Results of the Scottish Wars
Post Bannockburn
• Despite being a great victory, Bannockburn was not the decisive victory
that ended the war.
• Edward II escaped, and thus lived on to fight another day.
• After the battle Bruce took steps to secure his position as undisputed king
of Scots.
• He issued a proclamation in 1314 at a parliament at Cambuskenneth
forbidding any Scottish nobles from owning land in England and Scotland.
The war goes on
• Edward II maintained that he was still overlord of Scotland.
• Bruce decided to take the war to Edward.
• Bruce’s brother invaded England-controlled Ireland, in the hope of
creating a pan-Gaelic alliance (eventually to include Wales) against
England.
• Unfortunately this met with little success, other then the recapture of the
Isle of Man.
Problems for Bruce
• In 1318 Bruce was excommunicated by the Pope for his murder of Comyn
and ignoring papal bulls.
• Scotland was similarly placed under an interdict.
• This led to the Declaration of Arbroath.
• Bruce also had to deal with an attempted assassination and conspiracy to
take his throne in 1320.
• William Soulis of Liddesdale (a relative of Balliol) tried to kill the king and
invest young Edward Balliol as king.
Declaration of Arbroath
• This was a direct counter to the Pope’s actions.
• The statement was sealed by eight earls and 31 barons.
• It set out to do three things:
– to prove that the Scots were fighting a just war
– to justify Robert’s leadership
– to request the Pope to urge Edward II to leave the Scots in peace.
• The Papacy did not change its mind until 1328.
What historians say about the
Declaration of Arbroath
• Traditionalist historians have argued that the Declaration of Arbroath is
proof of nationalism in Scotland.
• It shows that the Community of the Realm was behind Robert Bruce.
• Barrow and Duncan support this view.
• Others argue that it was a political tool by Bruce, and that many who
signed it could not have done so in person.
The war continues
• Robert took the battle to Edward and invaded England every year between
1314 and 1323.
• Edward invaded Scotland several times, but could not get Bruce to commit
to battle. These invasions soon became too costly.
• Eventually Edward II was murdered by his wife and her lover, Roger
Mortimer.
• Bruce took the opportunity to invade again, this time with a large army.
• Queen Isabella offered to make peace in the name of her 14-year-old son.
Treaty of Edinburgh 1328
• This treaty gave formal acknowledgement of absolute Scottish
independence.
• It set out a marriage agreement between Bruce’s son, David, and Edward
III’s sister, Joan.
• The Scots agreed to pay the English £20,000 (they had stolen six times this
amount in previous years).