The Scottish Wars of Independence
The First War of Independence
What went before (in very broad strokes): When Alexander II, King of Scots, died in 1249, his eight-year-old son, also named Alexander, inherited the throne, leaving Scotland vulnerable to clashing factions. The rivalry was so fierce that the young king was once kidnapped in an effort to push for a power-sharing deal.
In 1251, still just a boy, Alexander married Margaret, daughter of King Henry III of England, though Henry tried to compel him to acknowledge him as Scotland’s overlord (look for the Treaty of Falaise). Alexander however refused. Finally in 1262 Alexander, at the age of 21, took direct control of his kingdom and set to work where his father had left off. He was to be one of the best kings Scotland ever had!
King Alexander’s marriage to Margaret brought three children, but by 1283 all had passed away, leaving him without a direct heir. His eldest, also named Margaret, married Eirik II of Norway and had a daughter—yet another Margaret—who became quite significant since the king had no brothers or uncles to inherit the throne.
In February 1275, the Queen of Scots fell ill while visiting Fife and died on February 26 at Cupar Castle. She was laid to rest in the Abbey of Dunfermline, having been queen for twenty-three years at the age of just thirty-four.
In 1285, Alexander remarried, this time to Yolande de Dreux, a member of a powerful French family.
One evening in 1286, he left Edinburgh Castle on horseback to join his new queen in Fife. Battling bad weather, the king and his party rode through the night. At some point, however, Alexander became separated from the others and disappeared. It seems his horse lost its footing and tumbled down an embankment. The next day, his body was found on the beach with a broken neck, just a mile from where his wife was staying in Kinghorn, Fife. Life can be so strange.
When the new queen became pregnant, six guardians were chosen to govern the kingdom until Alexander’s posthumous heir arrived. Sadly, Yolande either miscarried or the child was stillborn, and by year’s end it was clear Scotland needed to find another ruler. Margaret, known as the ‘Maid of Norway,’ then became the rightful ruler of Scotland. She set sail from Norway in September 1290 with Bishop Narve of Bergen among her companions.
Although bound for Leith, storms forced the ship off course, and she ended up landing in Orkney. Scottish and English representatives in haste rode north to Orkney to meet her there, but during an overnight stay at Skelbo Castle, news came that Margaret had inexplicably succumbed at Orkney, in the arms of the Bishop, supposedly (!) from the effects of a severe bout of seasickness. The wee lass was only 7 years old.
Who would take the crown of Scotland? Many nobles thought they had a claim, with two of the most prominent contenders among the thirteen being John Balliol and Robert Bruce. Frustrated, the Guardians of Scotland turned to England’s King Edward I for help. But shrewd Edward, claiming ‘overlordship,’ demanded the claimants first acknowledge his feudal authority. After much debate, they agreed.
Having met with all the hopeful kings, Edward chose John Balliol, a weak-willed and easily influenced man who would be entirely under his control. It could be said that in this moment, the seeds were sown for years of bloodshed and conflict. Among the disappointed was Robert the Bruce, grandfather of the future King Robert I, and he was furious.
When Edward some time later demanded Scottish troops against the French, Baliol straightened his spine and courageously rebelled. He even launched an unsuccessful attack on Carlisle and on top of that entered into the ‘Auld Alliance’ with France.
Edward felt betrayed in his trust and, in order to set things right once and for all, crossed the border in 1296 with a massive army. Here, officially, start the Wars of Independence.
The siege and massacre of Berwick was Edward's opening shot of the campaign. Berwick, just north of the border, was Scotland's most important trading port, second only to London and Bristol in economic importance in medieval Britain at that point. Berwick was, if not the most, one of the most populated towns in Scotland.
The English took the castle, whereupon the defenders surrendered and were spared. The population of the town however bore the brunt of Edward's wrath!
Edward spared no one, whatever the age or sex, and for two days streams of blood flowed from the bodies of the slain. The English King ordered 7,500 souls of both sexes to be massacred, so that "mills could be turned by the flow of their blood".
A very thorough and detailed article "Historical Background" on the Wars of Independence can be found at: Historic Environment Scotland
Underneath, in chronological order, the battles, skirmishes and other major events that followed in the aftermath of the massacre at Berwick:
1297 Action at Lanark
Not much is definitely known about this incident. It seems that a riot broke out at a court being held by the sheriff of Lanark, William Heselrig. One of those present was a minor knight William Wallace. It is not clear how exactly Wallace was involved but he managed to get away with help from a girl who may have been his wife. Later he came back with some supporters and attacked and killed Heselrig.
1304 Skirmish of Happrew
Twelve months after the slaughter at Roslin, a strong English force was sent against the Scottish rebels. At Happrew, just west of Peebles, they defeated Sir William Wallace and Sir Simon Fraser. Wallace escaped but was captured and executed a year later. Fraser was captured in 1306 at Kirkincliffe, transported to London and died a horrible death..
1304 Siege of Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle was the last stronghold of resistance to English rule. The English, armed with 12 siege engines, laid siege to the castle in April 1304. For four months the castle was bombarded by lead balls (stripped from nearby church roofs), Greek fire and stone balls.
Impatient with the lack of progress, Edward ordered his chief engineer to begin work on a new, more massive trebuchet called Warwolf. The castle's garrison of 30, led by William Oliphant, eventually were allowed to surrender on 24 July after Edward had previously refused to accept surrender until his new toy the Warwolf had been tested.
Despite previous threats, Edward, magnamaniously, pardoned all the Scots in the garrison, although William Oliphant was taken prisoner and taken to London.
1307 Battle of Turnberry (coming!)
1307 Battle of Loch Ryan (coming!)
1308 Harrying of Buchan (coming!)
In 1320, the Declaration of Arbroath was sent by a group of Scottish nobles to the Pope affirming Scottish independence from England. Two similar declarations were also sent by the nobles, clergy and Robert I himself. In 1324, in order to speed things up, Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray was sent to meet the Pope in person at his court in Avignon. Randolph successfully persuaded Pope John to recognise Robert as King of Scots, a major diplomatic coup. In 1327, Edward II of England was deposed and killed and his son Edward III assumed the throne. Repeated invasions of the north of England by Robert or his war leaders, culminating in the Battle of Stanhope Park, in which the English king was nearly captured, forced Edward III to sign the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton on 1 May 1328. This treaty recognised the independence of Scotland and Robert the Bruce as King. To further seal the peace, Robert's son and heir David married the sister of Edward III. It would take another 20 years of war however before the dust really settled, but that is a story for another time.