King Edward II of England was murdered on September 21, 1327, at Berkeley Castle. He was deposed earlier that year by his wife Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. His death was a violent and controversial event that marked the end of his turbulent reign and the beginning of the reign of his young son, Edward III.

The murder of Edward II became a powerful literary subject, most famously in Christopher Marlowe's play 'Edward II'. The event was also chronicled in verse and later in poems that debated the legitimacy of the succession and the nature of royal power. The story of Edward's downfall and murder, including the legendary method of his death, has been a recurring motif in English literature.