--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Edward I (1272–1307) was less a scholar…" description: "\"“Edward I (1272–1307) was less a scholar than his father, and more a king; ambitious, strong of will, tenacious in war, subtle in policy, rich in strat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/will-durant-948_edward_edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-th_1272245.jpg" --- # Edward I (1272–1307) was less a scholar than his father… ![“Edward I (1272–1307) was less a scholar than his father, and more a king; ambitious, strong of will, tenacious in war, subtle in policy, rich in stratagems and spoils, yet capable of moderation and caution, and of farseeing purposes that made his reign one of the most successful in English…” quote by Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/will-durant-948_edward_edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-th_1272245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/will-durant-948_edward_edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-th_1272245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/will-durant-948_edward_edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-th_1272245.jpg) > ““Edward I (1272–1307) was less a scholar than his father, and more a king; ambitious, strong of will, tenacious in war, subtle in policy, rich in stratagems and spoils, yet capable of moderation and caution, and of farseeing purposes that made his reign one of the most successful in English history. He reorganized the army, trained a large force of archers in the use of the longbow, and established a national militia by ordering every able-bodied Englishman to possess, and learn the use of, arms; unwittingly, he created a military basis for democracy.”” [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Edward I combined military innovation with strategic governance, creating a strong, organized army and a national militia that unintentionally laid groundwork for democratic participation. **In simple terms:** Edward I built a powerful army and militia, hinting at future democracy. Key Takeaway Recognize how military reforms can shape political systems. Themes leadership military governance innovation democracy Mood pragmatic reflective Type historical analytical When to use this quote - national defense planning - policy reform - citizen training - historical analysis Key Concepts statecraft strategic planning social contract Questions to Reflect On - How can military power be balanced with civil rights? - What are the risks of militarizing society? A Different Perspective His success also relied on harsh taxation and oppression of minorities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [English history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-history/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Although I've lived in England for more than twenty years, I still have a foreigner's passion for all the details of English history and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/although-i-ve-lived-in-england-for-more-than-twenty-years-i-still/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [“Francis stared down at the Duchess of York's letter. He swallowed, then read aloud in a husky voice, "It was showed by John Sponer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-kay-penman/francis-stared-down-at-the-duchess-of-york-s-letter-he-swallowed-then/) [Sharon Kay Penman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-kay-penman/) > [English history is aristocracy with the doors open. Who has courage and faculty, let him come in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/english-history-is-aristocracy-with-the-doors-open-who-has-courage/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I studied Shakespeare all through high school. Both of my parents teach English and history, so it has always been around my experience as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavier-samuel/i-studied-shakespeare-all-through-high-school-both-of-my-parents/) [Xavier Samuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavier-samuel/) > [We can trace almost all the disasters of English history to the influence of Wales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/we-can-trace-almost-all-the-disasters-of-english-history-to-the/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“Born on March 20, 1971, she celebrated her 100th birthday this past March. During the war she toured the battle zones, where British forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/born-on-march-20-1971-she-celebrated-her-100th-birthday-this-past/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Suppresed I Rise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/) > [There is no other Parliament like the English. For the ordinary man, elected to any senate, from Perisa to Peru, they may be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-wedgwood/there-is-no-other-parliament-like-the-english-for-the-ordinary-man/) Josiah Wedgwood > [This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-Paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/this-royal-throne-of-kings-this-scepter-d-isle-this-earth-of-majesty-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The present illegitimacy ratio is not only unprecedented in the past two centuries; it is unprecedented, so far as we know, in American history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/the-present-illegitimacy-ratio-is-not-only-unprecedented-in-the-past/) [Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/) > [“The counts of Anjou and their lovely, but wicked wives gained such an unsavory reputation over the centuries that the people of England were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-costain/the-counts-of-anjou-and-their-lovely-but-wicked-wives-gained-such-an/) [Thomas B. Costain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-costain/) > [My mother was a professor of English and History.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-sood/my-mother-was-a-professor-of-english-and-history/) [Sonu Sood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-sood/) > [Just heard Paul Scholes has retired, best I’ve ever played against by a mile. Most technically gifted player in english history. Legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-barton/just-heard-paul-scholes-has-retired-best-i-ve-ever-played-against-by/) [Joey Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-barton/) > [“Gower is the first English writer to use "history" as an English word. He regularly rhymes the term with "memory," for to his way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-a-peck/gower-is-the-first-english-writer-to-use-history-as-an-english-word/) Russell A. Peck > [But once a fool always a fool, and the greater the power in his hands the more disastrous is likely to be the use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/but-once-a-fool-always-a-fool-and-the-greater-the-power-in-his-hands/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [Remember, remember the Fifth of November, The Gunpowder Treason and Plot, I know of no reason Why the gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/remember-remember-the-fifth-of-november-the-gunpowder-treason-and/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) ## More by Will Durant > [I came to think of myself, not as a dance and chaos of molecules, but as a brief and minute portion of that majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/i-came-to-think-of-myself-not-as-a-dance-and-chaos-of-molecules-but/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“This is the tragedy of almost every civilization—that its soul is in its faith, and seldom survives philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/this-is-the-tragedy-of-almost-every-civilization-that-its-soul-is-in/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [In philosophy, as in politics, the longest distance between two points is a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/in-philosophy-as-in-politics-the-longest-distance-between-two-points/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [As long as there is poverty there will be gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/as-long-as-there-is-poverty-there-will-be-gods/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“Hence the uselessness of logic: no one ever convinced anybody by logic; and even logicians use logic only as a source of income. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/hence-the-uselessness-of-logic-no-one-ever-convinced-anybody-by-logic/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“It is a mistake to think that the past is dead. Nothing that has ever happened is quite without influence at this moment. