John Balliol Worksheets
Do you want to save dozens of hours in time? Get your evenings and weekends back? Be able to teach about John Balliol to your students?
Our worksheet bundle includes a fact file and printable worksheets and student activities. Perfect for both the classroom and homeschooling!
Resource Examples
Click any of the example images below to view a larger version.
Fact File
Student Activities
Table of Contents
Add a header to begin generating the table of contents
Summary
- Background and accession to the Scottish throne
- Reign and later years
Key Facts And Information
Let’s find out more about John Balliol!
John Balliol became the King of Scots in 1292, after he was chosen by Edward I of England during the Great Cause. His reign, seen by his contemporaries as weak, lasted until 1296. During John’s brief rule, Edward I asserted his overlordship of Scotland, the Auld Alliance was established, and the Wars of Scottish Independence began. John was imprisoned in the Tower of London until 1299. Thereafter, he remained in France until his death in 1314.
A 17th-century portrait of John Balliol
Background and accession to the Scottish throne
- Born between 1248 and 1250, John Balliol was the fourth son of John, 5th Baron Balliol, and Dervorguilla of Galloway. His father, who came from a well-known family which originated from Picardy, played an important role in 13th-century English politics. His mother was the granddaughter of David, Earl of Huntingdon, the brother of William I of Scotland.
- The principal base of the Balliol family in England was Barnard Castle in Northumbria. In France, the family’s main home was at Bailleul-en-Vimeu in Picardy.
- Little is known about John’s early years. He was possibly trained for a clerical career at Durham, being the fourth son.
- His three older brothers, Hugh, Alexander, and Alan, all predeceased him. He had six younger siblings, namely Cecily, Ada, William, Margaret, Eleanor and Maud.
- Following the deaths of his father and his older brothers, John became the Lord of Barnard Castle and also inherited the Balliol estates in Picardy. Such inheritance made him a wealthy and powerful lord, despite his lack of political experience.
- In 1281, he married Isabella de Warenne, the daughter of the prominent English nobleman and military commander. Their union is believed to have produced at least one child.
- In 1284, John attended a Parliament at Scone, which acknowledged Margaret, Maid of Norway, as Alexander III’s heir presumptive. This was done to secure the line of succession in the absence of a male successor, following the death of all the children of the King of Scots in the 1280s.
- In 1286, Alexander III died in an accident, and the Guardians of the Realm were immediately appointed, in order to take charge of running the kingdom until a new monarch was placed in power.
- The Guardians began the process of installing Margaret, Maid of Norway, as the new monarch to ensure peace and prevent further political turmoil.
A stained-glass window depiction of Margaret in Shetland
- Margaret’s untimely death in 1290 led to a succession crisis. Without an obvious heir, many nobles began preparing to claim the throne.
- This reached Edward I of England, as a Scottish bishop asked the king for assistance in order to prevent a civil war.
- With civil war imminent, the Guardians decided to invite Edward I to conduct the proceedings and administer the outcome of the selection of the next King of Scots, given the latter’s expertise in law. The English king agreed to judge the case.
- In April 1291, Edward I arrived with an army at the Scottish border and forced the Guardians to meet him at Norham Castle, on the English side of the border.
- He surprised the Guardians by demanding that the nobles would have to accept him as their feudal overlord before he made his judgement on who would be King of Scots. This was initially rejected by the Guardians.
- The succession dispute and the subsequent proceedings in choosing the King of Scots is known to Scottish history as the Great Cause.
- As many as 13 competitors to the Scottish throne came forward, but only 3 of them had serious claims, all of which descended from David, Earl of Huntingdon, a descendant of David I of Scotland.
- John was one of the notable competitors. Through his mother, his claim was based on the law of primogeniture in legitimate, cognatic line, a tradition that had become steadily entrenched in customary inheritance law both in England and Scotland over the preceding two centuries.
- The other serious competitors were Robert de Brus and John Hastings.
- By this time, John held more estates after inheriting significant lands in Galloway following the death of his mother in 1290.
- Edward I demanded all the competitors acknowledge him as overlord, otherwise he would also come forward with his claim.
- In the end, the majority of the competitors accepted the English king as their feudal overlord and also agreed that possession of the lands and castles of Scotland should be accorded to Edward I so that he could pass them on to the rightful king when the decision had been made. Scotland essentially became a legal possession of Edward I. This statement signed by the claimants in June 1292 became known as the Award of Norham.
- John was the last of the competitors to accept the English king’s overlordship.
- On 17 November 1292, John was awarded the Scottish crown by Edward I. On 30 November, St Andrew’s Day, he was officially inaugurated as the King of Scots at Scone. All the prominent people of the realm attended the ceremony.
Reign and later years
- Following his coronation, John took a formal oath of fealty to Edward I on 26 December before an audience of Scottish lords. This was the first time a Scottish king accepted the superiority of the English king, significantly overshadowing his coronation and authority. Edward I warned John to be a fair ruler or he would face direct intervention in his kingdom. Since the English king had demanded John’s homage to him, he was effectively the feudal superior of Scotland and so treated the kingdom as a feudal vassal state.
