John Balliol 'Toom Tabard'

John Balliol really had very little hope of bringing good government to Scotland, a man of great courage with some luck might possibly have made something of his position, unfortunately for Scotland John Balliol was not that man. He did attempt to carry on the work of Alexander II and III by summoning parliaments and introducing sheriffdoms to lawless areas but the ambitions of Edward I thwarted any attempt of John to establish himself.

John has the dubious honour of being the last Scottish monarch to be crowned on the Stone of Destiny. He was crowned on St Andrew's Day 1292 and by the next month he was in Newcastle doing homage to Edward as part of the Christmas festivities. Edward made the most of his position of power, he demanded that complaints against John by Scottish subjects be heard at English courts. John understandably objected to this and was immediately threatened with contempt of court and the loss of Scottish castles. During this time the Bruce's were acting in their own best interests which did not help Balliol any either.

Balliol's breaking point came when Edward insisted that he provide military service against Philip IV of France. John concluded a treaty with Philip in October 1295 and assembled an army at Selkirk in March 1296. Of course, Edward was not going to stand for this, he invaded, sacked Berwick and massacred its citizens. On 27th April the Earl of Surrey routed the Scottish army at the Battle of Dunbar and by 11th July Edinburgh Castle had fallen and John had surrendered. At Brechin Edward subjected John to the humiliation of having his royal regalia stripped from him. While Edward continued his journey norhwards he sent John to Hereford and then to the Tower of London. He was eventually released in 1299 and he left for his French estates where he died in 1313 blind and largely forgotten. To future generations he has been known as 'Toom Tabard', meaning 'empty' coat, and while this may be harsh he was certainly one of Scotland's weakest kings.

Balliol paying homage to Edward I

History Books on this time period

Author	Title	Published	Price	Order Now From: From:
Duncan, A. A. M.	Scotland: the Making of the Kingdom	1975	£16.99	Amazon.co.uk
Scotland: the Making of the Kingdom is the first "straight" history of Scotland from pre-history to 1286 to be published since 1862. It starts with the evidence on pre-historic and Roman Scotland and covers in some detail the incursions and amalgamations of races who made up the Celtic Kingdom, the impact of the Vikings and the forging of a single kingdom. Professor Duncan looks at the Anglo-Norman influence on Scotland and gives a full account of Anglo-Scottish relations up to 1214. The growth of towns is discussed together with the expansion of trade and the place of Scottish evidence in the evolution of rural and urban society in north-west Europe. The closing chapters narrate the progress which made possible the establishment of an efficient and unoppressive administrative system.
Barrow, G. W. S.	Kingship & Unity: Scotland 1000-1306	1989	£9.95 or $16.50	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Professor Barrow takes up the history of a Scotland which in the eleventh century already has the beginnings of a clear sense of identity, and a successful expansion policy. Emphasising in particular the kingdom's political growth and the evolution of a distinct Scottish nation, Professor Barrow narrates the story of Scotland's remarkable Medieval kings and their development of a kingship and the institutions of government which provided the unity and administration to fend off Edward I's onslaughts in the thirteenth century. This is a thoroughly readable and comprehensive account of the building of medieval Scotland, and a welcome reissue from the New History of Scotland series (formerly published by Edward Arnold).