reign. Edward is often noted as exhibiting vindictiveness towards his defeated enemies, and triumphalism in his actions. Historian R. R. Davies considered Edward's repeated and "gratuitous belittling of his opponents", to have been "one of the most consistent and unattractive features of his character as king". Examples include
25551-424: Was firmly entrenched by the time of the 1297 Irish Parliament, which attempted to create measures to counter disorder and the spread of Gaelic customs and law, while the results of the distress included many abandoned lands and villages. The incessant warfare of the 1290s put a great financial demand on Edward's subjects. Whereas the King had levied only three lay subsidies until 1294, four such taxes were granted in
25718-421: Was fought between baronial forces led by the Earl of Leicester and those who remained loyal to the King. Edward initiated the fighting by capturing the rebel-held city of Gloucester . When Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby , came to the assistance of the baronial forces, Edward negotiated a truce with the Earl. Edward later broke the terms of the agreement. He then captured Northampton from Simon de Montfort
25885-699: Was frequently in conflict with the Archbishops of Canterbury who served during his reign. Relations with the Papacy were at times no better, Edward coming into conflict with Rome over the issue of ecclesiastical taxation. Edward's use of the church extended to war mobilisation including disseminating justifications for war, usually through the issue of writs to England's archbishops, who distributed his requests for services and prayers. Edward's architectural programme similarly had an element of propaganda, sometimes combining this with religious messages of piety, as with
26052-402: Was held on 26 November 2022. Merton has a number of drinking and dining societies, along the lines of other colleges. These include the all-male Myrmidons , the female-equivalent Myrmaids and L'Ancien Régime. The Myrmidon club is open to all members of the college in the present day, male or female, and hosts termly black tie events. Merton is host to a number of subject-specific societies,
26219-448: Was kept under strict surveillance. In Hereford , he escaped on 28 May while out riding and joined up with Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester , who had recently defected to the King's side. The Earl of Leicester's support was now dwindling, and Edward retook Worcester and Gloucester with little effort. Meanwhile, Leicester had made an alliance with Llywelyn and started moving east to join forces with his son Simon. Edward made
26386-623: Was largely futile. An embassy to the Ilkhan Abaqa of the Mongols helped bring about an attack on Aleppo in the north, which distracted Baibars's forces. The Mongol invasion ultimately failed. In November, Edward led a raid on Qaqun , which could have served as a bridgehead to Jerusalem, but this was unsuccessful. The situation in Acre grew desperate, and in May 1272 Hugh III of Cyprus ,
26553-460: Was made in favour of John Balliol on 17 November 1292. Even after Balliol's accession, Edward still asserted his authority over Scotland. Against the objections of the Scots, he agreed to hear appeals on cases ruled on by the court of guardians that had governed Scotland during the interregnum. A further provocation came in a case brought by Macduff, son of Malcolm II, Earl of Fife , in which Edward demanded that Balliol appear in person before
26720-514: Was not until August 1297 that he was able to sail for Flanders, at which time his allies there had already suffered defeat . The support from Germany never materialised, and Edward was forced to seek peace. In 1299, the Treaties of Montreuil and Chartres , along with Edward's marriage to Margaret, produced a prolonged armistice, but the whole affair had proven costly and fruitless for the English. French occupation of most of Gascony lasted until
26887-411: Was not until the mid-1260s that Walter de Merton acquired the core of the present site in Oxford, along the south side of what was then St John's Street (now Merton Street ). The college was consolidated on this site by 1274, when Walter made his final revisions to the college statutes. The initial acquisition included the parish church of St John (which was superseded by the chapel) and three houses to
27054-412: Was nothing new; what was new was the authority under which these representatives were summoned. Whereas previously the commons had been expected to assent to decisions made by the magnates, it was now proclaimed that they should meet with the full authority ( plena potestas ) of their communities, to give assent to decisions made in Parliament. The King now had full backing for collecting lay subsidies from
27221-572: Was set up by Parliament "for the correction of offences, abuses, and disorders" in the University of Oxford. Nathaniel Brent was the president of the visitors. Greaves was accused of sequestrating the college's plate and funds for King Charles I . Despite a deposition from his brother Thomas , Greaves had lost both his Merton fellowship and his Savilian chair by 9 November 1648. The "House of Scholars of Merton" originally had properties in Surrey (in present-day Old Malden ) as well as in Oxford, but it
27388-534: Was standing in a tower when the floor collapsed. He fell 80 feet, broke his collarbone, and was confined to bed for several months. Several others died. Soon after he regained his health, he ordered the local Jews expelled from Gascony, seemingly as a "thank-offering" for his recovery. The perennial problem was the status of Gascony within the Kingdom of France, and Edward's role as the French king's vassal. On his diplomatic mission in 1286, Edward had paid homage to
27555-452: Was the designation of Robert Burnell as chancellor in 1274, a man who would remain in the post until 1292 as one of the King's closest associates. The same year as Burnell's appointment, Edward replaced most local officials, such as the escheators and sheriffs . This last measure was taken in preparation for an extensive inquest covering all of England, that would hear complaints about abuse of power by royal officers. The second purpose of
27722-473: Was to be self-governing and the endowments were directly vested in the Warden and Fellows. By 1274, when Walter retired from royal service and made his final revisions to the college statutes, the community was consolidated at its present site in the south east corner of the city of Oxford , and a rapid programme of building commenced. The hall and the chapel and the rest of the front quad were complete before
27889-422: Was very devoted to his wife and was faithful to her throughout their marriage. He was deeply affected by her death, and displayed his grief by ordering the construction of twelve so-called Eleanor crosses , one at each place where her funeral cortège stopped for the night. As part of the peace accord between England and France in 1294, it was agreed that Edward should marry Philip IV's half-sister Margaret , but
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