History of Scotland
Our ongoing history of Scotland that chronicles the events in Scotland over the past million years with a special focus on the last thousand as you might expect. We have also digitised a copy of Patrick Tytler's History of Scotland which is an eccentric but wonderfully written history of the the mediaeval years in Scotland. The project of chronicling Scotland's history is ongoing, as is the process of organising and structuring and linking the pages together.
Wallace Retreats into Mountains
An English parliament was soon after appointed to meet at St Andrews, to which the king summoned the Scottish barons who had again come under his allegiance. This summons was obeyed by all except Sir Simon Fraser and Wallace ; and these two brave men, along with the garrison of Stirling, which still defied the efforts of the English, were declared outlaws by the vote, not only of the English barons, but with the extorted consent of their broken and dispirited countrymen.At length Fraser, despairing of being able again to rouse the spirit of the nation, consented to accept the hard conditions of fine and banishment offered him by the conqueror; and Wallace found himself standing alone against Edward, excepted from all amnesty, and inexorably marked for death. Surrounded by his enemies, he came from the fastnesses where he had taken refuge to the forest of Dunfermline, and,, by the mediation of his friends, proposed on certain conditions to surrender himself. These terms, however, partook more of the bold character of the mind which had never bowed to Edward, than of the spirit of a suppliant suing for pardon. When reported to Edward he broke out into ungovernable rage, cursed him by the fiend as a traitor, pronounced his malediction on all who sustained or supported him, and set a reward of three hundred marks upon his head. On hearing this, Wallace betook himself again to the wilds and mountains, and subsisted on plunder.
Siege and reduction of Stirling castle
The castle of Stirling was now the only fortress which had not opened its gates to Edward. It had been intrusted by its governor, John de Soulis, who was still in France, to the care of Sir William Olifant, an experienced soldier, who, on seeing the great preparations made by Edward against his comparatively feeble garrison, sent a message to the king, informing him that it was impossible for him to surrender the castle without forfeiting his oaths and honour as a knight, pledged to his master, Sir John Soulis; but that if a cessation of hostilities were granted for a short time, he would instantly repair to France, inquire the will of his master, and return again to deliver up the castle, if permitted to do so. This was a proposal perfectly in the spirit of the age, and Edward, who loved chivalry, would at another time probably have agreed to it; but he was now, to use the expressive words of Langtoft, "full grim," and roused to a pitch of excessive fury against the obstinate resistance of the Scots. "I will agree to no such terms," said he; "if he will not surrender the castle, let him keep it against us at his peril." And Olifant, accordingly, with the assistance of Sir William Dupplin, and other knights, who had shut themselves up therein, proceeded to fortify the walls, to direct his engines of defence, and to prepare the castle for the last extremities of a siege. Thirteen warlike engines were brought by the besiegers to bear upon the fortress. The missiles which they threw consisted of leaden balls of great size, with huge stones and javelins, and the leaden roof of the refectory of St Andrews was torn away to supply materials for these deadly machines ; but for a long time the efforts of the assailants produced no breach in the Walls, whilst the sallies of the besieged, and the dexterity with which their engines were directed and served, made great havoc in the English army. During all this, Edward, although his advanced age might have afforded him an excuse for caution, exposed his person with an almost youthful rashness. Mounted on horseback, he rode beneath the walls to make his observations, and was more than once struck by the stones and javelins thrown from the engines on tire ramparts. One day, when riding so near that he could distinguish the soldiers who worked the balistae, a javelin struck him on the breast, and lodged itself in the steel plates of his armour. The king with his own hand plucked out the dart, which had not pierced the skin, and shaking it in the air, called out aloud that he would hang the villain who had hit him. On another occasion, when riding within the range of the engines, a stone of great size and weight struck so near, and with such noise and force, that the king's horse backed and fell with his master ; upon which some of the soldiers, seeing his danger, ran in and forced Edward down the hill towards the tents. Whilst these engines within the castle did so much execution, those of Edward, being of small dimensions in comparison with the height of the walls, had little effect; and when fagots and branches were thrown into the fosse, to facilitate the assault, a sally from the castle succeeded in setting the whole in flames, and carried confusion and slaughter into the English lines.The siege had now continued from the twentysecond of April to the twentieth of May, without much impression having been made. But determination was a marked feature in the powerful character of the king. He wrote to the sheriffs of York, Lincoln, and London, commanding them to purchase and send instantly to him, at Stirling, all the balistfe, quarrells, bows and arrows, which they could collect within their counties; and he despatched a letter to the Governor of the Tower, requiring him to send down, with all haste, the balistas and small quarrells which were under his charge in that fortress. Anxious, also, for the assistance and presence of all his best soldiers, he published, at Stirling, an inhibition, proclaiming that no knight, esquire, or other person whatsoever, should frequent jousts or tournaments, or go in search of adventures and deeds of arms, without his special license ;" and aware that the Scottish garrison must soon be in want of provisions, he cut off all communication with the surrounding country, and gave orders for the employment of a new and dreadful instrument of destruction, the Greek fire, with which he had probably become acquainted in the East. The mode in which this destructive combustible was used, seems to have been by shooting from the balistae, large arrows,to whose heads were fastened halls of ignited cotton, which stuck in the roofs and walls of the buildings they struck, and set them on fire. In addition to this, he commanded his engineers to construct two immense machines, which, unlike those employed at first, overtopped the walls, and were capable of throwing stones and leaden balls of three hundred pounds weight. The first of these was a complicated machine, which, although much pains was bestowed on its construction, did no great execution; but the second, which the soldiers called the wolf, was more simple in its form, and, from its size and strength, most murderous in its effects.
