Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/775

SCOTLAND. 701 SCOTLAND. tend to the pleas of the down. These reforms were begun by Alexander, but earried out, for the most part, by David. The latter granted many new eharters ami privileges to the burghs, whieh grew and prospered during his reign. He prized peaee, but his English possessions and relation- ships brought on war. As husband of the heiress of Xorthuiiilierland, and lirother of the I'jnpress Jlatihhi. lie took part in the eivil war between her and Steplu-n. Although ilefeated in the Bat- tle of the Standard, near XortliaUerton (IKiS), he nevertheless attained the objeet of his aml)ition when he acquired the Earldom of Northumber- land for his son Henry. His son William the l.ion, who became King in 11G5 on the death of his brother JIaleolm, was taken prisoner in an invasion of England, and comiiellecl by the Treaty of Falaise (1175) to swear fealty to Henry II. Scot land remained a feudal de])endeney for fourle<'n years, but Riehard 1. of England re- jiouiieed the treaty for 10,000 marks of silver. William's son, Alexander II., sueceedeil him and followed his father's policy of siding with the barons of England in their struggle against John. In 1237, however, he renounced his claims to Westmoreland, Cumberland, and Xorthum- herland for a yearly payment of £200. His suc- cessor. Alexander III., recovered the w-estern islands from the Northmen by a formal treaty in 12t)6, though the question had really been de- cided in the battle of Largs three years earlier. He then married his daughter to the young King of Norway, and her only child, the Maid of Nor- way, was declared heiress to "the Scotch throne. The death of Alexander III., in 1286, ended this long and prosperous epoch. War of Lndependence (1286-1328). The feudal relations of Scotland and England have given rise to much controversy between the historians of the two countries. The facts of the ease .seem to be that while the English kings usually claimed an overlordship, they had never succeeded in enforcing it except in the case of William the Lion noted above. The Scottish kings did homage for their English possessions and for them only. In 1290, however, Edward I. obtained a favorable opportunity to press the Englis-h claims. The JIaid of Norway, grand- daughter of Alexander III., died on the voyage to Scotland. Thirteen claimants to the tlirone ap- peared. Edward I. took the matter into his own hands, claiming this right as suzerain of Scotland. He demanded an acknowledgment of his suzer- ainty, which was acceded to by the Norman lords and bishops. The Scotch commonalty, however, that is to say, the burghs and the gentry, protest- ed, but without avail. At Xorhani. in 12!).'), Ed- ward decided in favor of .John Baliol (q.v.), a descendant of the royal house by an elder female line. Baliol was a submissive man, but by his high-handed enforcement of feudal claims Edward drove Scotland to revolt, and to a league with France — the 'auld alliance' with France whieh lasted over two centuries and a half and was only ruptured by the Reformation. Efhvard, therefore, invaded Scotland in 1296 and in the battle of Dunbar defeated the Scotch forces. Baliol was deposed and the Norman nobility of Scotland readily swore fealty to Edward as their King. But the Scotch people were unsubdued, and they soon found a leader in William Wallace (q.v.). After a series of remarkable adven- tures he succeeded in arousing the country against the English, and in the battle of Stirling (1297) he destroyed a superior English army. But in 1298 Edward returned with an ovorwlielm- ing army, and by a new and skillful use of his archers defeated the Scotch at Falkirk. Never- theless, although Eihvard repeatedly invaded Scotland, and although in i;iO."> Wallace was captured and cruelly put to death, tbi' country vvas not subdued. After the ileath of Wallace the cause of liberty was taken up by Robert Bruce (q.v.), the graiulson of Robert Bruce, Baliol's rival for the throne of Scotland. The nobility supported him as it had never sup|)orl- cd Wallace, and he was crowneil King at Scone. He gained a series of minor viitories over the English, and at length comidetely routed their superior army at Bannockburn in Kil4. From that time until 1328, when the independence of Scotland was formally acknowledged, there were constant invasions of Northern England. During the War of Independence the Parlia- ment of Scotland first took its definite form. Its origin is to be found in the feudal council of tenantsin-chief summoned by David I. which superseded the council of the seven mormaers. To the feudal council belonged the lords spiritual (bishcqis. abbots, [uiors). and the lords tempural, including the lesser, as well as the greater, barons. With the towns the kings negotiated directly in two groups — the four burghs of the south, of whieh Edinburgh was the leader, and the Hanse burghs of the north, grouped about Aberdeen. The burghs first appear as an estate in the Parliament of Cambuskcnncth, which Bruce called, in 132G. to aid him in the struggle against England. From this date only can we speak of a Scottish Parliament. The three estates sat in the same house, under the presi- dency of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Scotch Parliament, however, never attained the constitutional importance of the English, because the Scotch kings lived within their means, and seldom made demands for money. Supremacy of the Nobility ( l.'}29-1546). In Scotland the nobility was far more power- ful than in England. There were many more exemptions from royal judicature, and the royal ofUce of sheriff had become hereditary among the nobility. The prevalence of the tribal system in the Highlands, and to some extent in tiie Lowlands, strengthened the nobility, because of the intimate personal relation which existed between tribesmen and chief. Moreover, Scot- land was unfortunate during the period follow- ing the struggle for independence in having most of her kings succeed as minors. During the minorities disorders and feuds prevailed, and peace existed in the royal burghs only. To disorder at home was added almost ]wr- petual warfare on the English border — a dreary cbronicle of raids and petty victories on either side. Under David U.. the son of Robert Bruce (1329-71), Parliament attained its greatest power, practically conducting the affairs of State, and determining the succession to the throne contrary to the King's desire. In l.'?71 Riihert 11.. a grandson of Robert Bruce, in- augurated the Stuart dynasty. During the lat- ter part of his reign, which ended in 1396, the Duke of Albany was virtual ruler of Scotland, a position which he held under Robert HI. (1396-1406) and during the minority of James