How Scotland Won their Independence the second time Explained in 26 Minutes 1332 1357

Military conflict between the Scots and the English had, in theory, been ended with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton. But what are theories for but to be disproven? It was a rapidly demoralizing defeat at the Battle of Stanhope Park that had strong-armed the English into making peace with the would-be conquered Scots. After the newly ascended 14-year-old King Edward III was nearly captured during the Impassioned Campaign, the boy ruler's regents were pulled to the negotiation table. His mother, Isabella of France, and her lover, one Roger Mortimer, thus reluctantly agreed to the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328, which the young monarch was subsequently forced to sign despite his own reservations. Edward would later slander the agreement as a shameful peace in what many view as a move of opportunism, yet others see as nothing more than a vengeful spirit. Whatever the reason, Edward was beyond displeased, and only two years later would have his own mother detained and her lover executed. And if he was to establish his own power as a teenage king, he would need and find not just internal, but external support. After peace was made with England, Robert the Bruce's position as King of the Scots was solidified and now recognized across the border. This was a victory for Scotland, yet many loyal followers of Bruce's rivals, the Ballials, saw it as just the opposite. Thus, many of these Scottish nobles whom Bruce had disinherited in response to their refusal to pledge fealty decided to leave their homeland. Edward Ballial, eldest son to former King John Ballial, consequently became a beacon of vengeful hope for these disinherited. Further opportunity came when the mighty King Robert died in 1329, leaving only his five-year-old son David II as heir to the Scottish throne. It was at this point that the war of rival kings portion officially began. Edward Ballial, having opened a lane for an alliance with Edward of England, knew that this was his best chance at seizing the throne that he so confidently deemed to be his own. Thus, in 1331, Edward Ballial, alongside Earl of Buchan Henry Beaumont, began talks of invading Scotland with the help of those Scottish nobles deemed the disinherited. The plotting took place in Yorkshire, under the privately pleased eye of King Edward. Though the English monarch would publicly forbid an invasion of any kind into Scotland by Ballial and his loyalists, it seems that there was a disclaimer attached to his demand. The disinherited couldn't pass over land through England to attack their northern neighbour, but if they wished to sail from Yorkshire to Scotland by sea, no one was going to oppose them. Thus, Ballial knew what he had to do. At the time of the disinherited scheming, King David's regent and Guardian of Scotland's Thomas Randolph had actually become aware of the conspiracy, and as a seasoned soldier, he was prepared to respond. In fact, Randolph was actually planning to wait for Ballial's forces at the Scottish shores until he died ten days before the disinherited set sail. But one thing was certain, they had set sail, and they were coming for David's throne. On August 6th, 1332, Ballial and his 2,000-strong army, predominantly made up of Englishmen, landed in Fife. The Scots, who as mentioned earlier had been well aware of this impending foray, met invaders on the beach in a stunning ambush. Ballial's men had yet to fully disembark from their ships when they were assaulted by Scottish defenders, yet spectacularly, the latter were gradually beaten back as English longbowmen and infantry fought hard and fast. Somehow, Ballial's fighters won the day, but more days were to come, and the Scots were now driven by vengeance. Five days after the blowout at the shore of Fife, Ballial and his men were attempting to march deeper into the Scottish mainland, when a force of anywhere from 15,000 to 40,000 men, under the command of the Earl of Mar, attacked the drastically smaller army of the Pretender. Although, it had actually been the latter who triggered the clash, as they found themselves face-to-face with the Scots on either side of River Earn. Having chosen to ford the river in the cloak of night, Ballial and his men had stumbled across a Scottish camp as they came ashore, which they ambushed and routed. They were dangerously unaware, however, that the bulk of the Scottish forces were now heading their way, and would not be so easy to take down. The invaders should have been easily defeated in the following brawl. There were truly no odds in their favor. That is, until the Scottish leadership, Bruce and Mar, began to bicker. Short-sighted feuding between the two eventually snowballed into the two battle groups of the defense racing each other, each side hoping to be the first to attack. This chaotic and unorganized