These great efforts succeeded: a large breach was made in the two inner walls of the castle; and the outer ditch having been filled up with heaps of stones and fagots thrown into it, Edward ordered a general assault. The brave little garrison, which for three months had successfully resisted the whole strength of the English army, were now dreadfully reduced by the siege. Their provisions were exhausted. Thirteen women, the wives and sisters of the knights and barons who defended the place, were shut up along with the soldiers, and their distress and misery became extreme. In these circumstances—their walls cast down, the engines carrying the troops wheeled up to the breach, and the scaling ladders fixed on the parapet—a deputation was sent to Edward, with an offer to capitulate, on security of life and limb. This proposal the king met with contempt and scorn; but he agreed to treat on the terms of an unconditional surrender, and appointed four of his barons, the Earls of Gloucester and Ulster, with Sir Eustace le Poor, and Sir John de Mowbray, to receive the last resolution of the besieged.
Edward's Severity
Sir John and Sir Eustace accordingly proceeded to the castle gate, and summoned the governor; upon which Sir William Olifant, his kinsman Sir William de Dupplin, and their squire Thomas Lillay, met the English knights, and proceeded with them to an interview with the two earls. At this meeting they consented, for themselves and their companions, to surrender unconditionally to the King of England; and they earnestly requested that he would permit them to make this surrender in his own presence, and himself witness their contrition.To this Edward agreed, and forthwith appointed Sir John Lovel to fill the place of governor. A melancholy pageant of feudal submission now succeeded. Sir William Olifant, and, along with him, twenty-five of the knights and gentlemen, his companions in the siege, presentedthemselves before the king, who received them in princely state, surrounded by his nobles and warriors. In order to save their lives, these brave men were compelled to appear in a garb and posture, against which every generous feeling revolts. Their persons were stript to their shirts and drawers; their heads and feet were bare; they wore ropes around their necks; and thus, with clasped hands and bended knee, they implored the clemency of the king. Upon this, Edward, of his royal mercy, exempted them from the ignominy of being chained; but Olifant was sent to the Tower, and the rest were imprisoned in different castles throughout England. The garrison was found to consist of no more than a hundred and forty soldiers; an incredibly small number, if we consider that for three months they had resisted the efforts of the army of England, led by the king in person.
Wallace betrayed by Sir John Menteith
The only man in Scotland who had steadily refused submission was Wallace; and the king, with that inveterate enmity and unshaken perseverance which marked his conduct to his enemies, now used every possible means to hunt him down, and become master of his person. He had already set a large sum upon his head; he gave strict orders to his captains and governors in Scotland to be constantly on the alert; and he now carefully sought out those Scotsmen who were enemies to Wallace, and bribed them to discover and betray him.§ For this purpose he commanded Sir John de Mowbray, a Scottish knight then at his court, and who seems at this time to have risen into great trust and favour with Edward, to carry with him into Scotland Ralph de Haliburton,one of the prisoners lately taken at Stirling. Haliburton was ordered to co-operate with the other Scotsmen who were then engaged in the attempt to seize Wallace, and Mowbray was to watch how this base person conducted himself.
