• In order to support your knowledge and
understanding of this topic it is advised you use these
power points in conjunction with the following sites.
•
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/higherscottishhistory/warsofindependence/successionan
dgreatcause/index.asp
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/learningzone/clips/queryengine?Conte
ntType=text%2Fhtml%3B+charset%3Dutf8&SuppressCaching=1&page=1&pagesize=12&results=search&con
fig=results_pre&attrib_1=SCHOOL_LEVEL_NAME&oper_1=eq&val
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_4_1=scottish+wars+of+independence&clipsSearch.x=3&clipsSearc
h.y=9
The Scottish Wars of
Independence 1286-1328
The problems over succession.
• Overview :- The problems over the
“succession crisis” were created when
King Alexander III died and left no
heir to the Scottish throne.
• This was due to the fact his only son
had died and his new wife Yolande had
not fallen pregnant yet.
• The only heir to his throne was his 3 year old
grand daughter Margaret, the Maid of Norway.
• This caused major problems !!
• She was in Norway
• She was only three years old therefore a regent
was required to run the country for her
• She could not lead an army into battle which was
expected of a King during this period
• Whoever married her would become King of
Scotland, therefore great care had to be taken to
avoid sovereignty issues in future years
• Death in infancy was a common problem during the
13th Century
• Her father the King of Norway would need to
grant her permission to become Scotland’s Queen
• Who would rule Scotland until she was old enough?
• There was a possibility of a civil war breaking out
in Scotland
• To maintain Scotland’s peace, six influential men
were selected
• These were known as the Guardians
• The Guardians approached King Edward I of
England for help.
• King Edward had always hoped of merging Scotland
and England
• He immediately agreed
• To ensure this he arranged for his son to marry
the Maid of Norway.
• In order to gain her release and approval, the
Treaty of Salisbury was signed.
• The Treaty of Birgham was later signed which meant King
Edward would respect Scotland’s borders.
• The election of Scottish churchmen would remain free from
Edward’s judgement
• Scottish crimes would be dealt with in Scotland by Scottish
Courts
• All taxes raised in Scotland would remain in Scotland
• Edward ordered the Guardians to meet at Norham where,
with his large army, he tried to impose himself onto Scotland
as their feudal overlord
• The Guardians escaped this decision by claiming only the King
of Scotland could make such a decision.
• However, they did give him the power to select Scotland’s
next King
• At the age of seven, the Maid of Norway boarded
a ship and headed to Scotland to become Queen.
• Unfortunately, on her voyage she became sick, her
ship ended up in Orkney where the Maid died.
• Scotland faced a “Succession Crisis”
The Great Cause
• The Great Cause relates to the problems facing
Scotland
• With no immediate heir to the throne, possible
candidates began to gather their supporters with a
view to becoming King
• Of the thirteen possibilities it came down to just 2
• First to claim his rights was Robert Bruce
• John Balliol also believed he had a valid claim to
be Scotland’s new King
• After the meeting of the Guardians with King
Edward at Norham, it was decided he would select
Scotland’s next King
• After hearing the claims of both men it was
decided Balliol had the best claim
• The line of primogeniture was followed
• Due to being the only son of the oldest daughter,
gave Balliol the throne.
What YOU should know by the
end of this section!
• In paper II you will be asked to answer 2
questions worth 10 marks and 2 questions worth 5
marks each.
• In order to prepare fully for these questions, by
the end of the four sections, you should have the
answer to at least 10 questions/per section.
• This will then enable you to answer any 10 mark
question which may be asked in the exam.
• The following 2 slides contain 10 questions.
• You should now answer each question as fully as
possible.
By the end of Section A you should have
answers
to the following
questions???
• When
King Alexander
III died, who
governed
•
•
•
•
•
Scotland temporarily?
Who was next in line to the throne?
Why were some if not all the people concerned
about having a female leader?
Who were the Guardians of Scotland and why did
people obey them?
Explain the details of the Treaty of Salisbury
Explain the details of the Treaty of Birgham?
•
•
•
•
What event took place at Norham?
How did King Edward gain control of Scotland?
What was the Great Cause?
Why was there a problem of who should rule
Scotland?