Scottish Wars of Independence
Key Facts
Issue 1 – Alexander III and the Succession Crisis
1. / When did Alexander III become King? / 12492. / In what order did Alexander III’s wife and children die? / Margaret, David, Margaret, Alexander
3. / What were the dates of these deaths? / 1275, 1281, 1283, 1284
4. / What was the name of Alexander III’s new wife? / Yolande
5. / What was Yolande’s nationality? / Belgian
6. / What was the date of Alexander III’s death? / 19th March 1286
7. / The places along the route that Alexander III took? / Edinburgh, Dalmeny, Inverkeithing, Kinghorn
8. / What was the rumour about Yolande that turned out not to be true? / She was pregnant.
9. / Who was appointed to rule Scotland in the interim? / The “6 Guardians”
10. / Who was his only surviving heir? / Margaret of Norway
11. / 4 things about the maid of Norway that made her less than ideal for queen. / Young, Woman, Foreigner, Far away.
12. / 2 things about her being a woman that worried the nobles. / Leading an army, potential marriage.
13. / Which were the two big noble families to make themselves king of Scotland? / Bruce and Balliol.
14. / Who were the guardians? / 2 bishops, 2 earls, 2 barons.
15. / What were their names? / Bishop Fraser of St. Andrews, Bishop Wishart of Glasgow, Comyn of Badenoch, James the Steward, The Earl of Buchan (Comyn), Earl of Fife (crowns the kings at Scone).
16. / 3 reasons why Edward I of England was approached for help at this point. / Sister married Alexander, Experience with running England, Was respected and influential, England is nearest neighbour.
17. / What was the first thing Edward I made the Scottish nobles agree to. / Prince Edward (to be Edward II) would marry Margaret.
18. / What did the treaty of Birgham state. / 1.Scotland and England would always be separate, 2. no Scottish parliament was to be held outside of Scotland, 3. Scotland would keep its own laws, 4. The kings of Scotland and England will rule separate kingdoms. (land, parliament, laws, crown)
19. / In what year did Margaret maid of Norway die? / 1290
20. / Where did she die? / Orkney
21. / How old was she when she died? / 7
22. / After Margaret died, how many claimants came forward? / 13
23. / Who were the final four? / John Comyn, Robert Bruce, John Balliol and Erik II of Norway.
24. / What was the name of the new treaty drawn up by Edward? / The Treaty of Norham
25. / What did the treaty of Norham state? / Overlordship for Edward, Scotland had to hand over all its main castles, the 6 guardians were to be replaced with men loyal to him.
26. / What was significant about the treaty being signed in Norham? / Norham is in England.
27. / What do we call the court case of who was going to be the next Scottish king? / The Great Cause
28. / How long did it take? / 2 Years
29. / What did all the claimants have to do before the decision was made? / Swear loyalty to Edward
30. / Who was chosen to be the next Scottish king? / John Balliol
31. / Why did Balliol the strongest claim? / Balliol was descended from the eldest child of David of Huntingdon. (Primogenature).
32. / When was Balliol’s coronation. / St. Andrews day (30th of November 1292)
33. / Where was his coronation? / Scone
Key Facts
Issue 2 – The Reign of Balliol
1. / Where were the 13 claimants summoned to hear who was chosen? / Berwick2. / Where was Balliol summoned to swear homage to Edward I a month after being crowned? / Newcastle
3. / 4 reasons why Bailliol had a difficult job as king. / Rivalry amoungst the Scottish nobles, Scotland had been without a king for 6 years, Edward was determined to control scotland and the western isles were rebellious against the crown.
4. / Which treaty did Edward then force Balliol to state was no longer valid? / The Treaty of Birgham
5. / Why was the treaty no longer valid? / Because it was a marriage treaty and Margaret had died in Orkney.
6. / How else did Edward undermine Balliol? / He allowed Scottish legal cases to be appealed in English courts.
7. / What was the most famous case of this? / The McDuff Case
8. / Where was Balliol forced to go in 1293? / Westminister
9. / What was the final straw that caused the Scottish to rebel? / Edward demanded that the Scottish would help them fight the French.
10. / What exactly were Edwards demands? / 10 earls and 16 barons, along with their fighting men.
11. / What 3 things did the scots do to try and strengthen Balliol’s rule. / Appealed to the Pope in Rome to release them of all their agreements, The Council of 12 (4 Bishops, 4 Earls and 4 Barons) and the Franco-Scottish treaty with the French.
