Second War of Scottish Independence Facts & Worksheets

• The Scots tried to relieve Berwick, but their army, led by Sir Archibald Douglas, was defeated at the Battle of Halidon Hill on 19 July 1333. English archers killed many Scots as they fought through muddy ground to reach the English army. Thousands died, including Douglas and five earls. Berwick surrendered the next day. After the victory, Balliol did homage to Edward III and, in 1334, gave him control of eight counties in southern Scotland. Balliol ruled from Perth, but his government was divided. 

SCOTTISH RESISTANCE

• After Balliol took control of parts of Scotland with the help of England, many Scots refused to accept him as king. They stayed loyal to young King David II, who was living safely in France. Balliol made himself unpopular because he gave away land in southern Scotland to King Edward III of England and promised to serve him.
• Scottish leaders such as Sir Andrew Murray and Robert the Steward, who would later become King Robert II, led the fight to take back their country. They used guerilla warfare and local support instead of open battles. By the end of 1334, Balliol was losing power as his followers argued among themselves, and the Scots slowly won back more land.
• France also helped the Scots through the Auld Alliance, a long-standing friendship between France and Scotland. The French sent money and supplies because they wanted England to be busy in Scotland instead of attacking France.
• In 1335, King Edward III of England invaded Scotland with a huge army of more than 13,000 men. The Scots replied with a scorched earth policy – they destroyed their own food stores, fields and bridges so the English could not use them. This made it difficult for Edward’s army to survive in Scotland. That same year, Murray defeated a larger English-backed army at the Battle of Culblean, killing one of Balliol’s top supporters. 
• When war broke out between England and France in 1337, the fighting in Scotland became part of this larger conflict called the Hundred Years’ War. The French sent ships and soldiers to help the Scots, and together they won back more land. By 1339, the Scots had retaken Perth, and by 1342, the English had been pushed back to the border.
• In 1341, King David II returned from his exile in France with his wife, Queen Joan, Edward III’s sister. He began to rule again and tried to bring peace among the nobles, though arguments continued. Still, the Scots were united in wanting to defend their land.
• In 1346, David led a Scottish army of about 12,000 men into England to help France. The army was strong and well-armed, but it was defeated at the Battle of Neville’s Cross near Durham. 

END OF THE SECOND WAR OF SCOTTISH INDEPENDECE

• After the defeat at the Battle of Neville’s Cross in 1346, King David II had been wounded and captured by the English and was kept prisoner at Odiham Castle in Hampshire for 11 years. His capture left Scotland without strong leadership and gave Balliol another chance to claim the Scottish throne.
• Balliol gathered new forces and led another campaign into southern Scotland, but he made little real progress. Meanwhile, Robert the Steward, King David’s nephew and heir, was chosen as regent to rule in David’s absence. Although Robert defended Scotland against Balliol and the English, he mostly cared about strengthening his own power. His authority was weak because he ruled in the king’s name, while David, even in captivity, tried to influence events from England.
• King Edward III tried several times to use David’s imprisonment to force Scotland into submission. In 1348, Edward offered to release David if he agreed to hold Scotland as a fief (a territory ruled under another king) from England and name Edward, or one of his sons, as his heir if he died childless. The Scots rejected this. 
• Later, in 1350, Edward suggested a ransom of £40,000 and wanted his son, John of Gaunt, to succeed David if the king had no children. This plan also failed because the Scottish Parliament refused to accept any terms that weakened their independence or removed Robert the Steward from the line of succession.
• In 1352, David was allowed to return to Scotland briefly to negotiate peace, but when Parliament again rejected England’s demands, he was sent back to captivity. Edward III tried once more in 1354 to negotiate a simpler ransom deal, but the Scots still refused, fearing that England would use it later to claim control over their kingdom.
• In 1355, both sides built up their armies again near the border. A nine-month truce was agreed in September, but the Scots, encouraged and supported by France, broke it only days later. They invaded northern England and even captured Berwick-on-Tweed, although the English soon retook it. 
• In early 1356, Edward III marched north with his army in what became known as the Burnt Candlemas campaign, the last major campaign of the war. Balliol finally gave up his claim to the Scottish throne and surrendered it to Edward in exchange for a pension. The English army advanced into southern Scotland, burning villages and crops across a wide area up to 60 miles (100 km) wide. The Scots again used their scorched earth policy, destroying their own food and shelter so the English would find nothing to live on.
• Edward reached and burned Edinburgh, planning to march on Perth and perhaps be crowned at Scone. However, strong winds scattered his supply ships, leaving his army without food. Winter storms forced the English to retreat through Melrose and back to Carlisle. The Scots followed and harassed them until the English disbanded their army in February 1356. 

WAR RESULTS

• The Second War of Scottish Independence ended with the signing of the Treaty of Berwick on 3 October 1357 at Berwick-upon-Tweed. This treaty officially ended more than twenty years of fighting between Scotland and England. It confirmed Scotland’s independence and secured the release of King David II, who had been held prisoner in England since the Battle of Neville’s Cross in 1346.
• Main Provisions of the Treaty of Berwick (1357):
  • King David II was to be released from English captivity.
  • Scotland would pay a ransom of 100,000 merks (£67,000) to England.
  • The ransom was to be paid in annual installments over ten years.
  • Until the ransom was fully paid, Scotland was not to make war on England.
  • No English claim to rule or control Scotland was included in the treaty.
  • Failure to pay the ransom would not give England the right to rule Scotland.
• Scotland managed to pay only the first two installments before the country ran out of funds due to the heavy cost of war. To raise the ransom money, the Scottish government raised taxes, which made life harder for the people. Many became angry when King David II was accused of taking some of the ransom money for himself, leading to protests in 1363.
• When Scotland could no longer afford to pay, David tried to make peace by offering to name Edward III or one of his sons as his heir if he died without children. The Scottish Parliament, determined to keep Scotland free from English control, rejected this plan.
• After David’s death in 1371, the throne passed peacefully to Robert the Steward, who became King Robert II, founding the Stewart dynasty. Though Scotland was left poorer and many lands had been destroyed, the war ended with the kingdom still independent and self-ruled.