Some argue that the evidence for a same-sex relationship is indisputable, while others claim that Gaveston and the King were adoptive brothers. Modern historians have been divided over the subject. This speculation was reinforced by Christopher Marlowe’s late 16 th century play Edward II, and other subsequent depictions of the pair in fiction. It was hinted at by medieval chroniclers that Edward II and his favourite, Piers Gaveston, were lovers.
Stone’s 1872 painting ‘Edward II and his Favourite, Piers Gaveston’.
