Pretender: John Deydras of Powderham

Mentally ill people and obsession with celebrities or those in power is nothing new.  Kings have long been the targets of stalkers, assassins and even pretenders.  John Deydras, aka John of Powderham, was an obscure man with one ear who developed an obsession with Edward II.  During Edward's reign, widespread discontent with his rule, including the ruinous ongoing wars with Scotland drove many nobles to think of revolt.  It also led to personal unpopularity with the people.  John, no one knows who he was or where he came from, showed up at Beaumont Palace in Oxford, claiming that he was Edward II and that the Palace belonged to him.  In those days, before mass media, no one had any picture of Edward or voice exemplar to compare to.  Some people did think to question the lack of an ear, and John had his cover story ready.

According to him, as a boy he was playing in the castle courtyard when he was mauled by an angry sow.  This wasn't as implausible as one might think.  In those days, farm animals often roamed in the courtyards of castles.  His nurse knew that she would be in trouble for failing to look after him, so she sent John to live with a peasant family and substituted a carter's baby as the real Prince Edward.  John appeared to be tall and fair haired, and some who had seen Edward said that John resembled him.  Edward himself was away in Scotland, with no quick or convenient way to check in with him.  John further opined that the reason Edward was such a poor king was that, in fact, he wasn't supposed to be king at all.  While some people in Oxford fell for John's explanation, others were skeptical.  John offered to meet Edward in combat to prove his story.  Rumors began spreading and questions were being raised.

John was finally arrested and brought before Edward himself.  He repeated his story to Edward's face, again challenging that he wasn't the real Edward and challenging him to single combat.  Edward was having none of it and had John tried for sedition.  At trial, John confessed, but said that his pet cat was the Devil and was the one who had come up with the idea.  The cat was also seized.  John and his cat were condemned to be hanged and their bodies burned.  Most people, then as now, realized that John was most likely disturbed and gave it no more thought.  Edward's wife Isabella was deeply upset by the incident.  In her mind, Edward's only misrule had allowed a country fool to pull off this scheme and get people to go along with it.  It was personally embarrassing to her and yet one more wedge in her and Edward's relationship.