Issue 2: Balliol and Edward (revision)

Question 1

John Balliol’s difficulties as king

Answer 1

Balliol was relatively inexperienced as a politician.

· Scotland had not had a king for six years and, as a result, its administrative system had grown weak.

· The Western Isles, which had only recently become part of the Scottish Kingdom, were particularly unstable.

· Previous kings of Scotland had paid homage to their English counterparts; however they had continued to rule with little interference. It quickly became clear that Edward intended to become heavily involved in the ruling of Scotland.

· In 1292 a Berwick burgess took an old legal complaint to King Edward’s parliament. King John had previously dismissed the burgess’s claim; however Edward supported the burgess, undermining John’s position and illustrating Edward’s superiority.

· When Balliol protested Edward highlighted that, with the death of the Maid of Norway, the Treaty of Birgham (which had protected Scotland’s independence) was void and Edward could legally interfere as much as he liked.

· Edward forced John to accept a Yorkshire man, Master Thomas of Hunsingore, to be his new chancellor.

· King John’s Chamberlain was described as a ‘Treasurer’, which forced the Scots to follow English rather than Scottish tradition and custom.

· In 1293 Edward summoned John to Westminster and demanded that he explain why he had not solved a dispute over land in Aberdeenshire. Edward forced John to hear the appeal from Macduff by threatening to charge John and confiscate Scottish castles. This, again, demonstrated Edward’s control over the Scottish King.

Question 2

The scot’s response

Answer 2

In 1294 Edward began preparing for a war with France in order to pursue his ambitions there.

· Edward summoned his feudal lords and John Balliol to fight for England in a war against France. This angered the Scots because Balliol was treated in the same way as the English nobility.

· The Scots were also angry because France was Scotland’s largest trading partner.

· Furthermore, Edward demanded that the Scottish nobility pay taxes in order to fund the war

· In 1295, twelve new Guardians were appointed in order to defy King Edward.

· In 1296 a treaty between Scotland and France, against the English, was agreed. This later became known as the Auld Alliance. The treaty included a marriage agreement between John’s son, Edward, and the eldest daughter of King Philip of France’s brother.

Question 3

How edward and the english defeated scotland in 1296

Answer 3

During the winter of 1295-6 both the Scots and the English prepared for war.

· Many noblemen had land in Scotland and England therefore found it difficult to know which side to support.

· The Comyn family supported King John Balliol because they were related to him.

· The Bruce family and their allies supported King Edward because they were rivals of John and the Comyns.

· In March 1296 the Scots invaded the north of England and attacked Carlisle, which was defended by Robert Bruce on behalf of King Edward.

· In response, Edward led his army to Berwick.

Question 4

The seige of berwick

Answer 4

Berwick, the most important burgh in Scotland, was prepared for conflict by its existing defences.

· The Scots rushed more troops in from Lothian and Fife, assembling 10,000 men altogether.

· The Scots army were confident; however, they had little experience in large-scale battle.

· Edward crossed the Tweed on 12 March 1296 and offered the townspeople three days to consider surrender.

· The inhabitants of Berwick responded by shouting insults at Edward, which led him to attack the burgh.

· The defenders were quickly overrun and it appears that there were few survivors because Berwick had to be repopulated with English tradesmen and merchants from Northumbria.

Question 5

The battle of Dunbar

Answer 5

The Earl of Dunbar had agreed to support Edward I and gave him the keys to Dunbar Castle.

• However, the Earl’s wife supported the Scottish cause and she returned the keys to the Scots in his absence.
• The English vanguard, led by the Earl of Surrey – William de Warenne - found a sizeable Scottish army at the castle, so he moved his troops to a more favourable position and waited.
• The Scots mistook the English army’s movement into a battle formation for a retreat so broke rank and rushed towards the English.
• The English army easily defeated the Scots.
• Many of the Guardians and over 130 nobles were taken prisoner.
• The loss of these leaders of the Scottish resistance to Edward’s invasion meant support and enthusiasm for the war declined.
• Other commanders lost heart and surrendered.
• King John was unable to provide effective central leadership for the Scots.

Question 6

Edward’s march north

Answer 6

Following Dunbar, Edward marched along the east coast of Scotland, taking key castles in quick succession. By the end of July 1296, Edward had reached Elgin.

· John Balliol had travelled to the north east following the Scots defeat at Dunbar, in order to stay safe in Comyn lands.

· On 2nd July King John Balliol offered his surrender in a letter sent to Edward.

· On the 10th July 1296 King John was forced to surrender publicly in a humiliating ceremony. He apologised to Edward and gave up his throne and the Kingdom of Scotland. Edward symbolically removed all the symbols and badges which showed John was King, giving him the nickname ‘Toom Tabard’ or ‘Empty Coat.’

· Edward quickly removed any indication that Scotland was an independent country by taking all documents relating to the Scottish throne to London by ship, which sunk shortly afterwards.

· The Stone of Destiny, on which Scottish Kings were inaugurated, was taken to Westminster.

· The Scottish Crown Jewels were also removed from Scotland and taken to England.

· In late August, 1296, almost 1600 leading Scottish nobles and burgesses swore a personal oath to King Edward, collectively known as the Ragman’s Roll. This illustrates the extent to

which Edward dominated Scottish politics.