By: Stephen Beck (Last Revision
17 Sept, 2005)
The death of Alexander III in 1286 saw the Scottish throne left vacant. Quarreling
and infighting between the Scottish nobles saw them unable to appoint a successor
to which end they unwisely petitioned the English King, Edward I (Longshanks)
to arbitrate. Seeing the opportunity for gain, he agreed and appointed John de
Baliol as king, a choice acceptable to the Scots yet a man who would be malleable
to Edward's demands. These demands soon became apparent with the request for Scottish
troops to bolster Edward's army for his planned invasion of France. When faced
by Edward, de Baliol agreed but the demand was rejected by the Scottish nobles
who rebelled and expelled English officials from Scotland.
Edward's response was swift and decisive. Scotland was invaded, de Baliol imprisoned
and the Stone of Destiny, the stone on which Scottish kings were crowned, removed
to Westminster Abbey. The rebellion, however, continued under William Wallace.
The spectacular uprising lasted less than a year and included a great victory
at Stirling Bridge on 11 September 1297. It ended with a crushing English victory
at Falkirk on 22 July 1298. His army and his confidence shattered, Wallace continued
a guerilla war until he was betrayed and captured in 1305. Tried in London, he
was drawn and quartered, his body parts hung throughout the kingdom as a warning
to others.
After his previous experience with Scottish kings, Longshanks was unwilling
to appoint another. Instead, he appointed John "The Red" Comyn and Robert the
Bruce (senior) as joint guardians of Scotland. Robert, who had maintained and
strengthened his position by remaining loyal to England throughout the uprisings,
died in 1305 and was replaced by his son Robert. Unbeknownst to Edward, the younger
Robert the Bruce harbored a rebellious nature and a fierce desire for Scottish
independence.
In 1306, Robert brutally killed John Comyn as he knelt at an altar. According
to Scottish tradition, it was provoked by Comyn's treachery while according to
the English, it was a premeditated attempt to seize control of Scotland for himself.
Whatever the reason, Robert was crowned King of Scots shortly afterwards. Taking
over where Wallace had left off, Robert rebelled but was defeated in two early
battles and went into hiding until Longshanks death in 1307. With Longshanks succeeded
by his weak and unwarlike son Edward II, Robert came out of hiding and continued
the war. English armies invaded in 1310 and 1312 but could not stop the rebellion.
One by one, the English strongholds in Scotland fell as Edward attempted to deal
with more pressing concerns at home.
In 1313, Edward Bruce, Robert's brother, laid siege to Stirling Castle, one of
the few remaining English fortresses. After three months of siege, he approached
the English garrison commander, Sir Phillip Mowray, with an interesting proposition.
If the castle was not relieved by midsummer's day the following year, they would
surrender to him without resistance. If relived, the besieging Scottish army would
leave. Seeing the chance to avert a costly siege and assault, Mowbray agreed and
sent word under safe passage to Edward in England. Robert, on hearing of this,
thought his brother foolish to invite a such a full scale invasion. Nonetheless,
he set about preparing as best he could. Edward, after receiving such a direct
challenge by the Scots, laid his plans to invade.
