Henry III, at his death in 1272, was succeeded by his son EDWARD I, a
prince as warlike and sagacious as his father was the reverse. He
distinguished himself by his attempts to add Wales to his kingdom, an
object which he accomplished in 1282, by the overthrow and murder of
Llewellen, the last prince of that country. In the meantime, from the
death of William the Lion in 1214, Scotland had been ruled by two
princes, ALEXANDER II, and III, under whom it advanced considerably in
wealth, civilization, and comfort. On the death of Alexandria III, in
1285, the crown fell to his granddaughter MARGARET, a young girl,
whose father was Eric, king of Norway. Edward formed a treaty with the
Estates of Scotland for a marriage between this princess and his son,
whom he styled Prince of Wales. Unfortunately, the young lady died on
her voyage to Scotland; and the crown was left to be disputed by a
multitude of distant relations, of whom JOHN BALIOL and ROBERT BRUCE
seem to have the best right. Edward, being resolved to make Scotland
his own at all hazards, interfered in this dispute, and being
appointed arbitrator among the competitors, persuaded them to own in
the first place an ill-defined claim put forward by himself of the
right of paramountcy or superior sovereignty over Scotland. When this
was done, he appointed Baliol to be his vassal king, an honor which
the unfortunate man was not long permitted to enjoy. Having driven
Baliol to resistance, he invaded the country, overthrew his army, and
stripping him of his sovereignty, assumed to himself the dominion of
Scotland, as a right forfeited to him by the rebellion of his vassal.
After he had retired, a brave Scottish gentleman, named William
Wallace, raised an insurrection against his officers, and defeating
his army at Stirling in 1298, cleared the whole country of its
southern invaders. But in the succeeding year, this noble patriot was
defeated by Edward in person at Falkirk, and the English yoke was
again imposed. It may be remarked, that this could have hardly taken
place if the common people, who rose with Wallace, and who were wholly
of Celtic and Saxon origin, had been led and encouraged by the
nobility. The grandees of Scotland, and even the competitors for the
crown, being recent Norman settlers, were disposed to render obedience
to the English sovereign.
Some time after the death of Wallace, while Edward was engrossed with
the French wars, Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, grand son of him who
had competed with Baliol, conceived the idea of putting himself at the
head of the Scots, and endeavoring by their means at once to gain the
crown, and to recover the independence of the kingdom. After a series
of adventures, among which was the unpremeditated murder of a rival
named Comyn, Bruce caused himself, in 1306, to be crowned at Scone.
For some time after he had to skulk as a fugitive, being unable to
maintain his ground against the English officers; but at length he
became so formidable, that Edward found it necessary (1307) to lead a
large army against him. The English monarch, worn out with fatigue and
age, died on the coast of the Solway Firth, when just within sight of
Scotland, leaving his sceptre to his son Edward II. That weak and
foolish prince immediately returned to London, leaving Bruce to
contest with his inferior officers.
After several years of constant skirmishing, during which the Scottish
king was able to maintain his ground, Edward resolved to make one
decisive effort to reduce Scotland to subjection. In the summer of
1314, he invaded it with an army of 100,000 men. Bruce drew up his
troops, which were only 30,000 in number, at Bannockburn, near
Stirling. Partly by steady valor, and partly by the use of stratagems,
the Scots were victorious, and Edward fled ignominiously from the
field. The Scottish king gained an immense booty, besides securing his
crown and the independence of his country. He soon after sent his
brother Edward, with a body of troops, to Ireland, to assist the
native chiefs in resisting the English. This bold young knight was
crowned King of Ireland, and for some time held his ground against the
English forces, but was at length defeated and slain.
The weakness of Edward II was chiefly shown in a fondness for
favorites, into whose hands he committed the whole interests of his
people. The first was a low Frenchman, named Piers Gaveston, who soon
fell a victim to the indignation of the barons. The second, Hugh
Spencer, misgoverned the country for several years, till at length the
Queen and prince of Wales raised an insurrection against the king, and
caused him to be deposed, as quite unfit to reign. The Prince was then
crowned as EDWARD III (1327), being as yet only about fourteen years
of age; and in the course of a few months the degraded sovereign was
cruelly put to death in Berkeley Castle.
During the minority of the young king, the reins of government were
held by his mother and the Earl of March. Under their administration,
a peace was concluded with King Robert of Scotland, of which one of
the conditions was a full acknowledgement of the independence of the
Scottish monarchy, which had been a matter of dispute for some ages.