The ceremony gathered nearly 300 candidates around the future Edward II, creating a cohort of knights associated with the heir before a new Scottish expedition. The crown supplied scarlet cloth, linen belts, and space for vigils at Westminster Abbey and the New Temple. The crowd was so large that two knights were killed, while the prince personally knighted only part of the group and other knights completed the work. At the Feast of the Swans, Edward I converted the celebration into political theater by vowing to campaign in Scotland and avenge John Comyn.
Notable Point · 9:48-11:52
The Feast of the Swans and a generation of knights
Edward I's mass knighting at Westminster joined military recruitment, royal spectacle, and a public vow to renew the war in Scotland.