History of Scotland by Patrick Tytler 2
Settlement of the succession and Second marriage of Alexander 3
To settle the succession was his first care; and for this purpose a meeting of the Estates of the realm was held at Scone, on the 5th of February, 1283-4. The prelates and barons of Scotland there bound themselves to acknowledge Margaret princess of Norway, as their sovereign, failing any children whom Alexander might have, and failing any issue of the Prince of Scotland deceased. The parliament in which this transaction took place, having assembled immediately after the death of the prince, it was uncertain whether the princess might not yet present the kingdom with an heir to the crown. In the meantime, the king thought it prudent to make a second marriage, and chose for his bride a young and beautiful woman, Joleta, daughter of the Count de Dreux. The nuptials were celebrated with great pomp, and in presence of a splendidconcourse of the French and Scottish nobility, at Jedburgh.Death of Alexander III
In the midst of the rejoicings, and when musio and pastime were at the highest, a strange masque was exhibited, in which a spectral creature like Death, glided with fearful gestures amongst the revellers, and at length suddenly vanished, The whole was no doubt intended as a mummery; but it was too well acted, and struck such terror into the festive assembly, that the chronicler, Fordun, considers it as a supers natural shadowing out of the future misfortunes ofthe kingdom. These misfortunes too rapidly followed. Alexander, riding late, near Kinghorn, was counselled by his attendants, as the night was dark, and the road precipitous, not to pass Inverkeithing till the morning. Naturally courageous, however, he insisted on galloping forward, when his horse suddenly stumbled over a rocky cliff above the sea, fell with its rider, and killed him on the spot. He died in the forty-fifth year of his age, and the thirty-seventh of his reign; and his death, at this particular juncture, may be considered as one of the deepest amongst those national calamities which chequer the history of Scotland.Reflections on his Reign
Alexander's person was majestic; and although his figure was too tall, and his bones large, yet his limbs were well formed, and strongly knit. His countenance was handsome, and beamed with a manly and sweet expression, which corresponded with the courageous openness and sincerity of his character. He was firm and constant in his purposes; yet, guided by prudence and an excellent understanding, this quality never degenerated into a dangerous obstinacy. His inflexible love of justice, his patience in hearing disputes, his affability in discourse, and facility of access, endeared him to the whole body of his people; whilst his piety, untinctured with any slavish dread, whilst he acknowledged the spiritual supremacy of the popedom, rendered him the steadfast friend of his own clergy, and their best defender against any civil encroachments of the see of Rome. In his time, therefore, to use the words of the honest and affectionate Fordun,—"The church flourished, its ministers were treated with reverence, vice was openly dis couraged, cunning and treachery were trampled under foot, injury ceased, and the reign of virtue, truth, and justice, was maintained throughout the land." We need not wonder that such a monarch was long and affectionately remembered in Scotland. Attended by his justiciary, by his principal nobles, and a military force which awed the strong offenders, and gave confidence to the oppressed, it was his custom to make an annual progress through his kingdom, for the redress of wrong, and the punishment of delinquents. For this purpose, he divided the kingdom into four great districts; and on his entering each county, the sheriff had orders to attend on the kingly judge, with the whole militia of the shire, and to continue with the court till the king had heard all the appeals of that county, which were brought before him. He then continued his progress, accompanied by the sheriff and his troops; nor were these dismissed till the "monarch had entered a new county, where a new sheriff awaited him with the like honours and attendance.In this manner the people were freed from the charge of supporting those overgrown bands of insolent retainers which swelled the train of the Scottish nobles, when they waited on the king in his progresses; and as the dignified prelates and barons were interdicted by law from travelling with more than a certain number of horse in their retinue, the poor commons had leisure to breathe, and to pursue their honest occupations.
In Alexander's time, many vessels of different countries came to Scotland, freighted with various kinds of merchandise, with the design of exchanging them for the commodities of our kingdom. The king's mind, however, was unenlightened on the subject of freedom of trade; and the frequent loss of valuable cargoes by pirates, wrecks, and unforeseen arrestments, had induced him to pass some severe laws against the exportation of Scottish merchandise. Burgesses, however, were allowed to traffic with these foreign merchantmen; and in a short time the kingdom became rich in every kind of wealth; in the productions of the arts and manufactures; in money, in agricultural produce, in flocks and herds; so that many, says an ancient historian, came from the West and East to consider its power, and to study its polity. Amongst these strangers, there arrived in a great body, the richest of the Lombard merchants, who offered to establish manufacturing settlements in various parts of the country. They specified among other places the mount above Queensferry, and an island near Cramond, and only asked of the king certain spiritual immunities. Unfortunately, the proposal of these rich and industrious men, for what cause we cannot tell, proved displeasing to some powerful members of the state, and was dismissed; but from an expression of the historian we may gather, that the king himself was desirous to encourage them, and that favourable terms for a settlement would have been granted, had not death stept in and put an end to the negotiation.
The conduct pursued by this king, in his intercourse with England, was marked by a judicious union of the firmness and dignity which became an independent sovereign with the kindliness befitting his near connexion with Edward; but, warned by the attempts which had been first made by the father and followed up by the son, he took care, that when invited to the English court, it should be expressly acknowledged-fthat he came there as the free monarch of an independent country.
To complete the character of this prince, he was temperate in his habits, his morals were pure, and in all his domestic relations, kindness and affection were conspicuous. The oldest Scottish song, which has yet been discovered, is an affectionate little monody on the death of Alexander, preserved by Winton, one of the fathers of our authentic Scottish history.
Accession of Margaret, the grand daughter of Alexander III., and appointment of a Regency
MARGARET, THE MAIDEN OF NORWAY.Margaret, the grand-daughter of Alexander, and grand-niece to Edward the First, who had been recognised as heir to the crown in 1284, was in Norway at the time of the king's death. A parliament, therefore, assembled at Scone on the 11th of April, 1286; and a regency, consisting of six guardians of the realm, was, by common consent, appointed. The administration of the northern division of Scotland, beyond the Firth of Forth, was intrusted to Fraser bishop of St Andrews, Duncan earl of Fife, and Alexander earl of Buchan. The government of the country to the south of the Forth was committed to Wishart the Bishop of Glasgow, John Comyn lord of Badenoch, and James the High Steward of Scotland.
Precarious state of the Kingdom
In this Parliament, a keen debate on the succession to the crown arose between the partisans of Bruce and Baliol. Nor were these the only claimants. Nothing but the precarious life of an infant now stood between the crown of Scotland and the pretensions of other powerful competitors, whose relationship to the royal family, as it raised their hopes, encouraged them to collect their strength, and gave a legal sanction to their ambition. Edward the First of England, whose near connexion with the young Queen of Scotland and the heretrix of Norway made him her natural protector, was at this time in France.Projects of Edward
On being informed of the state of confusion into which the death of Alexander was likely to plunge a kingdom which had been for some time the object of his ambition, the project of a marriage between the young queen and his son the Prince of Wales was too apparent not to suggest itself. But this monarch, always as cautious of too suddenly unveiling his purposes as he was determined in pursuing them, did not immediately declare his wishes. He contented himself with observing the turn which matters should take in Scotland, certain that his power and influence would in the end induce the different parties to appeal to him; and confident that the longer time which he gave to these factions to quarrel among themselves and embroil the country, the more advantageously would this interference take place. The youth of the King of Norway, father to the young Princess of Scotland, was another favourable circumstance for Edward. Eric was only eighteen. He naturally looked to Edward, the uncle of his late wife, for advice and support; and, fearful of trusting his infant and only daughter, scarce three years old, to the doubtful allegiance of so fierce and ambitious a nobility as that of Scotland, he determined to keep her for the present under his own eye in Norway.Convention of Bruce the Competitor, and his friends at Turnberry
Meanwhile a strong party was formed against her, amongst the most powerful of the Scottish barons. They met (Sept. 20, 1286) at Turnberry, the castle of Robert Bruce earl of Carrick, son of Robert Bruce lord of Annandale and Cleveland. Here they were joined by two powerful English barons, Thomas de Clare, brother of Gilbert earl of Gloucester, and Richard de Burgh earl of Ulster. Thomas de Clare was nephew to Bruce's wife, and both he and his brother the Earl of Gloucester were naturally anxious to support Bruce's title to the crown, as the descendant of David earl of Huntingdon, brother of King William the Lion.Nor was the scheme in any respect a desperate one, for Bruce already had great influence. There assembled at Turnberry, Patrick earl of Dunbar, with his three sons; Walter Stewart earl of Menteith; Bruce's own son the Earl of Carrick, and Bernard Bruce; James, the High Steward of Seotland, with John his brother; Angus son of Donald the Lord of the Isles, and Alexander his son. These barons, whose influence could bring into the field the strength of almost the whole of the west and south of Scotland, now entered into a bond, or covenant, by which it was declared, that they would thenceforth adhere to and take part with one another, on all occasions, and against all persons, saving their allegiance to the King of England, and also their allegiance to him who should gain the kingdom of Scotland by right of descent from King Alexander, then lately deceased.
Not long after this, the number of the Scottish regents was reduced to four, by the assassination of Duncan earl of Fife, and the death of the Earl of Buchan; the Steward, another of the regents, pursuing an interest at variance with the title of the young queen, joined the party of Bruce, heart-burnings and jealousies arose between the nobility and the governors of the kingdom. These soon increased, and at length broke into an open war between the parties of Bruce and Baliol,which for two years after the death of the king continued its ravages in the country.
Eric King of Norway sends Plenipotentiaries to treat with Edward
The event which the sagacity of Edward had anticipated, now occurred. The States of Scotland were alarmed at the continuance of civil commotions; and, in a foolish imitation of other foreign powers who had applied to Edward to act as a peacemaker, sent the Bishop of Brechin, the Abbot of Jedburgh, and Geoffrey de Mowbray, as ambassadors to the King of England, requesting his advice and mediation towards composing the troubles of the kingdom. At the same time, Eric king of Norway despatched plenipotentiaries to treat with Edward regarding the affairs of his daughter the queen, and her kingdom of Scotland. The king readily accepted both offers; and finding his presence no longer necessary in France, returned to England, to superintend in person those measures of intrigue and ambition which now entirely occupied his mind. "Now," said he, to the most confidential of his ministers, "the time is at last arrived when Scotland and its petty kings shall be reduced under my power."
But although his intentions were declared thus openly in his private council, he proceeded cautiously and covertly in the execution of his design. At his request, the Scottish regents appointed the Bishops of St Andrews and Glasgow, assisted by Robert Bruce lord of Annandale, and John Comyn, to treat in the presence of the King of England regarding certain matters proposed by the Norwegian commissioners, and empowered them to ratify whatever was there agreed on, "saving always the liberty and honour of Scotland;" and provided that from such measures nothing should be likely to occur prejudicial to that kingdom and its subjects. To this important conference the king, on the part of England, sent the Bishops of Worcester and Durham, with the Earls of Pembroke and Warrene.