12. / Where did the Scottish attack in 1296? / Carlisle Castle.
13. / Which families were responsible for the attacking of the castle and the defence of the castle. / The Comyn family were attacking and the Bruce family defended the castle for the English.
14. / Was the castle taken? / It was not taken.
15. / Which town did Edward the I then march on and attack? / Berwick castle.
16. / What had the people of Berwick built to help defend against the English? / A wooden wall along the port.
17. / How many men were at the battle on both sides? / 5000 scots. 2500 and 400 cavalry for the English
18. / How long did Edward give the people of Berwick to surrender? / 3 days
19. / How did they insult him? / Longshanks and they bared their buttocks (according to English chroniclers)
20. / With what else did Edward attack the town? / English ships landed in the port and they attacked the wall.
21. / How many scots were slaughtered? / 7-15 thousand
22. / Where were the bodies thrown? / Thrown into the sea.
23. / Who were released from the castle? / The Scottish soldiers in Berwick Castle (Garrison)
24. / What caused the slaughter to end? / The Clergy of Berwick begged Edward to end the slaughter.
25. / When was the Battle of Dubar? / April 1296
26. / Why had the Dunbar castle fallen into Scottish hands. / The wife of the Governor of the castle was a Comyn and was therefore on the Scottish side.
27. / By how many were the scots outnumbered? / 4 to 1.
28. / 4 other reasons why the English won the battle of Dunbar. / The soldiers were more highly trained, they had just returned from fighting in france and the Scottish didn’t have any cavalry or the Scottish army broke ranks because they mistakenly thought the English were retreating.
29. / Why was this defeat fatal for the Scottish for the rebellion. / The nobles surrendered and the council of 12 were taken prisoners and Balliol was on the run.
30. / 2 crucial castles that were captured as they pursued Balliol north. / Edinburgh and Stirling
31. / Where did Balliol surrender to Edward? / Montrose
32. / How did Edward humiliate Balliol? / Ripped off his crown and royal robes.
33. / What nickname was Balliol given because of this? / “Toom Tabard” or “Empty Coat”
34. / Where was Balliol sent? / He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and then exiled to France
35. / What six measures did Edward take to completely gain control of Scotland. / Crown Jewels, government papers and stone of destiny were taken to London (3), he appointed two men (Warenne (Governor) and Cressingham (Tresurer)), Ragman’s Roll and Scotland was to be referred as “land” not a “Kingdom”.
Key Facts
Issue 3 – William Wallace
1. / Which battle did Andrew Murray fight in 1296? / Dunbar2. / What happened to him after the battle? / He was captured by the English, he escaped and returned to lead the rebellion in the north.
3. / Who wrote the famous poem about Wallace? / Blind Harry
4. / How long after Wallace’s life was Blind Harry’s account written? / 170 Years
5. / In terms of social status, what was William Wallace NOT? / A nobleman.
6. / We think that Wallace was an outlaw from where? / Selkirk Forest
7. / What was the name of the Sheriff that was murdered by Wallace / Heselrig (Sheriff of Lanark)
8. / What was the year of that murder? / 1297
9. / After the murder of Heselrig, which castle was attacked by Wallace? / Lanark
10. / Name 2 other people that were rebelling against the English at this time. / Sir William Douglas, Bishop Wishart
11. / Which castle was jointly attacked by Wallace and Murray in 1297? / Dundee
12. / What was the date of the Battle of Stirling Bridge? / 11th September, 1297
13. / What was the name of the high ground on which Wallace and Murray set up their forces? / Abbey Craig
14. / What were the sizes of the army at Stirling Bridge (both sides)? / English: 300 cavalry and 6000 infantary. Scottish: 4000 total
15. / Name 2 mistakes made by the English before battle. / Warenne oversleeping and recalling the English knights already ordered by Cressingham to cross the bridge. Richard Lundie suggested to go further upstream to avoid a bottleneck at the bridge and cross via a ford instead, this was ignored.
16. / How many knights could cross the bridge abreast? / 3 knights at once.
17. / What did Sir Marmaduke De Thweng successfully do during the battle? / Cross the bridge and retreated safely once the Scots had attacked.
18. / What happened to the English forces that crossed the river. / They were caught in the marshy ground of the loop of the river and slaughtered by Scottish pikemen.
