Sites to See

1.. Inverurie (1307) 2.. Methven (1306) 3.. Pass of Brander (1307) 4.. Dalry (1306) 5.. Dupplin Moor (1332) 6.. Stirling Bridge(1297) 7.. Bannockburn (1314) 8.. Falkirk (1298) 9.. Dunbar (1296) 10.. Loudon Hill (1307)

The Wars of Independence

1296 Edward I Invades Scotland & the Battle of Dunbar

When the Scots signed a treaty with England’s old enemy, France, King Edward I decided it was time to crush the Scots once and for all…thus started the wars of independence.

In 1296 an English army, said to number 35,000 men, marched up the East Coast of England on their way to invade Scotland. They crossed the Scottish border at the small town of Coldstream and then marched north onto the town of Berwick. The English sacked Berwick, then a rich Scottish burgh, slaughtering 16,000 of its inhabitants: men, women and children.

After sacking Berwick the English continued along the coast heading for the town of Dunbar. Before reaching Dunbar, Edward was met by a large but inexperienced Scottish army, which was heavily defeated by Edward at the Battle of Dunbar (1296). From then on there was very little to stop Edward and the English who soon occupied much of Scotland, advancing all the way to Elgin. The disputed King of Scotland, Balliol, surrendered at Brechin, earning his nickname Toom Tabard – empty coat – and was stripped of his office.

Edward took over control of Scotland, installing English garrisons in many castles. He eventually returned south, taking with him the Stone of Destiny and Coronation Chair, on which the kings of Scotland had been inaugurated, Edward stripped Scotland of many of it’s treasures.

Edward forced over 2,000 nobles, churchmen and landholders to swear allegiance to him. The list of their names became known as The Ragman Roll, after the ragged look of all the different seals and ribbons.

The Scots where now under English rule, Scotland had no king, no army and no weapons.

1297-1305 William Wallace: Battle of Stirling Bridge

In 1297 a commoner by the name of William Wallace was starting to oppose the English rule by attacking small English garrisons. The word soon spread through out Scotland and in a short time Wallace soon had enough followers to defend Scotland. When Edward heard of Wallace and his followers, he decided to send a large English army to wipe out Wallace before he got too big. When the word got out that a large English army was heading for Stirling to meet Wallace, thousands of Scots came down from the Highlands to join Wallace and confront the advancing English army. They met at Stirling. The Scots heavily defeated the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge (1297) which brought most of Scotland back to the Scots.

1298   Battle of Falkirk

Soon afterwards Wallace was knighted and became a Guardian of Scotland, Wallaces army then continued over the border to ravage the north of England, sacking many towns and causing mayhem before returning back to Scotland. This prompted Edward into invading Scotland again. Edwards’s army advanced back into Scotland in 1298, and met Wallace at Falkirk. Edward Defeated the Scots at the Battle of Falkirk (1298) and crushed any Scottish resistance. Many Scottish nobles had fled before the battle rather than fight on with Wallace.

Soon afterwards Wallace left Scotland on a diplomatic mission to the continent, but when he returned was betrayed and captured by the English, then hanged, drawn and quartered in London in 1305. In killing Wallace so horribly, and sending parts of his body to be displayed in major towns in Scotland. Edward I had only succeeded in creating a national hero.

Edward I of England died a few years later on July 1307 berating his son to ravage Scotland, but Edward II was not as ruthless or effective.

1306-1313 Robert the Bruce

After the death of Wallace, The Scots once again had no one to lead them.

Robert the Bruce had a claim to the throne as well as John Comyn of Badenoch, who had a more direct claim to the throne. In 1306 Bruce agreed to meet Comyn in a church at Dumfries to resole their differences, but the two men argued and Comyn was stabbed to death. Although Bruce was excommunicated for this, he still declared himself King of Scots at Scone in 1306. His small army was defeated at the Battle of Methven (1306), and then scattered at the Battle of Dalry (1306). Bruce had very few followers and was forced to flee the country. His three brothers and sister were executed by the English, and the rest of his family and their family were imprisoned.

After the death of Edward I in 1307, Bruce returned to Scotland and won Battles at Loudoun Hill (1307) the Pass of Brander (1307), where he defeated the MacDougalls; in Galloway, where the MacDowalls were crushed; and at Inverurie (1307) he destroyed the power of the Comyns, and their allies. Bruce continued his quest through out Scotland, gathering more support as he started expelling English Garrisons from Scotland.

1314 Battle of Bannockburn

By 1314, only Stirling Castle was held by the English, and was not long till the Scots took it back. In a last attempt to stay in control of Scotland, Edward II and a large army marched north to relieve the castle. But was met by the Scots led by Robert the Bruce just outside of Stirling at Bannockburn. Although the Scots were heavily outnumbered at least three to one, the Scots won the Battle of Bannockburn (1314), and many of the English were slaughtered or captured. This was a major step towards Scotland’s independence.

Battles continued and although the Scots had the best of it, notably by defeating the English deep into England at the Battle of Byland, Edward II would not recognise Scotland’s independence nor would the pope. A declaration sealed by most of the nobles of Scotland, was drawn up at Arbroath Abbey, which urged the pope to recognise Scotland as a free independent country, and to put pressure on the English to do the same.

 

1329 Death of Robert the Bruce & Scottish Independence

Scotland was finally recognised as an independent country in the year 1328 just one year before Bruce died, reportedly from leprosy, at Cardross, near Dumbarton. Bruce’s heart was removed from his body, and taken on a crusade to Granada by James Douglas, although it was eventually interred at Melrose Abbey. A lead casket was recently excavated from the Abbey, and is believed to contain Bruce’s heart. The rest of Bruce’s body was buried at Dunfermline. David his young son was made king of Scotland.