In Episode 2 of Season 2 of The History of Modern Politics, Chris Spangle and Matt Whitlow trace the Edwardian period from Edward I’s legal reforms and Parliament’s growing role through Edward II’s favorites, Queen Isabella’s coup and Edward III’s rise. The episode also connects the Crusades era to shifting powers across Wales and Scotland, the wool-tax finance that fueled war, and the opening phase of the Hundred Years War in 1337. Cold open: the Nizari state, the Order of Assassins, Mongol expansion and the story’s link to Edward I and the late Crusader world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices