Wars of Scottish Independence: KS3 History Explained

What caused the Wars of Scottish Independence?

The wars grew from a succession crisis. When the Scottish king Alexander III died in 1286 and his granddaughter Margaret — the "Maid of Norway" — died on the voyage to Scotland in 1290, there was no obvious heir. Thirteen claimants came forward. The Scottish nobility, unable to agree, invited Edward I of England to arbitrate.

Edward saw an opportunity. He chose John Balliol as king in 1292, but treated him as a puppet, demanding Scottish military service and feudal submission. Humiliated, the Scots signed the Treaty of Paris with France in 1295 — the beginning of the "Auld Alliance" — and refused to fight in Edward's French wars. Edward invaded Scotland in 1296, sacked Berwick, defeated the Scottish army at Dunbar, removed the Stone of Destiny to Westminster, and forced Balliol to abdicate. He had, it seemed, conquered Scotland entirely.

Who was William Wallace and why does he matter?

William Wallace emerged from the lower Scottish nobility — neither a great lord nor a king — and yet he became the symbol of Scottish resistance. In May 1297 he killed an English sheriff at Lanark and launched a guerrilla campaign. Within months he had gathered a large force.

On 11 September 1297, at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, Wallace and Andrew de Moray achieved a stunning upset against a larger, better-equipped English army. The English cavalry tried to cross a narrow bridge over the River Forth; Wallace waited until half the army had crossed, then attacked, cutting the English forces in two. The English commander, Hugh de Cressingham, was killed. It was one of the most tactically brilliant victories of the medieval period.

Wallace was appointed Guardian of Scotland, governing in the name of the exiled Balliol. His success was short-lived: Edward returned with a massive army in 1298 and defeated Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk, where English longbowmen destroyed the Scottish spear formations. Wallace resigned the Guardianship and spent years evading capture. Betrayed in 1305, he was taken to London, tried for treason, and executed — hanged, drawn, and quartered — at Smithfield. He refused to plead guilty to treason on the grounds that he had never sworn loyalty to Edward and therefore could not betray him.

What was the significance of Wallace's campaign?

The historian's caution here: Wallace's heroic status was greatly amplified by later Scottish writers, particularly John Barbour and Blind Harry, whose accounts were written well after the events and served nationalist purposes. The "Braveheart" image is partly a literary construction.

Who was Robert Bruce and how did he become king?

Robert Bruce came from the highest Scottish nobility — his family was among the original thirteen claimants to the throne in 1292 — and he had, at various points, fought on both the Scottish and English sides, a pragmatism typical of great medieval lords. After Wallace's capture, Bruce and John Comyn were joint Guardians of Scotland. Their relationship was poisonous.

In February 1306, Bruce met Comyn in the Greyfriars Church in Dumfries and murdered him — an act of sacrilege as well as violence. Having committed to rebellion, Bruce moved quickly. In March 1306 he was crowned King of Scots at Scone. Edward I sent an army that crushed Bruce's forces at the Battle of Methven; Bruce became a fugitive, hiding on islands off the Irish coast. The legend of the spider, which allegedly inspired Bruce with its patient persistence in spinning a web, dates from this period.

Edward I died in 1307 on his way north to crush Bruce for good. His son, Edward II, was far less capable. Bruce gradually recaptured Scottish castles and neutralised or won over the Scottish nobility. By 1314 only Stirling Castle remained in English hands.

What happened at the Battle of Bannockburn?

Edward II led an army — numbering perhaps 15,000 to 20,000 men — to relieve Stirling Castle. Bruce met him at Bannockburn on 23–24 June 1314 with roughly 6,000–7,000 Scots. Against the odds, Bruce secured a decisive victory. The English cavalry found the terrain around the Bannock Burn poorly suited to attack. Scottish spearmen in tight formations (schiltrons) held firm, and when an English retreat became a rout, thousands were killed crossing the burn.

Bannockburn did not end the wars — fighting continued for another fourteen years — but it made Scottish independence look permanent rather than temporary. The Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, addressed to the Pope, asserted Scottish independence in some of the most famous language in British history: "For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule."

How and when did the First War of Independence end?

The Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton in 1328 formally recognised Bruce as King of Scots and Scotland as an independent kingdom. Edward II's deposition and murder in 1327 had removed the main obstacle. Bruce died in 1329, leaving his legacy secured. The Second War of Independence (1332–1357) was triggered by English-backed rivals to the throne, but Scotland maintained its independence. The wars shaped a Scottish national identity that proved remarkably durable.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Edward I want to conquer Scotland?

Edward I wanted to extend English power across Britain, as he had done in Wales. The Scottish succession crisis gave him a legal pretext — he presented himself as an overlord settling a dispute — but his actions in 1296, including removing the Stone of Destiny and forcing Scottish nobles to submit, show that conquest rather than arbitration was his goal.

Why did William Wallace lose at Falkirk?

At Falkirk in 1298, Wallace's schiltron spear formations were effective against cavalry but vulnerable to longbowmen. Edward I used archers to break up the Scottish formations before his cavalry attacked. Many Scottish cavalry, led by noble lords who resented Wallace's authority, either did not engage or left the field early, leaving the infantry exposed.

Was Robert Bruce a hero or an opportunist?

This is a genuinely contested historical question, which is exactly what makes it valuable at KS3. Bruce's repeated changes of allegiance before 1306 suggest personal interest over principle. His murder of Comyn was brutal and politically reckless. Yet after 1306 he showed extraordinary resilience and strategic skill in building a genuine Scottish kingdom. Most historians argue he was both — a pragmatic opportunist who became, through circumstance, a nation-builder.

What was the Auld Alliance and why did it matter?

The Auld Alliance was the Treaty of Paris signed in 1295 between Scotland and France, agreeing mutual support against England. It lasted formally until 1560. For England it meant that any invasion of France risked a Scottish attack from the north, and vice versa — Scotland always had a potential great-power ally. Its strategic importance shaped English foreign policy for two and a half centuries.

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