What were the particular measures adopted by Haliburton, or with whom he co-operated, it is now impossible to determine; but it is certain that, soon after this, Wallace was bretrayed and taken by Sir John Menteith, a Scottish baron of high rank. Perhaps we are to trace this infamous transaction to a family feud. At the battle of Falkirk, Wallace, who, on account of his overbearing conduct, had never been popular with the Scottish nobility, opposed the pretensions of Sir John Stewart of Bonkill, when this baron contended for the chief command. In that disastrous defeat, Sir John Stewart, with the flower of his followers, was surrounded and slain; and it is said that Sir John Menteith, his uncle, never forgave Wallace for making good his own retreat, without attempting a rescue.By whatever motive he was actuated, Menteith succeeded in discovering his retreat, through the treacherous information of a servant who waited on him; and having invaded the house by night, seized him in bed, and instantly delivered him to Edward.
His Trial and Execution
His fate, as was to be expected, was soon decided; but the circumstances of refined cruelty and torment which attended his execution, reflect an indelible stain upon the character of Edward; and, were they not stated by the English historians themselves, could scarcely be believed. Having been carried to London, he was brought with much pomp to Westminster Hall, and there arraigned of treason. A crown of laurel, in mockery placed, was on his head, because Wallace had been heard to boast that he deserved to wear a crown in that hall. Sir Peter Mallorie, the king's justice, then impeached him as a traitor to the King of England, as having burnt the villages and abbeys, stormed the castles, and slain and tortured the liege subjects of his master the king. Wallace indignantly and truly repelled the charge of treason, as he never had sworn fealty to Edward; but to the other articles of accusation he pleaded no defence: they were notorious, and he was condemned to death. The sentence was executed on the twenty-third of August.Discrowned and chained, he was now dragged at the tails of horses through the streets, to the foot of a high gallows, placed at the elms in Smithfield. After being hanged, but not to death, he was cut down yet breathing, his bowels taken out, and burnt before his face. His head was then struck off, and his body divided into four quarters. The head was placed on a pole on London Bridge, his right arm above the bridge at Newcastle, his left arm was sent to Berwick, his right foot and limb to Perth, and his left quarter to Aberdeen. § "These," says an old English historian, "were the trophies of their favourite hero, which the Scots had now to contemplate, instead of his banners and gonfanons, which they had once proudly followed."
Settlement of Scotland by Edward
But he might have added, that they were trophies more glorious than the richest banner that had ever been borne before him; and if Wallace already had been, for his daring and romantic character, the idol of the people,—if they had long regarded him as the only man who had asserted, throughout every change of circumstances, the independence of his country,—now that the mutilated limbs of this martyr to liberty were brought amongst them, it may well be conceived how deep and inextinguishable were their feelings of pity and revenge. Tyranny is proverbially shortsighted: and Edward, assuredly, could have adopted no more certain way of canonizing the memory of his enemy, and increasing the unforgiving animosity of his countrymen.The course of events which soon followed this cruel sentence, demonstrates the truth of these remarks. For fifteen years had Edward been employed in the reduction of Scotland,—Wallace was put to death,— the rest of the nobility had sworn fealty,—the fortresses of the land were in the hands of English governors, who acted under an English guardian,—a parliament was held at London, where the Scottish nation was represented by ten commissioners, and these persons, in concert with twenty English commissioners, organised an entirely new system of government for Scotland. The English king, indeed, affected to disclaim all violent or capricious innovations; and it was pretended, that the new regulations which were introduced, were dictated by the advice of the Scottish nobles, and with a respect to the ancient laws of the land; but he took care that all that really marked an independent kingdom should be destroyed; and that, whilst the name of authority was given to the Scottish commissioners who were to sit in parliament, the reality of power belonged solely to himself. Scotland, therefore, might be said to be entirely reduced; and Edward flattered himself that he was now in quiet to enjoy that sovereignty which had been purchased by a war of fifteen years, and at an incredible expense of blood and treasure. But how idle are the dreams of ambition! In less than six months from the execution of Wallace, this new system of government was entirely overthrown, and Scotland was once more free.
Early Character of Bruce
We now enter upon the history of this great and rapid revolution; and in doing so, it will first be necessary to say a few words upon the early character and conduct of the Earl of Carrick, afterwards Robert the n First.This eminent person was the grandson of that Robert Bruce, Lord of Annandale, who was competitor for the crown with John Baliol. He was lineally descended from Isabella, second daughter of David earl of Huntingdon, brother of William the Lion. John Baliol, the late King of Scotland, had, as we have already seen, renounced for ever all claim to tho throne; and his son Edward was at that time a minor and a captive. Marjory Baliol, the sister of this unfortunate monarch, married John Comyn lord of Badenoch. Their son, John Comyn, commonly called the Red Comyn, the opponent of Wallace, and, till the fatal year 1303, the Regent of the kingdom, possessed, as the son of Marjory, Baliol's sister, a to the throne, after the resignation of Baliol and his son, which, according to the principles on which Edward pronounced his decision, was unquestionable. He was also connected by marriage with the royal family of England, and was undoubtedly one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, subject in Scotland.
