England during the Crusades
Edward I (1272-1307)
The young prince arrived at Acre in 1270 at the head of a small army, fully expecting to be joined by the French. Only then did he learn that King Louis had been diverted by his wily brother, Charles of Anjou, to a campaign in Tunis. Without the French army, Edward could do little. His presence was enough to deter Baibars from delivering a death blow, but he could do little offensively. Bitterly disappointed, headed for England in 1271. By the time he arrived, his father was dead and he was king.
Edward spent the first portion of his reign dealing with rebellions and external enemies. The first few years he campaigned in Wales, earning the nickname "Hammer of the Welsh." He managed finally to conquer Wales, however, and made his son its ruler. Eventually, the eldest son of the reigning king was always given the title of Prince of Wales, a tradition that continues down to modern times.
Wales occupied him until 1282. He then turned his attention to France, particularly to Gascony, and events there occupied him through 1291 and after, which takes us to the end of our course.
Edward's accomplishments were many, and he stands with Henry II as one of the great medieval English kings. In foreign affairs he did not make much progress in Gascony, but he fought France to a standstill and brought both Wales and Scotland under direct English rule. His legal and constitutional activities were extremely important, but most fall outside our period, and so I will pass over them in silence.
The general point I would make about England is that its kings were often preoccupied with internal matters. Only Richard and Edward actually went on a crusade, but a fair number of English nobles went on their own. When the English king did manage to have the resources for a major military expedition, it tended to be directed either against France or against Wales.