charge left the Scottish flanks exposed and the fighting forces so packed together that they were unable to even utilize their own weapons. The English longbowmen again began to save the day for Ballial as the Scottish flanks began to fall. Further adding insult to injury, the center of the Scottish force was now so compacted that the men began to suffocate to death while others were then trampled in the panic. The Scots had entered the battle with confidence of an army that had already triumphed, and now they fled like men who'd never seen war before. Ballial and his Englishmen had prevailed. Against all odds, they had won, and Perth was now theirs for the taking. On September 24, 1332, Edward Ballial was crowned King of the Scots at Nevertheless, he was sure of his claim and held the throne with the moral of a sole heir. His ego was maybe too big, however, and his eager willingness to grant Scottish lands to the King of England only emboldened the unwavering supporters of King David further. Unrelenting challenges to Ballial's authority were thrown his way by David's loyalists and eventually culminated in the Battle of Annan. It was this clash that drove home the point of Edward's overconfidence as David's supporters, led by John Randolph, Robert Stuart, Simon Fraser, and Sir Archibald Douglas ambushed and routed Ballial's men, forcing the self-styled King to flee in haste, riding half-dressed and bareback on his own horse back to English lands. Upon Ballial's retreat, he begged Edward III to grant him support and aid in retaking the throne. Having previously feigned allegiance to the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton and thus officially denounced the invasion of Scotland, the King of England now adopted a new strategy. No more neutrality. Ballial was the true King of Scots and England would gladly ensure it. This was the end of the War of Rival Kings. Scotland versus England was yet again front and centre. Responding to the news of England's involvement politically, the Scots reacted militarily. A new string of raids was launched into Cumberland, and though they scarcely did much damage, they gave Edward of England the perfect excuse to launch his own invasion of Scotland. The target of Edward's assault was highly strategic. The monarch was no stranger to the fact that his northern neighbours preferred guerrilla warfare over set-piece battles, but he also knew that every now and then it was possible to draw the Scots into larger clashes. His aim thus was the town of Berwick, which served as a major trade route for Scotland and was said that it just might be called another Alexandria. Given this fact, historian Clifford Rogers remarked that abandoning Berwick was almost unthinkable to the Scots, and it seems that King of England agreed. So too, did the Scots. A four-month siege in early 1333 of the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed had proved the men right. After attempts to relieve the town had failed, Scottish defenders endeavoured to make headway by attacking the English at Hallidon Hill, but this too fell short, and the Scots of Berwick soon capitulated. Berwick was lost, and King David fled the country entirely, seeking refuge in France at the generous invitation of King Philip VI. It didn't take long for the English to reinstate Edward Balliol as King of Scotland upon David's retreat. Balliol in return paid homage to the King of England on behalf of Scotland and granted eight counties in the nation's southeast to the English ruler. Further resistance by David's partisans was crushed, and it seemed that all was lost for the dream of Scottish freedom. In war and politics, however, things are often not as they seem. Balliol was King again, but just as before, his Scottish support system left much to be desired. In fact, this time, many from his side were either divided amongst each other, or not even sure if they still wished to align with him. Adding even more cause for concern to the new King, the French were unofficially yet rather blatantly supporting David's claim and the efforts of his loyalists. Balliol thus enlisted further aid from Edward of England, which he did receive militarily, but it scarcely seemed to resolve the issue of waning support. Balliol's allies were now defecting, and David's emboldened loyalists made the daring move to officially request aid from the King of France. The Auld Alliance between France and Scotland had renewed back in 1326, after its birth during the First War of Independence. Unwilling to betray France's ally, and possibly holding tight to the motto, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Philip initially responded by sending an ambassador to question the English on their aggression in Scotland at the start of 1335, and while not much answer was given, King Edward III did give Philip's ambassador approval for attempted peace negotiations. The trouble here arose when Scottish