Editing History of Scotland (section)

==Wars of independence==
{{Main|Wars of Scottish Independence}}
The death of King Alexander III in 1286, and the death of his granddaughter and heir, [[Margaret, Maid of Norway]], in 1290, left 14 rivals for succession. To prevent civil war the Scottish magnates asked [[Edward I of England]] to arbitrate, for which he extracted legal recognition that the realm of Scotland was held as a feudal dependency to the throne of England before choosing [[John Balliol]], the man with the strongest claim, who became king in 1292.<ref>{{Harvp|Mitchison|2002|p=40}}.</ref> [[Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale]], the next strongest claimant, accepted this outcome with reluctance. Over the next few years Edward I used the concessions he had gained to systematically undermine both the authority of King John and the independence of Scotland.<ref>{{Harvp|Mitchison|2002|p=42}}.</ref> In 1295, John, on the urgings of his chief councillors, entered into an alliance with France, known as the [[Auld Alliance]].<ref>{{Harvp|Macdougall|2001|p=9}}.</ref>

[[File:King Edward I of England, Malleus Scotorum ('Hammer of the Scots').tiff|thumb|upright|left|Edward I of England, 'Hammer of the Scots', depicted on a late-15thC woodcut.]]
In 1296, Edward invaded Scotland, deposing King John. The following year [[William Wallace]] and [[Andrew de Moray]] raised forces to resist the occupation and under their joint leadership an English army was defeated at the [[Battle of Stirling Bridge]]. For a short time Wallace ruled Scotland in the name of John Balliol as Guardian of the realm. Edward came north in person and defeated Wallace at the [[Battle of Falkirk]] in 1298.<ref>{{Harvp|Mitchison|2002|pp=43–44}}.</ref> Wallace escaped but probably resigned as Guardian of Scotland. In 1305, he fell into the hands of the English, who executed him for treason despite the fact that he owed no allegiance to England.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tuck |first=Anthony |title=Crown and Nobility: England 1272–1461 |date=1999 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=0-631-21461-5 |edition=2nd |page=31 |ol=41609M |author-link=Anthony Tuck}}</ref>

Rivals [[John Comyn]] and [[Robert the Bruce]], grandson of the claimant, were appointed as joint guardians in his place.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ross |first=David R. |title=On the Trail of Robert the Bruce |date=1999 |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn=0-946-48752-9 |edition=1st |page=21 |ol=6822531M |author-link=David R. Ross}}</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Barrow|2005}}.</ref> On 10 February 1306, Bruce participated in the murder of Comyn, at Greyfriars Kirk in [[Dumfries]].<ref>{{Harvp|Kearney|2006|p=116}}.</ref> Less than seven weeks later, on 25 March, Bruce was crowned as King. However, Edward's forces overran the country after defeating Bruce's small army at the [[Battle of Methven]].<ref>{{Harvp|Barrow|2005|p=216}}.</ref> Despite the excommunication of Bruce and his followers by [[Pope Clement V]], his support slowly strengthened; and by 1314 with the help of leading nobles such as Sir [[James Douglas, Lord of Douglas|James Douglas]] and [[Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray|Thomas Randolph]] only the castles at Bothwell and Stirling remained under English control.<ref>{{Harvp|Barrow|2005|p=273}}.</ref> Edward I had died in 1307. His heir [[Edward II]] moved an army north to break the siege of [[Stirling Castle]] and reassert control. Robert defeated that army at the [[Battle of Bannockburn]] in 1314, securing ''de facto'' independence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Michael |title=Bannockburn: the Scottish War and the British Isles, 1307–1323 |date=2008 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-748-63333-3 |ol=26862954M |author-link=Michael Brown (historian)}}</ref> In 1320, the [[Declaration of Arbroath]], a remonstrance to the Pope from the nobles of Scotland, helped convince [[Pope John XXII]] to overturn the earlier excommunication and nullify the various acts of submission by Scottish kings to English ones so that Scotland's sovereignty could be recognised by the major European dynasties. The Declaration has also been seen as one of the most important documents in the development of a Scottish national identity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Michael |title=The Wars of Scotland, 1214–1371 |date=2004 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-748-61237-6 |page=217 |ol=9890348M |author-link=Michael Brown (historian)}}</ref>

In 1326, what may have been the first full [[Parliament of Scotland]] met. The parliament had evolved from an earlier council of nobility and clergy, the ''colloquium'', constituted around 1235, but perhaps in 1326 representatives of the [[burgh]]s – the burgh commissioners – joined them to form the [[Three Estates]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=MacDonald |first=Alan R. |title=The Burghs and Parliament in Scotland, c. 1550–1651 |date=2007 |publisher=Ashgate |isbn=978-0-754-65328-8 |location=Aldershot |page=14 |ol=10852797M}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The History of The Scottish Parliament |date=2004 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=0-748-61485-0 |editor-last=Brown |editor-first=Keith M. |volume=1: Parliament and Politics in Scotland, 1235–1560 |page=50 |ol=3369479M |editor-last2=Tanner |editor-first2=Roland J.}}</ref> In 1328, [[Edward III]] signed the [[Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton]] acknowledging [[Scottish independence]] under the rule of Robert the Bruce.<ref name="Keen2003">{{Cite book |last=Keen |first=Maurice H. |title=England in the Later Middle Ages: a Political History |date=2003 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-203-42826-9 |edition=2nd |pages=86–88 |ol=25558497M |author-link=Maurice Keen}}</ref> However, four years after Robert's death in 1329, England once more invaded on the pretext of restoring [[Edward Balliol]], son of John Balliol, to the Scottish throne, thus starting the Second War of Independence.<ref name=Keen2003/> Despite victories at [[Dupplin Moor]] and [[Battle of Halidon Hill|Halidon Hill]], in the face of tough Scottish resistance led by [[Andrew Murray (soldier)|Sir Andrew Murray]], the son of Wallace's comrade in arms, successive attempts to secure Balliol on the throne failed.<ref name=Keen2003/> Edward III lost interest in the fate of his protégé after the outbreak of the [[Hundred Years' War]] with France.<ref name=Keen2003/> In 1341, [[David II of Scotland|David II]], King Robert's son and heir, was able to return from temporary exile in France. Balliol finally resigned his claim to the throne to Edward in 1356, before retiring to Yorkshire, where he died in 1364.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Armstrong |first=Peter |title=Otterburn 1388: Bloody Border Conflict |date=2006 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=978-1-841-76980-6 |page=8 |ol=8922874M}}</ref>