19. / What happened to the bridge at the height of the battle? / It collapsed
20. / What happened to the English knights that were on the bridge at that point? / A lot of them drowned due to their heavy armour
21. / What happened to Hugh Cressingham during the battle? / He was caught by the Scottish, his skin was flayed and his skin was used to make sheaths for Scottish weapons.
22. / What happened to stirling castle after the battle? / Sir Marmaduke De Thweng was instructed to hold it at all costs. The castle fell after a 2 weeks.
23. / What valuable asset did Wallace gain when the castle fell into his hands? / A lot of English prisoners which he ransomed for money.
24. / What were Wallace and Murray appointed as after the battle? / Guardians
25. / What happened to Andrew Murray after the battle? / He died a few weeks later.
26. / 2 ways in which Wallace used diplomacy to gain support for Scotland after the Battle of Stirling Bridge? / He sent a letter to the mayor of Lubeck Germany stating Scotland was open for trading. He wrote to the Pope asking for his support.
27. / What was the name of the new bishop he appointed? / Bishop Labarton
28. / Where did Wallace attack after the Battle of Stirling bridge? / The north of England, as far south as Carlisle and Newcastle
29. / What was the date of the battle of Falkirk? / 22nd July 1298
30. / What tactic had the Scottish used to hinder the English advanced? / The Scorched Earth Tactic/Policy
31. / What were the sizes of the Army at Falkirk (both sides)? / 3000 cavalry, 15000 infantry and 10000 welshmen. 600 knights and about 6000 infanrty (pikemen) arranged in Shciltrons
32. / What is a Shciltron? / A circle of pikemen, like a hedgehog.
33. / Shciltrons were effective against? / Cavalry
34. / How many Schiltrons were there at Falkirk? / 3
35. / How did Wallace prepare the battleground at Falkirk? / Dug stakes infront of the schiltrons into the ground.
36. / How did the English cavalry attack at Falkirk? / Attacked them on both flanks.
37. / What did the Scottish cavalry do? / Fled (possibly bribed)
38. / Apart from infantry and calvary, what did the English have many more of? / Archers (welsh longbowman)
39. / What was the key problem with the Schiltrons at the battle of Falkirk? / Lack of mobility
40. / What were able to break down the Scottish schiltrons and defeat the Scots? / Calvalry and Archers
41. / What did Wallace do after the battle of Falkirk? / Resigned as guardian, petition for the release of Balliol to Phillip IV and the pope, continued trying to fight the English using Guerrilla tactics and attacking the north of England
42. / Who betrayed Wallace to the English? / Sir John deMenteith
43. / How was Wallace transported to his trial in London? / By boat
44. / What was he tried for? / Treason
45. / Which part of London was he tried in? / Westminister
46. / What was his punishment? / Hung, drawn, quartered and beheaded.
47. / Where were the different parts of his body sent? / Head on London Bridge, Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Perth.
48. / Two ways in which Wallace had a positive impact on the war for independence? / Victory at Stirling bridge, instigator of the rebellion against the English
49. / In what three ways could you criticize Wallace’s contribution? / Defeat at Falkirk, failure to gain Scottish independence and refusal to stop fighting after the nobles had made peace with Edward
50. / In what way did Wallace have a far more difficult job to do than Bruce? / Wallace was not a Noble, Edward I died after Bruce was crowned king.
Key Facts
Issue 4 – Robert Bruce
1. / The Bruce family were the Earls of which land? / Annandale and Carrick.2. / What had Bruce and John Comyn both been appointed as in 1298 after Wallace’s defeat at Falkirk. / Guardians.
3. / How long did this guardianship last? / A year.
4. / When did Bruce make peace with Edward? / 1302
5. / Why did Bruce begin to plot against Edward again after 1305? / Bruce’s family wasn’t favoured after the ordanance of the order of Scotland
6. / Where did Bruce and Comyn meet? / Greyfriar’s church in Dumfries
7. / When was the Murder? / February 1306
8. / Who was with Bruce? / Kirkpartick and Seaton
9. / Who had accompanied Comyn? / His uncle.
10. / How was Comyn killed? / He was stabbed with a dagger in front of the high altar
11. / Who is supposed to have gone back in to finish Comyn off? / Kirkpatrick
12. / What is he supposed to have said? / I’ll mak siccar (I’ll make sure)