nobility involved in negotiations couldn't come to an agreement on what stance they wished to take for a peace deal. Knowing this path was a hopeless dead end, both sides prepared for war yet again. When the English subsequently re-invaded the Scottish lowlands, the Scots this time adopted a tactic of scorched earth over direct military resistance. This led to mass destruction, but not much to actually stop the English, but maybe that was intentional. The Scots didn't have a guarantee of beating the English in battle by any means, but they now had a new advantage, France was ready to send aid. To be exact, Philip sent a 6,000-man army with one goal in mind, restore David to the throne. The King of France was also a reliable ally to have in more ways than one, especially when that ally was fighting the English. In addition to sending manpower support, Philip also began to meddle with the King of England's possessions within France, hanging the threat of confiscation over Edward's head. This still wasn't all though, as both Scottish and French ships sailing out of French ports had begun attacking English ships and the English south coast. This was a massive blow to the English effort and should have caused pause for King Edward's thinking, but it seems it didn't, or at least not much. When Philip wrote to his English counterpart suggesting that they allow Pope Benedict XII to arbitrate and pick the true claimant to the Scottish throne, Edward flat out refused, choosing war with the French and Scottish instead, at least at first. In reality, however, Edward had another plan, and actually made peace with the Scots which would last from mid-October 1335 through May 3rd of 1336. The truce failed to cover any agreement with the forces directly under Balliol, but did nevertheless tone down overall aggression, at least temporarily. The Battle of Kolbein marked an intense yet expected revival of warfare. Scotland's new guardian, Sir Andrew Murray, was determined to maintain resistance, and particularly found issue with the actions of David III Strathboge, the England-aligned Earl of Athol. Scottish chronicler John of Fordon describes the contemporary endeavours of Strathboge as such, But the great tyranny and cruelty this Earl practiced among the people words cannot bring within the mind's grasp. Some he disinherited, others he murdered, and in the end he cast in his mind how he might wipe out the Freeholders from the face of the earth. These Freeholders being targeted by Strathboge were part of the resistance movement's foundation, and thus Murray would not allow such things to go unchecked. Furthermore, Strathboge made the men's growing rivalry more personal when he assaulted Kildrummie Castle, which currently lay in the hands of Lady Christina Bruce, aunt to King David and wife to Murray. Feeling both the personal and tactical pressure of what losing the castle might entail, Murray rushed to the scene, completely throwing aside the guerrilla strategy the Scots had mostly used thus far. He had to save Kildrummie. As the Guardian of Scotland and his few hundred strong army raced to the aid of Lady Bruce, Strathboge began preparations for their arrival, pulling back from the castle with the aim of intercepting the wildly outnumbered Scots. As both sides neared Kolbein, John of the Craig led a force of three hundred men from Kildrummie to join Murray and his army as they arrived. John served as the local guide for the defenders and led them in stealth to the rear of Strathboge's men, but their cover was blown at the last second and the ambush had instead turned into a fair fight. The Scots preferred to avoid such clashes, but this, especially for Murray, was not a battle that could be lost. With the Scots divided into two groups, Strathboge charged at one commanded by William Douglas, while those under Murray came barreling in from the side. The invaders were pinned down on their front and flank as the Scots attacked in a mighty rage, flattening plant life and cornering Strathboge himself against a tree before slaying him and his remaining troops. Any who escaped were forced to surrender the following day, and the St. Andrew's Day Tussle was a clear triumph for the Scots and a crushing blow to their adversaries. In the words of W. Douglas Simpson, Kolbein was the turning point in the Second War of Scottish Independence. The aftermath of Kolbein was continued military success for the Scottish freedom fighters and the absolute disintegration of Balliol's dream to hold the Scottish throne, and the French were far from turning their back on the new winning side. Despite a temporary postponement of military involvement sparked by the Pope, likely in hopes of keeping France and England open to the idea of a new crusade, Philip soon came back around to show his support. With Murray looking to make peace while the Scots were on top, Philip managed to convince King David to decline such a