The Succession Crisis (1286-1292)

King Alexander III died in March 1286:

He had been travelling from Edinburgh to Kinghorn in Fife on a stormy night.

He became separated from his advisers after leaving Inverkeithing.

He was found dead the next day, apparently having fallen from his horse.

Scotland went into a succession crisis as Alexander III Had no living children to take his place.

His wife Queen Yolande was thought to be pregnant but this turned out to be false.
Alexander’s two sons had died before him.
His daughter had died during childbirth.

Six Guardians were elected at a parliament at the Palace of Scone to carry out the running of the government.

The Guardians elected Margaret, Maid of Norway. This choice was not an ideal one for a number of reasons:

Margaret was only three years old and needed help to rule.
She was a girl and would find it difficult to lead an army.
The question of her marriage. If she married a foreign prince, Scotland could fall under foreign control. If she married a Scottish noble, it could cause civil war.
She lived in Norway.

The Scottish nobles agreed the following actions:

'Guardians of the Realm' would be appointed to rule until Margaret arrived.
A Regent would be appointed to rule until Margaret was old enough to rule on her own.
The Guardians would find Margaret a husband.

The Treaty of Birgham

Edward I had been friendly towards Scotland and Alexander III. The Guardians informed Edward I of Alexander III's death. Edward I was interested in becoming more involved with Scotland's affairs and suggested Margaret, Maid of Norway, married his son (Edward II of England). As a result, the Treaty of Birgham was signed in 1290 near the Scottish borders.

Edward I's son, the future Edward II, would marry the Maid of Norway.
Scotland would remain an independent country.
All decisions affecting Scotland would be made in Scotland.
The agreement would only be finalised once the marriage took place.

The Death of the Maid of Norway

Margaret, Maid of Norway, was ill aboard a ship in dangerous seas and died near Orkney. This meant Scotland was again in a succession crisis.

With Margaret dead, the Treaty of Birgham was meaningless.
There was no direct heir to the Scottish throne, as Alexander III’s family line had been extinguished.
Some of the Scottish nobles including Robert Bruce, were preparing to fight for the throne.

Edward I and the Decision at Norham

The Bishop of St Andrews feared there could be a civil war in Scotland and asked Edward I to help prevent it. The Guardians invited Edward I to select the next King of Scotland. Edward I forced the Guardians to meet him at Norham castle (on the English side of the border). Edward I told them before he could select the next King, the Guardians would have to accept him as their overlord.
This was not usual and had dangerous implications for Scotland:

The future King of Scotland would then be controlled by Edward.
It endangered Scotland's independence, which had been secured with the Treaty of Birgham.

The Guardians replied that only the next King of Scotland could deal with this.

The Great Cause

In November 1292, Edward I decided John Balliol would be the King of Scotland (for a number of reasons).

Edward had an understanding of the law and made his judgement by considering the laws of inheritance. The law of primogeniture stated that inheritance passed down the line of the first born in the family.
John Balliol was the grandson of David, Earl of Huntingdon’s eldest daughter, whose family line was connected to that of Alexander III.
Robert Bruce was a descendant of David, Earl of Huntingdon's second daughter. Hence, Balliol was first in line to the throne, before Bruce.

There was still tension around. Many Guardians and nobles did not like the Balliol family but Balliol had already accepted Edward I as his overlord. Many competitors would've been disappointed.

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