SCOTLAND. 



and his ruccelTors for their fuperior lord. The Englifh 

 monarch ftretched ftill further the rigour of the conditions 

 which he exaded. He engaged the king and itates to 

 make a perpetual celTion of the fortrefles of Berwick and 

 Roxburgh, and to allow the caftle of Edinburgh to remain 

 in his pofleffion for a hmited time." This is the firft great 

 ifcendant which England obtained over Scotland. 



Thefe difgraceful meafures, and the feeble conduA of 

 William, rendered him extremely unpopular. The lords of 

 Galloway and Rofs fucceffively difplayed the itandard of 

 rebellion, and though eventually compelled to fubmit, kept 

 the kingdom in a Itate of difquietude for fome years. In 

 1188, Henry II. fent Hugh, bifliop of Durham, and 

 feveral priells, into Scotland, to colleft a difne for the Holy 

 Land ; but this met with the warmeil oppofition. He 

 next offered to reilore the caftles of Roxburgh and Ber- 

 wick to William, if he would give the tenths of the king- 

 dom for the holy war ; and his confent was only withheld, 

 in confequence of the barons and clergy indignantly de- 

 claring, that " they would not pay, although both kings 

 fhould have fworn to levy them." This was the lad pro- 

 pofal of Henry affedling the independence of Scotland ; as 

 he died foon afterwards, leaving his crown to his fon 

 Richard, who reftored to William all the rights and terri- 

 tories which had been wrefled fromhim during the govern- 

 ment of his father : thus Scotland again refumed her in- 

 dependence, though her monarch became the baronial vaffal 

 of England, as earl of Huntington. In the latter capacity 

 William did homage to king John A.D. 1200, and after 

 the ceremony demanded reftitution of the three northern 

 counties of England, a demand which was tacitly refufed. 

 In 1209, both monarchs alfembled their troops on the 

 borders, but the interference of their refpeftive barons 

 effefted a reconciliation without bloodlhed. From this 

 period William lived in peace till his death, which occurred 

 on the 4th of December, 1214. 



Alexander li., the fon of William, fucceeded to the 

 throne, and almoll immediately engaged in hoftihtics againlt 

 king John, in fupport of the barons. John lolt no time 

 in making a fignal retaliation. In 12 16 he pafled the 

 Tweed, and burnt the towns of Dunbar and Haddington. 

 Alexander next year entered England to join Lewis, the 

 French prince ; but the death of John, and the lubfequent 

 difafters of Lewis, prevented the accomplilhment of his 

 defigns, and a treaty was foon after concluded with 

 Henry III. This pacification lafted till the year 1233, 

 when the Englilh king thought proper to call in queltion 

 the validity of Alexander's coronation, and even intrigued 

 to deprive him of his crown. In an interview between the 

 two kings at Newcaftle, they endeavoured in vain to ac- 

 commodate their differences. They adjufted them never- 

 thelefs at York, in September, 1237 ; but as the terms of 

 their agreement were unequal, it was not of long duration. 

 Jealoufies arofe between them in 1244; Henry collefted a 

 large force at Newcaftle, and Alexander marched to the 

 frontiers a highly difciplined army, amounting, as fome 

 writers Itate, to the number of 100,000 men, all animated 

 with the moll determined refolutioii to defend their country. 

 The appearance of fo formidable a force induced the Englifli 

 barons to mediate a peace, which was accordingly agreed 

 to. Alexander was next roufed from rcpofe by an infur- 

 redion in Galloway, which he had fcarccly quelled, before 

 Angus, lord of Argyle, afl'umed independence, and refufed 

 to acknowledge the fovereignty of the Scottifh crown. 

 The king marched againlt him, but died in Kcrreray, an 

 iflet on the coall of Argyle, on the 8th of July, 1249. 

 Chalmers remarks concerning this prince, tliat he is pro- 



Vol. XXXII. 



perly charafterifed by Fordun, " as a king, pious, juft, and 

 brave ; as the Ihield of the church, the fafeguard of the 

 people, and the friend of the miferable." 



