The rebellion begins 221018 The rebellion begins AIM

The rebellion begins

22/10/18 The rebellion begins AIM – Learn about the resistance mounted to English rule over Scotland in 1296 and early 1297. SUCCESS CRITERIA – • Be able to make a judgement on the overall success of Balliol as king. • Be able to describe how the early signs of rebellion took hold in southern and western Scotland in 1296 -7. • Be able to explain why the events at Irvine in 1297 were significant. TASKS 1. Copy today’s aim and heading into your jotter. 2. Through class questioning, recap how Edward subjugated Scotland in 1296. 3. Go through today’s PPt (following this slide), taking notes of information given in bold. 4. Discuss our class event on Friday. 5. Paste in your handout on Irvine (and make sure that our previous lesson’s handout has also been glued in or securely added to your ringbinders) 6. Complete today’s ‘big question’.

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Half way through! • At this point in the course, we are now at the midpoint of the Scottish topic. • On Friday 26 th October, we will have a class test to measure how we are learning so far. It will last one period and include: – All KU covered up to this point, that is from Scotland’s Golden Age under Alexander III, through the succession crisis and the reign of King John up to his defeat and subjugation. – There will be one 8 mark ‘evaluate the usefulness’ question. In the exam you should budget 20 minutes to answer this completely (we’ll get 25). Spare me: News of the test didn’t go down well in knight school. – There will also be 17 marks worth of straightforward KU questions (not of exam type). Answer these in short sentences. These are intended to assess the breadth of facts and information that you have learned so far.

Historical debate: was Balliol a weak king? Historians have found it hard to rescue John’s reputation as king and put a positive spin on his reign. Take note of the main arguments: John’s (most notable) failures: John’s achievements: • • • Managed to summon annual parliaments during his reign. Appointed his own Justiciars of Scotland – one each in Lothian, Dumfries & Galloway and Moray. Appointed three sheriffs to assert his royal authority over the Western Isles. Kept the Bruce faction largely silent! Kept his close supporters and relations – the powerful Comyn family – happy. • • • He struggled to stand up to Edward after paying homage to him as overlord. Publicly humiliated by Edward. Legally outmanoeuvred by Edward. Scottish nobles had to appoint 12 Guardians to help him rule. Failed to provide effective leadership in battle or war with Edward in 1296. Lost his throne, removed from office (becoming ’toom tabard’) and led his kingdom into subjugation. FACT: John was held in such poor esteem that no future Scottish king would ever bear the name ‘John’.

Early problems for Edward’s rule • With much of the Scottish nobility imprisoned in England, Edward brought in his own men to manage Scotland: • John de Warenne – the Earl of Surrey – was appointed ‘Lieutenant of Scotland’. He struggled with the job and claimed that the poor weather up north was bad for his health. He soon returned to his lands in southern England. • English judges (who had no idea of Scots law or custom) were brought in to replace Scottish justiciars. • Sheriffs were replaced with English lords – many of whom didn’t speak the local language or care about the people or lands they now ruled. Giddy-up!: Not seeing the sun for more than 6 months of the year was too much for poor John de Warenne to bear. It was a long way back to Surrey and he wasn’t for waiting around.

• The English administration of Scotland quickly acquired a bad reputation and had limited connection with the local population. • Within months of Edward’s conquest, reports were received at Westminster that the English tax collectors had failed to gather taxes or support from the Scots: “Sire, at the time this letter was made, nor previously, from the time when I left you, not a penny could be raised in your realm of Scotland by any means until my lord the Earl of Warenne shall enter the land compel the people of the country by force and sentences of law. ” • Hugh Cressingham – Edward’s Treasurer of Scotland – was by far the most hated official of the occupation. The public face of this new and foreign regime, his job was to establish an English-style tax system with a strong central government. Hugh Cressingham: Scottish taxes for English wars

Rebellion in the south and west • The signs of rebellion began early. In the Western Isles the powerful Mc. Dougal clan resented their rivals – the Mac. Donald clan – being appointed as representatives of Edward’s government in the region. The dispute exploded into open warfare in April 1297, threatening to spread unrest across the kingdom. • Former Guardian, Bishop Wishart of Glasgow, was in open revolt by 1297. • The young Earl of Carrick – Robert Bruce – was also openly opposed to English rule, threatening English control over Dumfries & Galloway. Salty behaviour: the western clans needed fewer reasons than most for a fight to the death spanning generations.

So, in Dumfries & Galloway… Double trouble: The young Earl of Carrick, Robert Bruce (left), steps on to the stage of Scottish politics sporting fabulous hair. James Steward was Scotland’s Lord High Steward. • Young Robert Bruce – grandson of Bruce the Competitor – and the Baron of Renfrew, James Steward (a former Guardian) felt aggrieved by the English rule. • As powerful landowners, they had controlled south-western Scotland before the invasion. They had not supported Balliol in his resistance to Edward and had expected to be rewarded. • Edward was suspicious of both men and had relieved them of their roles. He handed control of the south-west to the English lord, Henry Percy.

Blitzkrieg!: Lord Percy and Lord Clifford got a shuffle on to take the hapless Scots by complete surprise. Getting’ ready with the boys: Robert and James suiting up at Irvine. • Angry at being snubbed by Edward, Bruce and Steward raised an armed revolt against English rule. • Under the guidance of Bishop Wishart of Glasgow, they and their allied nobles began to gather an army at Irvine. • Percy’s response however, caught them by surprise. He rode north with a small force whilst the main English army was still gathering - catching the Scottish nobles unprepared on the 9 th July, 1297. • Faced with such professionalism, the disorganised Scottish nobles surrendered without a fight. This became known as ‘the capitulation of Irvine’.

Irvine: a failure? • Some sources relate that the main English army Percy was gathering to fight the nobles’ rebellion had as many as 40, 000 men. Bruce and Steward’s army would have been easily outmatched by such a force and a battle would have been doomed to failure. • Irvine is often portrayed as a humiliating climb-down for the Scottish nobility and Bruce in particular. Some historians say Irvine was little more than political posturing and that Bruce surrendered because he discovered that other rebels were revolting in the name of King John. • The negotiations at Irvine dragged on for several weeks – some historians say this was a plan by the Scottish nobles to pin down English forces and buy time for the simultaneous rebellion of William Wallace to grow and spread… • If so, this wasn’t appreciated at the time. Wallace was so angry at Wishart’s surrender that he personally raided the bishop’s home and ransacked his treasury! PASTE IN HANDOUT Agony – so much greater than yours: young Bruce bought time for Wallace to escape ‘into the woods’.

Today’s ‘Big Question’ • Take note of the question below in your jotter and write an answer drawing upon the notes you have taken today. Complete for homework if not finished in class: • Based on the evidence you have, what was the young Lord Bruce really intending at Irvine? REMINDER – There will be a class test on Friday, 26 th October. The young Lord Bruce: a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.