His great estates and connexions
He was also connected by marriage with the royal family of England,* and was undoubtedly one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, subject in Scotland. Bruce and Comyn were thus the heads of two rival parties in the state, whose animosity was excited by their mutual claims to the same crown, and whose interests were irreconcileable. Accordingly, when Edward gave his famous award in favour of Baliol, Bruce, the competitor, refused to take the oath of homage;and although he acquiesced in the decision, gave up his lands in the vale of Annandale, which he must have held as a vassal under Baliol, to his son, the Earl of Carrick; again, in 1293, the Earl of Carrick resigned his lands and earldom of Carrick to his son Robert, then a young man in the service of the King of England.J In the years 1295 and 1296, Edward invaded Scotland, and reduced Baliol, and the party of the Comyns, to submission. During this contest, Bruce the Earl of Carrick, and son of the competitor, possessed of large estates in England, continued faithful to Edward. He thus preserved his estates, and hoped to see the destruction of the only rivals who stood between him and his claim to the throne. Nor was this a vain expectation; for Edward, on hearing of the revolt of Baliol and the Comyns, undoubtedly held out the prospect of the throne to Bruce :§ and these circumstances afford us a complete explanation of the inactivity of that baron and his son at this period. Meanwhile Baliol and the Comyns issued a hasty order, confiscating the estates of all who preserved their allegiance to Edward. In consequence of this resolution, the lordship of Annandale, the paternal inheritance of the Earl of Carrick, was declared forfeited, and given by Baliol to John Comyn earl of Buchan, who immediately seized and occupied Brace's castle of Lochmaben, an insult which there is reason to think the proud baron never forgave. Compelled to submit to Edward, the Comyns, and the principal nobles who supported them, were now carried prisoners into England; and, when restored to liberty, it was only on condition that they should join his army in Flanders, and assist him in his foreign wars.During the brief but noble stand made by Wallace for the national liberty, Robert Brace, then a young man of three-and-twenty, was placed in difficult and critical circumstances. It was in his favour that his rivals, the Comyns, were no longer in the field, but kept in durance by Edward. His father remained in England, where he possessed large estates, and continued faithful in his allegiance to the king. At this time it is important to remark what Walter Hemingford, a contemporary English historian, has said of young Brace: After mentioning the revolt which was headed by Wallace, he informs us, "that the Bishop of Carlisle, and other barons, to whom the peace of that district was committed, became suspicious of the fidelity of Robert Brace the younger, Earl of Carrick, and sent for him to come and treat upon the affairs of Edward, if he intended to remain faithful to that monarch." Brace, he continues, did not dare to disobey, but came on the day appointed, with his vassals of Galloway, and took an oath on the sacred host, and upon the sword of St Thomas, that ho would assist the kiug against the Scots, and all his enemies, both byword and deed. Having taken this oath, he returned to his country; and, to give a colour of truth to his fidelity, collected his vassals, and ravaged the lands of William Douglas, carrying the wife and infant children of this knight into Annandale. Soon after this, however, as he returned from a meeting of the Scottish conspirators to his own country, having assembled his father's men of Annandale, (for his father himself then resided in the south of England, and was ignorant of his son's treachery,) he told them, "that it was true he had lately taken a foolish oath at Carlisle, of which they had heard." He assured them that it was extorted by force, and that he not only deeply repented what he had done, but hoped soon to get absolution. Meanwhile he added, "that he was resolved to go with his own vassals, and join the nation from which he sprung; and he earnestly entreated them to do the same, and come along with him as his dear friends and counsellors. The men of Annandale, however, disliking the peril of this undertaking, whilst their master, the elder Bruce, was in England, decamped in the night; and the young Bruce, aspiring to the crown, as was generally reported, joined himself to the rebels, and entered into the conspiracy with the Bishop of Glasgow, and the Steward of Scotland, who were at the bottom of the plot." Such is an almost literal translation from the words of Walter Hemingford, whose information as to Scottish affairs at this period, seems to have been minute and accurate.