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5 - Who's afraid of the Big Bad Bruce? Balliol Scots and ‘English Scots’ during the Second Scottish War of Independence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2013

Iain A. MacInnes
Affiliation:
University of the Highlands
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Summary

During the Scottish Wars of Independence many Scots chose, or were forced to choose, the apparent security of English allegiance. In the years when, for example, Edward I appeared most likely to win his war with Scotland, many opted to enter the English king's peace in the hope of retaining their lands, rights and privileges under the new administrative order. This acknowledgement of the likelihood of an Edwardian victory prompted a practical response from most leading Scottish figures. The war in Scotland, as Edward I himself discovered, was not, however, simply a choice between Scottish independence and English overlordship. There was, bubbling under the surface, the ongoing civil conflict between the Balliol/Comyn and Bruce factions. The divisions that existed between the supporters of both parties became permanently fixed following Robert I's killing of John Comyn in 1306 and the rebellion that followed. Those individuals and families who had previously fought for Scotland's continued independence, but who were diametrically opposed to Bruce and his cause, now found themselves in need of English support as the only option if they were to defeat the Bruce seizure of the Scottish throne. Ultimately the opponents of Bruce, even with English assistance, lost their struggle and although some were able to enter into the new king's peace others were unable or unwilling to do so and instead entered exile in England. This was not, however, the end of the story.

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Chapter
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Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Print publication year: 2011

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