Alexander III. was crowned at Scone July 13, 1249, 

 after having been knighted by David de Berneham, biftiiop 

 of St. Andrews. In 1 25 1 he celebrated his nuptials with 

 Margaret, daughter of Henry III., and on that occalion did 

 homage for his Englilh lands. The felfifhnefs of Henry led 

 him to demand homage for the kingdom of Scotland alfo, 

 but the young king, with equal fortitude and prudence, re- 

 plied, that he had come to England to be married, not to 

 treat of affairs of Itate ; and that he could not comply *ith 

 his deilre without the approbation of the great council of 

 the Scottifti nation. With this prince commenced that feries 

 of regal minorities which cauled fo much diltraftion t» 

 Scotland for feveral centuries, through the intrigues of the 

 nobles, and of the court of England, to fecure the chief 

 influence in the ftate. Henry began to forward his views, by 

 difmifling all the leading men attached to the late king, and 

 elevating a more fubfervient faftion to power ; but this ar- 

 rangement was quickly overthrown by a coalition of the 

 nobles, headed by the Cumyns, who feized the perfons of 

 the king and queen, and ruled in their names. As this party 

 confifted of the molt powerful perfons in the kingdom, 

 Henry found it neceflary to accommodate himfelf to the ftate 

 of affairs, and a new regency T*as formed, including the 

 chiefs of all the faftions. Thus domeftic peace was reftored ; 

 but foreign invafion almoft immediately fucceeded. In the 

 year 1263, Haco, king of Norway, came into the Clyde 

 with a fleet of 160 fail, and landed a numerous army near 

 Largs, in Ayrftiire. The Scottifh forces, commanded by 

 Alexander, haftened to oppofe him, and in a decifive battle 

 fought on the fecond of October, in the fame year, com- 

 pletely routed the Norwegians. Haco with difficulty efcaped 

 to his (hips, attended only by a few followers, and foon after 

 expired in Orkney. Magnus, his fucceflor, made over to 

 Alexander all the iflands of the Hebrides in full fovereignty, 

 but he ftill retained the iflands of Orkney and Zetland. 

 From this period the Scottifli king was chiefly occupied, for 

 feveral years, in ailerting the independence of the Scottifh 

 churcli againft the pretenfions of the pope, and in curbing 

 tlie ambition of his own clergy. In 1278 he went to Lon- 

 don, to attend the coronation of king Edward I., and to io 

 homage for the lands held by him in England. The event* 

 which enfued were at once afflifting to the king, and ulti- 

 mately difaftrous to the nation. Within one year, •viz. in 

 1283, Alexander, tlie young prince of Scotland, and his 

 fifter Margaret, wlio had married Eric, king of Norway, 

 died. The former had no iffue, but the latter left an only- 

 daughter, Margaret, commonly called the Maid of Norway. 

 The Scottifli king, anticipating the dangers of a difputed 

 fuccelTion, refolved, if poflible, to avert them. He alTem- 

 blcd the great council of the nation at Scone, in which it was 

 declared that the princcfs of Norway fhould fuccced to the 

 throne, " failing any children Alexander might have, and 

 failing the iffue of the late prince," whofe widow it was 

 fuppofed might be pregnant. To add llrength to thefe 

 prudent meafures, Alexander liimfelf married, for his fecond 

 wife, Jolctta, daughter of the count de Dreux ; but the 

 feftivities for that event had fcarccly ceafed, when he was 

 killed by a fall from his horfe, near Kinghorn, on the 1 6th 

 of March 1285 — 6. 



Hiftory of the Third Period.— On this fatal accident, Marga- 

 ret was unanimoufly declared queen, and a regency, conlifting 

 of fix principal prelates and barons, was appointed to govern 

 the kingdom during her abfence and minority. Through their 

 exertions, and protcfted by her father Eric, and her grand 



C Mncic, 