suggestion. The war couldn't end yet. Guerrilla warfare scorched earth, raids and the like thus continued into 1336. All the while, Philip grew increasingly determined to support King David, and Edward of England was far from oblivious to the French monarch's aims. He knew it was only a matter of time before an Anglo-French war broke out, and he was ready. But ready can mean many things, and in this case, Edward was ready to negotiate. Midway through 1336, the King of England reached out to both Philip and David to request peace talks. David may have considered this idea, but Philip only doubled down on his support for David as King of the Scots. In fact, he now openly declared full military support for the young king. Edward was then forced to take on two enemies at once, and the constant clashes on Scottish soil continued while the monarch began readying his men for a head-to-head with the French. The Pope again made desperate attempts to make peace between Philip and Edward, but the former in particular was far too set in his ideas. He wanted the war with the English, and his mind could not be changed. This entire obstacle left the English open for constant beatings in Scotland as David's supporters took advantage of Edward's belief that the French were a bigger threat. What had up till now been an Anglo-Scottish war was frankly about to take on a whole new image. On May 24th, 1337, King Philip's Great Council ruled that the treachery of Edward as a vassal of France meant that his French territories, Gascony and Pontieu, need be confiscated and given back to Philip. This was the final straw, the point of no return. Philip had made his move. Edward was forced to respond. The Hundred Years' War had begun. The English were now fighting a losing battle on two fronts. By 1340, the effect of the English in Scotland was minimal at best. The Scots, with the continued aid from their Auld Alliance, had kept momentum in their favour, and with the physical return of King David and his wife to the kingdom, it was looking more and more that the English had lost the war at large. But thanks to David and Philip's bond, it wasn't just about Scotland's success anymore. The Scots still had to support their French allies, and Philip made sure to remind David of that. I beg you, I implore you, do for me what I would willingly do for you in such a crisis, and do it as quickly as you are able, the King of France urged him as Edward's men began landing in Normandy. David, believing that England would by now have minimal troops to defend itself, promptly invaded his southern neighbour. David was wrong, and the Scots faced stiff resistance upon entering England's north. The King of the Scots had been wrong, but he wasn't stupid. Realising that his plan wouldn't go as well as he had expected, he agreed to a truce with the English that would last for the next few months, giving him time to reorganise the attack. Thus, on October 7th, the Scots re-invaded England, this time with a 12,000 strong army supplied by France. The English nevertheless were again prepared, and met their attackers with a large army of their own. A battle ensued, and the English longbowmen, lo and behold, once more saved the day, raining down arrows on the Scots as the soldiers clashed. Despite valiant efforts by the Scotsmen, the English managed to defend their territory and ultimately routed the invading force, severely wounding King David and seizing him before the battle's end. David's subsequent captivity opened the door for Balliol to once more make a go at taking the Scottish throne. Standing in his way was David's nephew and heir apparent, Stuart, named guardian and regent for the captive king. Mistrust riddled the dynamic between uncle and nephew, but the English were nevertheless preoccupied with France, and Balliol struggled to rally support. Multiple attempts were made to negotiate a deal for King David's ransom and possible English overlordship over Scotland, but the Scottish Parliament would not budge, and the war could not be ended entirely. Minor scuffles and ongoing territory brawls carried on, until the devastating French loss at the Battle of Poitiers. It was this loss that solidified Scotland's concerns that they would soon become England's main focus yet again, and at long last, a ransom for King David of 100,000 marks was negotiated. The subsequent Treaty of Berwick marked the official end of the Second War of Scottish Independence, and the return of David II as the rightful King of the Scots. The wily monarch would later renegotiate his ransom after paying only a fifth of it, notably reducing the debt owed. Edward had accomplished little, and while David had kept his throne and his nation's freedom, the disconnect between the Scots and the English would never be fully resolved. This war was over, but it wasn't the first, and it wouldn't be the last, nor would it be Scotland's final bid for independence.