Wars of Independence

On a fatefull stormy  night in march 1286 Alexander III king of Scots was thrown from his horse  over a cliff at Kinghorn in Fife; while travelling to see his wife. He  was found next day dead with a broken neck. Alexanders children had all died  before him but his daughter married and had bared a child to the king of Norway   this little girl was sick and was the heiress to the throne of Scotland aged just 3   (The maid of Norway) it was about this time edward plantagenet (LONGSHANKS)   involved himself with the affairs of Scotland trying to setup a union of   marriage between the little maid and his son so that he could control  scotland. The maid of norway died in orkney in 1290 aged just 7 years old Scotland had no heir and  quickly claims for the thrown were made .The two main claiments being John  Balliol and Robert Bruce (king Robert Bruce,s grandfather) at this time  longshanks was asked to adjudicate to stop any unrest he called the claiments to a meeting and claimed overlordship.John balliol was announced king of   Scotland after swearing fealty to longshanks.  Longshanks then   began making demands of Scotland and Balliol bullying the king of scotland   who feared the backlash (England having the greatest army in europe) but it  finally came to a head in 1295 when longshanks demanded scottish troops fight  for him in the war against France balliol refused and resigned his homage and   started a treaty with France (THE AULD ALLIANCE) the backlash was swift  longshanks and his army invaded Scotland in march of 1296 entering the town of   Berwick at that time a major port and holding 20,000 inhabitants not many   where spared from the sword.

When   the town had been taken in this way and its citizens had submitted, Edward spared   no one, whatever the age or sex, and for two days streams of blood flowed   from the bodies of the slain, for in his tyrannous rage he ordered 7,500   souls of both sexes to be massacred...So that mills could be turned round by   the flow of their blood.? Account of the Massacre of Berwick, from Bower?s Scotichronicon

"This account may even be an underestimated number butchered English chronicles claim  huge numbers. The actuall number may have been 12 to 15 thousand

the scottish army faced the english at dunbar in april 1296 the scottish army was trounced , heavily defeated by its larger stronger neighbour many of the ruling families were cptured . longshanks  then marched through Scotland stealing many scottish artifacts including the stone of destiny ,all the scottish records and the black rood of st margaret (believed to be part of the true cross of christ ) this was basically to rob scotland of its nationhood and crown so he could incorporate it into his own kingdom king John Balliol was then dragged to a meeting with longshanks where he stripped him of his crown and lion rampant coat giving him the name toom tabard (empty coat)

picture of alexander III and Queen margaret (maid of Norway )

When longshanks was leaving scotland he was repoted to have said "a man does a good days work when he rids himself of shit" . All landowners in Scotland were requested to sign a document declaring fealty to longshanks a document known as the ragmans roll .The scottish nobility were  only too willing to swear allagiance to keep there own houses in order . Longshanks was now in control of scotland the ruling families of scotland incarcerated and english garrisons through Scotland .English rulers were put in place to oversee scotland but there were still many partriots in Scotland who would not be subjected to rule from a foriegn country and king and would fight to the death against the occupation one Man i particular was about to rise

william wallace