Edward Balliol

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Edward Balliol (c. 1283 – January 1364) was a Scottish noble who claimed the throne during the Second War of Scottish Independence. With English help, he ruled parts of Scotland from 1332 to 1356.

Edward was the eldest son of King John Balliol and Isabella de Warenne. After his father abdicated in 1296, Edward was held in the Tower of London until 1299, then placed under his grandfather’s protection. He may have been involved in a plot to restore the Bruce kings, and he possibly married Margaret of Taranto, a marriage that was later annulled.

After King Robert the Bruce died in 1329, his young son David II became king with a regent, Thomas Randolph. Balliol was supported by disinherited nobles who had lost lands under Bruce. In 1332, with English backing, they invaded Scotland. After Randolph died on 20 July 1332, Balliol’s forces defeated the regent’s supporters at the Battle of Dupplin Moor (11 August 1332) and Balliol was crowned at Scone on 24 September 1332. Three months later, he was forced to flee after a counterattack at Annan.

In 1333–1334 Edward III of England openly supported Balliol. Balliol returned with an English army, captured Berwick, and defeated the Scots at Halidon Hill. Under the Treaty of Newcastle (1334), he ceded the area of Lothian to Edward III and pledged homage to him, while staying in Newcastle. He was also betrothed to Edward III’s sister, Joan of the Tower, who was already married to David II.

Balliol’s position remained weak. Infighting and resistance from supporters of Bruce made his rule unstable, and he fled Scotland again. In November 1334, Edward III and Balliol invaded, but they retreated in February 1335. On 30 November 1335, a pro-Balliol army was defeated at the Battle of Culblean, marking a turning point against his bid for the throne. In early 1336 a truce, brokered with French help, would have recognized Balliol as king and allowed him to marry Joan, with David II as heir, but David rejected it.

Edward III and Balliol returned in 1336 with a larger English army, moving through Scotland and causing destruction, but by 1338 the Scots had regained much of the country and Balliol’s power waned. After David II was defeated and captured at Neville’s Cross in 1346, Balliol tried again in Galloway, but could only gain limited control. His influence faded further, and on 20 January 1356 he surrendered his claim to Edward III in exchange for a pension of £2,000 a year.

Balliol spent the rest of his life near Yorkshire and died in January 1364 at Wheatley, Doncaster, still without children. The location of his grave has been suggested to lie under a Doncaster post office.