Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nearly two centuries later, Kenneth MacAlpin's great-great-great-grandson, King Mal-
colm II (r 1005-18), defeated the Northumbrian Angles, a Germanic tribe who had settled
in eastern England, at the Battle of Carham (1018) bringing Edinburgh and Lothian under
Scottish control and extending Scottish territory as far south as the Tweed.
But the Highland clans, inaccessible in their glens, remained a law unto themselves for
another 700 years. A cultural and linguistic divide grew up between the Gaelic-speaking
Highlanders and the Lowlanders who spoke the Scots tongue.
Robert the Bruce & William Wallace
When Alexander III fell to his death in Fife in 1286, there followed a dispute over the suc-
cession. There were no less than 13 claimants, but in the end it came down to a choice of
two: Robert de Brus, lord of Annandale, and John Balliol, lord of Galloway. King Edward
I of England was asked to arbitrate. He chose Balliol, whom he thought he could manipu-
late more easily.
Seeking to tighten his feudal grip on Scotland, Edward -
known as the 'Hammer of the Scots' - treated the Scots king
as his vassal rather than his equal. The humiliated Balliol fi-
nally turned against him and allied Scotland with France in
1295, thus beginning the enduring 'Auld Alliance' and usher-
ing in the Wars of Independence.
Edward's response was bloody. In 1296 he invaded Scotland
and Balliol was incarcerated in the Tower of London; in anoth-
er blow to Scots pride, Edward I removed the Stone of Destiny
from Scone and took it back to London.
Enter William Wallace. Bands of rebels were attacking the
English occupiers and Wallace led one such band to defeat the
English at Stirling Bridge in 1297. After Wallace's execution, Robert the Bruce, grandson
of Robert de Brus, the lord of Annandale, saw his chance, defied Edward (whom he had
previously aligned himself with), murdered his rival John Comyn and had himself
crowned king of Scotland at Scone in 1306. Bruce mounted a campaign to drive the Eng-
lish out of Scotland but suffered repeated defeats. Persistence paid off and he went on to
secure an illustrious victory over the English at Bannockburn, enshrined in Scottish le-
gend as one of the finest moments in the country's history.
Scottish independence was eventually won in 1328 and Robert the Bruce was finally
crowned king, though he died the next year. Wars with England and civil strife continued,
however. In 1371 Robert the Bruce's grandson, Robert II, acceded to the throne, founding
Robert the
Bruce Trail
»Melrose Abbey
»Scone Palace
»Bannockburn
»Arbroath Abbey
»Dunfermline Abbey