Part of a 14th-century manuscript showing John acknowledging Edward I
- Immediate problems beset John’s reign:
- John was an inexperienced politician and was ill-equipped for his role as king.
- Scotland’s administrative system was weak.
- John was not very popular with many nobles in the Western Isles and in the Robert Bruce lands.
- Additionally, Edward I made it known that he was really the one in charge of Scotland and intervened in Scottish affairs, thereby undermining John’s effort to cement his authority as king.
- John wrote to Edward I and reminded him about the promise of Scottish independence stated in the Treaty of Birgham (1290).
- The English king responded by making John acknowledge that the safeguards protecting Scottish independence in the treaty and those given to the Guardians before Norham were no longer binding. This meant that Scottish independence was not secured.
- Relations between Scotland and England further deteriorated in 1294. At the time, conflict between England and France revolving around Gascony was imminent.
- Edward I began preparing and expected his feudal lords to assist him, either by accompanying him or sending soldiers to join his army. In his view, John was another one of his nobles and so the Scots would have to fight on England’s side.
- This caused problems for Scotland, as the Scottish nobles believed Scotland was an independent country, hence the English king had no right to require the Scottish people to fight for him.
- Furthermore, they refused to accept that their king would have to fight for England and believed that joining the war was expensive.
- When Edward I ordered John to mobilise Scottish troops to help him win back the lands lost to France, the King of Scots was to bring 10 earls and 16 barons to Portsmouth. However, they did not go and made various excuses.
- The Scottish nobles were displeased with Edward I’s demands, hence they decided to take action in 1295.
- A new group of 12 Guardians of the Realm was set up to advise John.
- The Guardians despatched Scottish messengers to France to talk about how to deal with the English king.
- In February 1296, Scotland agreed to a military and diplomatic alliance with France.
- Signed by John and Philip IV of France, this treaty became known as the Auld Alliance and decreed that if either country were attacked by England, the other country would invade English territory.
- The actions of the Scottish nobility outraged Edward I, who blamed John’s inability to control them. As a consequence, he decided to invade Scotland. This started the Wars of Scottish Independence.
- In March 1296, Berwick was overrun and destroyed. Around 7,500–15,000 people were killed. Consequently, John then renounced his homage to Edward I.
- In April, Dunbar Castle fell to the English. Many Guardians and nobles were taken prisoner, leaving Scotland without effective leadership.
- During the Battle of Dunbar, John did not lead the Scots and escaped to Comyn territory in the north when he heard about the Scottish defeat.
- After the Scottish nobles failed to regroup, they asked for terms from Edward I. On 10 July 1296, John abdicated at Stracathro, near Montrose, and officially submitted to the English king. He was forced to apologise in public.
- Edward I removed the Royal Badge from John’s clothing, hence the latter became known as ‘Toom Tabard’, meaning empty coat.
- John was kept imprisoned in the Tower of London until July 1299 when papal intervention secured his release.
- Following his imprisonment, John was allowed to go into exile in France. His baggage was examined at Dover and several important items were found in his chest, including the Royal Golden Crown and Seal of the Kingdom of Scotland, many vessels of gold and silver, and a significant sum of money.
- Edward I directed that the crown be offered to the shrine of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury and had the money returned to John to cover his travel expenses. Meanwhile, he kept the seal himself.
- John was released into the custody of Pope Boniface VIII on condition that he stay at a papal residence. In 1301, he was released and lived the rest of his life on his family’s ancestral estates in Picardy. He died in late 1314.
Image Sources
- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Jacob_Jacobsz_de_Wet_II_%28Haarlem_1641-2_-_Amsterdam_1697%29_-_John_Balliol%2C_King_of_Scotland_%281292-6%29_-_RCIN_403277_-_Royal_Collection.jpg/597px-Jacob_Jacobsz_de_Wet_II_%28Haarlem_1641-2_-_Amsterdam_1697%29_-_John_Balliol%2C_King_of_Scotland_%281292-6%29_-_RCIN_403277_-_Royal_Collection.jpg?20200711113746
- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Margaret%2C_Maid_of_Norway.jpg
- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/John%2C_king_of_Scotland%2C_being_brought_before_Edward_I.png
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was John Balliol?
John Balliol was a Scottish nobleman who became King of Scotland in 1292. His reign lasted until 1296, and he is often remembered for his conflict with Edward I of England.
- How did John Balliol become king?
John Balliol became king following a disputed succession after the death of the previous king, Alexander III, and his granddaughter, Margaret, the Maid of Norway. The Scottish nobles and clergy invited Edward I of England to arbitrate the succession dispute, resulting in John Balliol being chosen as king.
- Why was John Balliol deposed?
John Balliol was deposed after he attempted to resist Edward I's control and formed an alliance with France against England. Edward I invaded Scotland, defeated Balliol's forces, and forced him to abdicate, earning him the nickname "Toom Tabard" (empty coat).