SAMPLE QUESTION ON SURRENDER OF COMYN
Sample question
Source A is from contemporary documents about the surrender of Sir
John Comyn on 9 February 1304.
First it was said of Sir John Comyn that it should be granted that his life and
limb would be saved. He would be free of imprisonment and of all trespass of
his home, nor shall we call on him in times of war and he will pay no ransom
and he will keep his family lands, while he is exiled from Scotland for one
year. However John Comyn for reverence and honour and to gain the
goodwill of King Edward will place all his lands and everything mentioned
above into the hands of the king. He will never again hold any of his lands
without the king’s wish and good will.
The other Scots it was discussed that they be saved life and limb, are free of
imprisonment and not disinherited from their lands. For their treason they
put their lands under ransom to the king, and keep them only on his good
will. All strongholds now in the king’s hands are to remain with him till his
next parliament, when the king will let it be known what is to happen to them.
Prisoners of war will be freed on both sides.
The Bishop of Glasgow is to be exiled for three years for the evil he has done
and William Wallace is to be handed over to the king .
Question: How fully does Source A give evidence that the Scottish resistance
had collapsed by 1304?
Answer
Source A does, to some extent, tell us how far the Scottish resistance had
been defeated by Edward in 1304, but it doesn’t show that some resistance
continued after 1304.
The source states that Sir John Comyn, the leader of the Scottish resistance to
English domination of Scotland, had surrendered by 9 February 1304. He had
agreed to give up all fighting and to become the subject of King Edward. We
know this because the source confirms that in return for his life and freedom
of imprisonment he agreed to give his lands to Edward and keep them as part
of his feudal oath to the king. Furthermore he is to be exiled from the
kingdom for a year, preventing any further interference in S cottish affairs. (1
mark)
The source also states that other Scots beside John Comyn had agreed to
surrender, but that their castles were to remain in the hands of the English, at
least until the next parliament, so that Edward could have time to think abo ut
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SOURCE QUESTION ON RESISTANCE
what to do with them. Without their castles to defend themselves it was very
difficult for the Scots to wage any war on Edward, and he controlled their
fortresses, making it easier for him to keep control of their lands. ( 1 mark)
The source also states that the Bishop of Glasgow had been exiled from
Scotland for at least three years. This was a blow to the cause for Scottish
independence. Bishop Wishart was one of the strongest supporters of the
Scottish resistance, and he had continually supported bo th Wallace and
Comyn against Edward. (1 mark)
Finally, the source confirms that not all of the resistance had surrendered to
the English king. William Wallace was still at large and had not surrendered,
and the Scots were ordered to hand him over to Edwar d for punishment. (1
mark)
We can therefore see that the source gives a lot of detail about the defeat of
the Scottish resistance in 1304. However, there are some important points it
fails to mention.
The source doesn’t point out that the years after Fal kirk were quite difficult
for Edward. He had failed to crush the Scots forces in any important set piece
battles, only small skirmishes like the attack on the river Cree in 1300. ( 1
mark)
The war was also draining his financial resources, it was very exp ensive and
there was little in the way of booty for the nobles that took part, primarily
because Scotland was so poor. This meant the English nobles were losing
patience with their king. (1 mark).
Despite the loss of their king, the Scots had proved thems elves determined to
fight on, their guardians working in the name of the king to great effect. The
source also fails to mention that it was not Edward that had managed to force
the surrender of the Scots forces, but the fact that they had come to realise
that King John Balliol no longer wanted to return to rule them. So it can be
argued that negotiation with Edward was now the best option. ( 1 mark)
The source also doesn’t mention that William Wallace refused to give up and
carried on the fight against Edward long after the surrender of the guardians.
He led an unsuccessful attack on the English at the river Earn September 130,
but was defeated and had to go on the run. ( 1 mark) He continued fighting
his guerrilla war until he was betrayed and handed over to the English by Sir
John Stewart of Mentieth in August 1305. ( 1 mark)
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SAMPLE QUESTION ON SURRENDER OF COMYN
Finally Robert Bruce had not given up his intention to become king. The loss
of the Comyn faction to the fight and the failure of a Balliol return actually
made his rebellion and continued resistance to English rule all the more
likely. (1 mark) Robert had made a secret pact with the Scottish clergy to
become king in the summer of 1304, even when he was supposedly on the
side of Edward. Thus his intention was to carry on the struggle, p erhaps more
secretly than before, but the Scottish resistance was still alive. ( 1 mark) Even
John Comyn had not entirely given up, he had attested a series of secret
meetings with Robert in 1305 and early 1306, although he later claimed that
John betrayed these meetings to Edward. (1 mark)
By 1306 Robert Bruce had himself crowned as king of Scots, and the Scottish
resistance to Edward had started all over again. It is therefore hard to say that
the source demonstrates Edward’s crushing of the Scottish resi stance because
it continued long after his death.
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