The Scottish Wars of Independence

At the end of the thirteenth century, the monarchy of Scotland was thrown into turmoil by the death of its last Canmore ruler, Alexander III. After his death, a struggle began for control of the throne involving different members of the Scottish nobility and the English royalty. This time period from the late 1200s until about 1370 is characterized as the Wars of Independence, and it has been traditionally seen as Scotland’s definitive assertion of self-rule out of the control of the powerful English monarchy south of the border. It was during these years that folklore heroes like William Wallace lived and battled, and Scotland forged a monarchy that eventually passed to the Stewart family who created an important medieval dynasty in the British Isles.

This period was not, however, simply a struggle between the Scottish and British, and it is far too easy to characterize these wars as just Scotsmen versus Englishmen. In fact, the conflicts for control of the Scottish monarchy were far more complicated. Shifting alliances between Scots and English were more common than folklore tales may admit to, and sometimes the English kings were not the only enemies of the fledgling Scottish nation. The Wars of Independence in Scotland were internal, factional struggles between rival families for control, where the English kings mingled as contenders for the throne along with many members of the Scottish nobility and were not simply antagonists in the fragmented Scottish political system.