Feudalism

England’s centuries-old effort to subjugate Scotland came to a head when Duncan’s line (the House of Dunkeld) died out in 1290 following the deaths of Alexander III and his only heir. After two centuries, the Scottish crown was again up for grabs.

The rival families of Bruce and Balliol were the leading contenders for the crown (both families appear in the film Braveheart), although there were eleven other claimants. To prevent civil war, the Scottish nobles asked King Edward I of England (1272-1307),  who had been a friend of Alexander III, to arbitrate and select the best candidate. Edward agreed to play judge, for a price:  the nobles of Scotland had to recognize him as Scotland’s feudal overlord. No one imagined how far Edward would press this claim, so they agreed. Many Scottish nobles owed Edward homage anyway for their estates in England [Recall that David I had invited great English families to settle in southern Scotland, including the Houses of Bruce and Balliol in the 12th century.[1]]

After careful consideration, Edward I chose John Balliol. Perhaps he believed the Balliols would be easier to bully than the House of Bruce. In November of 1292, John Balliol was invested at Scone. After the coronation Edward, who would soon earn the name “Hammer of the Scots,” began to show his true colors. He treated Balliol like one of his subjects. Twenty years earlier he had subjugated Wales; in short order, he intended to do the same to Scotland.

But Balliol resisted, and eventually declared war. The House of Bruce and many other noble families, however, did not support their rival Balliol, and Edward’s seasoned army smashed the small, inexperienced Scottish forces within six months.

The most catastrophic event of the war occurred in the border town of Berwick in 1296. The inhabitants refused to surrender to the advancing English army. So Edward besieged and soon overran the town. As the Scots fled, one of Edward’s barons raised the visor on his helmet to get a better view of their retreat. At that moment a Scottish archer aimed an arrow at the exposed man, piercing his forehead. Enraged, Edward shouted to his troops:  “No quarter!”—which means, show no mercy. At those words, the English soldiers saw red and slaughtered everyone in sight. The blood-letting continued non-stop for two days. None were spared, until Edward saw a Scottish woman in the act of childbirth run through with a sword, and cried out in despair, “Laissez, laissez!”  (leave off, leave off!). The slaughter ceased, but 7,000 Scotsmen, women and children lay dead.

Three months later, his spirit and army broken, John Balliol surrendered and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Now Edward was undisputed master of Scotland. As a symbol of English domination, he ordered the famous Stone of Scone[2] or “Stone of Destiny”—the royal seat on which  medieval kings of Scotland, including Macbeth and Malcolm, were invested—to be removed to Westminster Abbey in England. The stone is still in Westminster today, exactly where Edward had it placed, under the coronation chair of English kings to imply that the Scottish throne is subordinate to the English.

Edward also confiscated many of the Scottish royal jewels and relics, including the Black Rood (St. Margaret’s favorite cross). Most of these, including the Rood, were eventually returned.

[1]Both families were Norman, and had come to England in 1066 with William the Conqueror.
[2]The Stone of Destiny is actually a chair on which the king sat during his coronation.

Nationalism

As a nation, Scotland was crushed. It appeared the ancient kingdom would be absorbed into Norman England. But one man rose up to defy Edward I, William Wallace, better known as “Braveheart.” Watch the film (even if you’ve already seen it) and pay close attention to the struggle between the nobles, particularly the House of Bruce and the House of Balliol. As mentioned above these families owned great estates on both sides of the border. In the feudal system, they owed homage to the English King for their lands in England, and they owed homage to the King of Scots for their northern domains. But there was no king in Scotland for the time being, so there was no one to pay homage to, although Braveheart was eventually appointed Guardian of the Kingdom in John Balliol’s stead. The divided loyalties of the nobles made it almost impossible for Braveheart to completely defeat the English. Few if any of the nobles were reliable allies.

But William Wallace rallied the common people. And although he was eventually captured and executed, Braveheart awakened the spirit of nationalism (love for one’s country) in Scotland, at a time when feudalism (loyalty to one’s overlord) was still predominant in the rest of Europe. In this case, Scotland was ahead of the continent by at least a century. One of the struggles in the Mel Gibson film is between this new idea of nationalism (represented by Braveheart and his followers) and the old system of feudalism (represented by the feuding, unreliable nobles).

Braveheart’s brutal death (accurately depicted in the film) appeared to mark the end of Scottish resistance. Then, suddenly, the young Robert the Bruce came to life, as if he’d absorbed Braveheart’s spirit, learned military lessons from his successes and final defeat —after seeing his head mounted on London Bridge. At first the Bruce was a royal renegade, living in hiding while Edward I hunted him down. But slowly the Bruce built a following. In the beginning of his rebellion, his tiny band of supporters simply waged dare-devil guerrilla war against the vast English forces. But after being crowned king of Scotland in 1306, the Bruce gradually gathered an army and reconquered the country in a series of brilliant campaigns. The exploits of Robert the Bruce are as daring and exciting as those of Braveheart. [For more on them, see Robert the Bruce, and the Struggle for Scottish Independence, by Sir Herbert Maxwell.]

by Jesse Bryant Wilder, editor of NEXUS © NEXUS, 1998

QUESTIONS

1. After Duncan’s royal line died out in 1290, who were the two chief claimants for the Scottish crown?
2. Why did King Edward I of England agree to choose the next king of Scotland in 1290? What did he gain or expect to gain by doing so?
3. Why were Scottish kings crowned at Scone?

Act V, Scene 8:

MALCOLM:

So thanks to all at once and to each one,                                                                                                                                                                                                        Whom we invite to see us crowned at Scone.

4. Research (online) and then briefly describe the Battle of Berwick. Quote from at least two internet sources that you used in your research.
5. What is the Stone of Scone and why did Edward I move it to Westminster Abbey? Who built Westminster Abbey and in which architectural style(s) was it built?
6. Where is the Stone of Scone today?
7. Why weren’t Scotland’s nobles reliable allies to William Wallace (Braveheart)?
8. Why did Scottish and English feudalism undermine Braveheart’s nationalistic struggle for Scottish independence?
9. What does the underlined part of Malcolm’s statement below imply about Scotland’s future?
10. Does the underlined part of the quote accurately reflect Malcolm’s attitude and behavior toward England? Why or why not?

Act V, Scene 8

MALCOLM:

We shall not spend a large expense of time
Before we reckon with your several loves
And make us even with you. My thanes and
kinsmen,
Henceforth be earls, the first that ever Scotland
In such an honor named.

EXTRA CREDIT: Research Robert the Bruce (use at least three sources), then in a brief essay explain how he united Scotland.

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