William Wallace

             The relationship between the nations of England and Scotland by the 1280’s was one of relatively harmonious coexistence. Problems arose only with the Scottish succession crisis: In the years from 1281 to 1284, Alexander's two sons and one daughter died in quick succession and two years later King Alexander III died himself, leaving as heir to the throne of Scotland his granddaughter, the three-year-old Margaret, “the Maid of Norway”, born in 1283 to Alexander's daughter Margaret and King Eric II of Norway. It was already agreed that Margaret should marry King Edward's -then one-year-old- son, (and future Edward II) but Scotland would remain free of English overlordship. Margaret sailed from Norway for Scotland in the autumn of 1290 (aged 7), but she fell ill on the way and died. This left the country without an obvious heir, and led to a succession dispute. 

            Even though as many as fourteen claimants put forward their claims to the title, instead of fighting to decide which of them should be king, they asked Edward (former brother-in-law to the late King Alexander III) to arbitrate in the dispute and settle the question.  With the prospect of a personal union between the two realms, the question had not been of great importance to Edward before, but now he insisted that, if he were to settle the contest, he had to be fully recognised as Scotland's overlord. Supported by a vast English army behind, what could the Scottish nobles do but kneel at the feet of Edward and promise to be his vassals?  This they did; and so Scotland became a part of Edward's kingdom. In 1292 John Baliol -one of the rivals who claimed the Scottish throne- was made the “vassal” king, thus asserting Edward’s authority over Scotland.

            Soon after, Edward demanded the Scots to provide military service in his war against France. But the Scots refused, and instead formed an alliance with France. Edward responded by invading Scotland. At the bloody Battle of Dunbar, in 1296, Scottish resistance was crushed. Determined that the Scots should have no more kings of their own, Edward carried away the sacred stone of Scone, on which all Kings of Scotland sat when they were crowned, and put it in Westminster Abbey in London.  He also took Balliol prisoner. But the English triumph would only be temporary.

            Resistance soon emerged under the leadership of the strategically gifted and charismatic William Wallace (1270-1305), (whose figure is widely recognized nowadays due to the film Braveheart, in which the Australian actor Mel Gibson plays the main role) [1]

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[1] The film won five Academy Awards at the 68th Academy Awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director). The soundtrack was composed and conducted by James Horner, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.