Scottish Wars of Independence Flashcards
The Succession Problem
Alexander’s wife & children had died
- No male heir to throne
Alexander died on route to Fife on March 19th 1286
- No heir to throne
Thought Yolande was pregnant
- Wasted time waiting, left Scotland vulnerable
Margaret Maid of Norway
- Worried she would not survive
Guardians
- Duncan Earl of Fife accused of stealing, murdered by relative, Guardians unreliable
Treaty of Birgham
- If Margaret married a foreigner, Scotland would be under foreign control
Death of Margaret
- September 1290, Treaty of Birgham void, threat of civil war high
Edward I demanding overlordship
- Would be above all Scottish nobility, in control
John Balliol & Edward I
John’s inauguration as king of Scots in 1292 was attended by English officials
- Edward had no intention of allowing John to rule free from English influence
Balliol was relatively inexperienced politically
- Edward I exploited John’s inexperience which led to resentment of Scottish nobles
John released Edward from the terms of the Treaty of Birgham
- This allowed Edward to interfere with Scottish affairs
Burgess of Berwick took complaint to Edward I’s parliament after disagreeing with John’s decision in 1292
- Showed John to be inferior & Edward as superior
Edward insisted he hear appeals as supreme court judge from Scottish courts at Westminster
- Edward undermined John’s legal authority by overturning verdicts given in the Scottish courts
Edward summoned Balliol to London in 1293 to explain King John’s judgement in Macduff Case
- Balliol humiliated in Edward’s court
June 1294 Edward demanded military service against the French from John Balliol
- Edward treating Scotland as a feudal estate rather than an independent kingdom treating John as a vassal
March 1296, Edward & the English invaded to bring about the subjugation of Scotland
- John humiliated at the hands of the English & Edward I
Battle of Dunbar 1296, English defeated the Scots
- After failure, no effective leadership from Balliol & Edward able to march onto victory
John stripped of royal title at the demand of Edward
- Edward publicly humiliated John
Rise & Triumph of Robert Bruce
King Edward died in 1307
- Removed Bruce’s main military enemy & weakened English resolve to prosecute war in Scotland
Edward II didn’t share father’s obsession with Scotland & didn’t lead major campaign in Scotland for years
- Allowed Bruce to concentrate on fighting Scottish enemies
Bruce used guerrilla warfare tactics
- Allowed him to defeat enemies by taking initiative & fighting on his own ground
French king, Philip IV recognised Bruce as king in 1310
- Helped raise Scottish morale & strengthened Bruce’s position
Bruce conducted successful campaign against English held castles in Scotland from 1310-1314
- Castles dismantled so they couldn’t be recaptured allowing him to reconquer Scotland
Bruce sent Scottish armies under his brother Edward to campaign in Ireland
- Possibility of a Celtic fringe diverted English attention & forces from Scotland & weakened English power
1318, Bruce’s forces under Sir Robert Keith & James Douglas captured Berwick
- Gave Bruce control of final English outpost in Scotland & a key trading town of benefit to Scotland’s economy
1328, Isabella & Mortimer negotiated Treaty of Edinburgh
- Formally recognised Bruce as King of independent Scotland
William Wallace & Scottish Resistance
Murdered Sherriff of Lanark in 1297
- Scots standing up to English officials showing further resistance & gained support
Andrew Murray retaking castles like Urquhart & Banff
- Scots were forcing English officials out of positions & regaining key Scottish strongholds
Attempt by Robert Bruce, James Steward & Bishop Wishart to revolt against Henry Percy
- Attack was thwarted by English at Irvine, shows that nobility were prepared to support rebellions
Battle of Stirling Bridge 1297, Scots defeated English
- Wallace made Guardian allowing him to make decisions in Scotland
January 1298, Scots recaptured Stirling Castle from English
- Managing to take back their country, motivated Scots
Wallace wrote to German trading communities asking them to trade with Scotland, Lubeck letter
- Showed resistance as Wallace was trying to build relationships with other countries
Battle of Falkirk, July 1298, English defeated Scots
- Wallace forced to resign as leader but continued to play a part in resistance
Edward I invaded Scotland on June 1303
- Scotland losing control of their country
August 3rd 1305, Wallace betrayed by Sir Henry Monteith & taken to London to face trial for treason
- Wallace claimed he never swore oath of fealty to Edward & couldn’t be tried for treason
Bruce continued to play a part in the Scottish resistance until 1302, while Comyn continued to resist until his surrender in 1304
Wallace resisted the English until his betrayal and death in 1305
Battle of Bannockburn
Robert Bruce triumphed over superior English army at Battle of Bannockburn 1314 completing military control of Scotland
Parliament at Cambuskenneth Abbey 1314, Bruce gave nobles opportunity to pledge allegiance and keep Scottish lands
After Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 raids made on the north of England
Bruce and his lieutenants led regular raids into
England after 1314 to force Edward II to the negotiating table
Bruce sent Scottish armies under his brother Edward to campaign in Ireland and the possibility of a Celtic front to divert English attention and forces from Scotland and weaken English power
Despite Bruce’s military victory at Bannockburn the English still held political power over Scotland
Scotland remained a divided country and a real fear of civil war remained
Bruce remained vulnerable to attacks of treason from nobles such as William de Soules although he did gain some support
Subjugation of Scotland
After siege of Berwick, Edward captured Edinburgh and Stirling
By the middle of the summer, Edward had travelled as far north as Elgin
Balliol failed to offer effective leadership
- He did not lead the Scots at Dunbar
When news of the defeat reached him, he fled to Comyn territory in the north
Balliol officially surrendered to Edward in July 1296
Edward I forced Balliol to apologise
- He removed the Royal Badge from Balliol’s clothing
- Subsequently, John became known as ‘Toom Tabard’
Balliol imprisoned in the Tower of London until 1299 before being allowed to go into exile in France