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/it-is-a-mistake-to-think-that-the-past-is-dead-nothing-that-has-ever/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“There is hardly an absurdity of the past that cannot be found flourishing somewhere in the present. Underneath all civilization, ancient or modern, moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/there-is-hardly-an-absurdity-of-the-past-that-cannot-be-found/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-islamic-conquest-of-india-is-probably-the-bloodiest-story-in/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“Intellectualism—the conception of man as above all a thinking animal, consciously adapting means to rationally chosen ends—fell sick with Rousseau, took to its bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/intellectualism-the-conception-of-man-as-above-all-a-thinking-animal/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“All those fascinating varieties of terrain—mountains and valleys, fiords and straits, gulfs and streams—that make Europe a panorama of diverse delight, have broken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/all-those-fascinating-varieties-of-terrain-mountains-and-valleys/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“To be great is not to be placed above humanity, ruling others; but to stand above the partialities and futilities of uninformed desire, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/to-be-great-is-not-to-be-placed-above-humanity-ruling-others-but-to/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“privately he composed—in French—a poem expressing his pleasure at having given the French a kick in the cul, which Carlyle delicately translated as “the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/privately-he-composed-in-french-a-poem-expressing-his-pleasure-at/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [ “\[N\]o language has ever had a word for a virgin man.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/n-o-language-has-ever-had-a-word-for-a-virgin-man/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“And in the individual too, justice is effective coördination, the harmonious functioning of the elements in a man, each in its fit place and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/and-in-the-individual-too-justice-is-effective-co-rdination-the/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) [Explore all 320 Will Durant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) ## More Edward quotes > [“Edward: I don't know whether to put my fingers in my ears and go la-la-la or find more of your guards so we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/edward-i-don-t-know-whether-to-put-my-fingers-in-my-ears-and-go-la-la/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [I wondered to myself why no one else had seen him standing so far away, before he was suddenly, impossibly saving my life. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-wondered-to-myself-why-no-one-else-had-seen-him-standing-so-far/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [“More importantly in my view, the Obama administration has treated whistleblowers with scandalous harshness, especially those from inside the intelligence community. The hardest point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/more-importantly-in-my-view-the-obama-administration-has-treated/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“Where are we going?” she asked. “Mr. Durbin’s sheep have begun to lamb, and I wanted to see how the ewes are doing.” He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/where-are-we-going-she-asked-mr-durbin-s-sheep-have-begun-to-lamb-and/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [I've never met Snowden, I've never spoken with him personally. I mean, he's extremely smart. Very, very smart. I guess he was a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-ve-never-met-snowden-i-ve-never-spoken-with-him-personally-i-mean/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [It's a problem for him because he's got - like Edward VII had - nearly all his lifetime to wait until he becomes Monarch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/it-s-a-problem-for-him-because-he-s-got-like-edward-vii-had-nearly/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [“The single biggest lesson of the whole Snowden fiasco is that America's own sloppiness made it vulnerable: whether to misguided whistleblowers, saboteurs or foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-single-biggest-lesson-of-the-whole-snowden-fiasco-is-that-america/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The cliché that “everything leaks; it all comes out in the New York Times eventually” is emphatically not true, above all for sensitive compartmented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/the-clich-that-everything-leaks-it-all-comes-out-in-the-new-york/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“The way everyone looked at me made me uncomfortable. Even Edward. It was like I had grown a hundred feet during the course of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/the-way-everyone-looked-at-me-made-me-uncomfortable-even-edward-it/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Any country that grants asylum to Snowden risks retaliation from the United States, including diplomatic isolation and costly trade sanctions. Several don't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/any-country-that-grants-asylum-to-snowden-risks-retaliation-from-the/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [“As an American historian, I am required to keep an accurate and truthful historical record.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/as-an-american-historian-i-am-required-to-keep-an-accurate-and/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I tensed for the spring, my eyes squinting as I cringed away, and the sound of Edward's furious roar echoed distantly in the back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-tensed-for-the-spring-my-eyes-squinting-as-i-cringed-away-and-the/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [ Odd as this might sound, I suppose I’m glad you’re here, Jacob. \[Edward Cullen\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/odd-as-this-might-sound-i-suppose-i-m-glad-you-re-here-jacob-edward/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Snowden is an orderly thinker, with an engineer's approach to problem-solving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/snowden-is-an-orderly-thinker-with-an-engineer-s-approach-to-problem/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [I think that Mr. Snowden raised some legitimate concerns. How he did it was something that did not follow the procedures and practices of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-that-mr-snowden-raised-some-legitimate-concerns-how-he-did-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) Browse all 310 Edward quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Edward I (1272–1307) was less a scholar than his father, and more a king; ambitious, strong of will, tenacious in war, subtle in policy, rich in stratagems and spoils, yet capable of moderation and caution, and of farseeing purposes that made his reign one of the most successful in English history. He reorganized the army, trained a large force of archers in the use of the longbow, and established a national militia by ordering every able-bodied Englishman to possess, and learn the use of, arms; unwittingly, he created a military basis for democracy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Will Durant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-than-his-father-and-more-a-king/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Edward" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-than-his-father-and-more-a-king/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/will-durant-948_edward_edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-th_1272245.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/will-durant-948_edward_edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-th_1272245.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/will-durant-948_edward_edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-th_1272245.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Edward I (1272–1307) was less a scholar than his father, and more a king; ambitious, strong of will…” — Will Durant", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Will Durant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Edward I (1272–1307) was less a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-than-his-father-and-more-a-king/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/edward-i-1272-1307-was-less-a-scholar-than-his-father-and-more-a-king/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```