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Home / People / Hugh Despenser the Younger

Historical person

Hugh Despenser the Younger

1286–1326

Hugh Despenser the Younger was a favourite and adviser of Edward II of England. His power, greed and hostility from the baronial opposition helped destabilise Edward’s reign and led to his brutal execution after the queen’s invasion in 1326.

Maurice Druon’s The She-Wolf is set against during the reign of Charles IV, conflict over Gascony brings Isabella of France back to her brother's court as Edward II's negotiator.

Historical context

Historical periods linked to Hugh Despenser the Younger

Invasion of England and Deposition of Edward II 1326–1327 CE

Series

Series featuring Hugh Despenser the Younger (1 series)

The Accursed Kings in Order

by Maurice Druon 7 books 4.2

The Accursed Kings follows the French and English monarchies from the final year of Philip IV's reign in 1314 to the capture of John II at Poitiers and the political crisis of the late 1350s. Across seven novels, the direct Capetian line fails, the Valois dynasty takes the…

All books in this series