Character as king thumb|left|alt=The Seal of Edward I, dating from 1290. It depicts the King in armour with a sword and a shield, and he is riding on a horse.|A 1290 seal of Edward I 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, 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.
Character as king thumb|left|alt=The Seal of Edward I, dating from 1290. It depicts the King in armour with a sword and a shield and he is riding on a horse.|A 1290 seal of Edward I 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, 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.