2. How useful ...
.
This question is found at both Int 1 and Int 2. You have to decide whether you trust what you have been told by a source.
Watch this clip from a TV programme. It is about the killing of John Comyn by Robert the Bruce.
So can you trust what you were told? Use OPCR to decide ...
How useful is this source to explain the killing of John Comyn?
Origin: From a BBC History programme - a secondary source which contains the views of an expert historian. So is it useful?
Purpose: To explain what happened when Bruce and Comyn met in Dumfries. So is it useful?
Content: Gives a detailed account of what happened. It also mentions two reasons for Bruce killing Comyn so it is balanced (not biased). So is it useful?
Recall: Is anything important missed out? So is it useful?
Your answer should look like this ...
This is a very useful source. It is a secondary source which contains the views of a Professor of Scottish History. The source was produced to explain what happened when Bruce met Comyn so that makes it useful too. It's also useful because the information it gives is balanced: the Professor discusses two ppossible reasons why Bruce killed Comyn before he decides that it was not planned. Finally, the source is detailed and does not mis out any important information.
Wednesday 3 March 2010
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Types of Questions at Intermediate Level
1. Describe ...
This question is set at both INT1 and INT2. It is probably the easiest question of all to answer. Sometimes you are given a source ...
Source B describes events at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
Source B
Sir Richard Lundie wanted to use a ford to cross the River Forth because sixty men could cross the river at once. Cressingham did not want to waste any time and ordered him to use the bridge. As soon as Murray and Wallace decided that enough knights and foot-soldiers had crossed the bridge, they sent their army to cut the English army in two.
2. Describe what happened at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. (Use Source B and recall.)4
Start your answer in sentences, starting with the information from the source ...
Cressingham ... ordered him to use the bridge
Murray and Wallace ... sent their army to cut the English army in two
Then add your own K&U in sentences...
Bridge was too narrow to allow many English to cross.
Ground was marshy on the Scots side.
Wallace / Moray ordered men to attack with schiltroms.
English trapped and destroyed.
Cressingham killed.
Simples!
This question is set at both INT1 and INT2. It is probably the easiest question of all to answer. Sometimes you are given a source ...
Source B describes events at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
Source B
Sir Richard Lundie wanted to use a ford to cross the River Forth because sixty men could cross the river at once. Cressingham did not want to waste any time and ordered him to use the bridge. As soon as Murray and Wallace decided that enough knights and foot-soldiers had crossed the bridge, they sent their army to cut the English army in two.
2. Describe what happened at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. (Use Source B and recall.)4
Start your answer in sentences, starting with the information from the source ...
Cressingham ... ordered him to use the bridge
Murray and Wallace ... sent their army to cut the English army in two
Then add your own K&U in sentences...
Bridge was too narrow to allow many English to cross.
Ground was marshy on the Scots side.
Wallace / Moray ordered men to attack with schiltroms.
English trapped and destroyed.
Cressingham killed.
Simples!
Friday 8 January 2010
15. Looking back: why is this topic so important in Scottish History?
15. Looking back: why is this topic so important in Scottish History? Here are some points to think about ...
1. Choose one of the following to describe yourself ...
British?
European?
World citizen?
Scottish?
You could also ask members of your own family the same question. Many will choose "Scottish". This idea of "national identity" was unknown in the early middle ages but started to develop in Scotland at the time of Wallace and Bruce. The events you have studied were especially important because Bruce's victory made certain that Scotland would remain a separate and independent country with its own languages and culture.
2. During the time of Wallace and Bruce, Scotland developed a connection with France. This was to help protect Scotland against attacks from England. This connection lasted until Scotland lost its own Parliament in 1707 and even after this. The connection was not always good for Scotland and some Scots thought that a connection with England was a better idea. This struggle about which way Scotland should go - towards France or towards England - helped to shape all of Scotland's history after Wallace and Bruce.
3. Scottish myths. A lot of nonsense is actually believed about Scottish history. The things that people believe about the past can also affect the way they think about things which are happening now. The movie "Braveheart" is a good example of this. The movie was released in the 1990s and strongly affected people's ideas about Scotland's history and Scotland's connections with other countries today, especially England. Now that you know more about what actually happened, you will be in a better position to make your own mind up.
1. Choose one of the following to describe yourself ...
British?
European?
World citizen?
Scottish?
You could also ask members of your own family the same question. Many will choose "Scottish". This idea of "national identity" was unknown in the early middle ages but started to develop in Scotland at the time of Wallace and Bruce. The events you have studied were especially important because Bruce's victory made certain that Scotland would remain a separate and independent country with its own languages and culture.
2. During the time of Wallace and Bruce, Scotland developed a connection with France. This was to help protect Scotland against attacks from England. This connection lasted until Scotland lost its own Parliament in 1707 and even after this. The connection was not always good for Scotland and some Scots thought that a connection with England was a better idea. This struggle about which way Scotland should go - towards France or towards England - helped to shape all of Scotland's history after Wallace and Bruce.
3. Scottish myths. A lot of nonsense is actually believed about Scottish history. The things that people believe about the past can also affect the way they think about things which are happening now. The movie "Braveheart" is a good example of this. The movie was released in the 1990s and strongly affected people's ideas about Scotland's history and Scotland's connections with other countries today, especially England. Now that you know more about what actually happened, you will be in a better position to make your own mind up.
Saturday 2 January 2010
14. Section D - 4. Declaration of Arbroath - the triumph of the nation state in 1328.
4. Declaration of Arbroath - the triumph of the nation state in 1328.
Bruce’s victory at Bannockburn was a sensational result. Bruce’s enemies in Scotland now had a choice: pay homage to Bruce or leave the country. Many of his Comyn / Balliol enemies went to England. Their lands were confiscated and given to Bruce’s supporters.
But Edward II did not accept that Bruce was King of Scotland or that Scotland was free of his overlordship. The war went on. Bruce continued to attack the Northern counties of England several times and his surviving brother led an invasion of Ireland where he too was killed in battle.
The support of the Pope was vital if Edward II was to accept Bruce’s claim so in 1320, the Scottish Bishops and nobles sent a letter to the Pope to ask for his support. This letter became known as the “Declaration of Arbroath”.
Revision Task D5: First, Find out about the Declaration of Arbroath by reading this website page.
Then read the source and answer the question below.
Source D explains why the Scots sent the Declaration of Arbroath to the Pope in 1320.
Source D
In the years after Bannockburn, although Bruce controlled Scotland, he was not accepted internationally as its king. Earlier efforts to gain recognition by invading the north of England had failed. They had only annoyed Edward. The Scots then tried to increase the pressure on Edward by invading Ireland, but this ended in disaster when Edward Bruce was killed in 1318. When they sent the declaration to the Pope in 1320, they hoped he would recognise Bruce as king.
Why did the Scots send the Declaration of Arbroath to the Pope in 1320? (Use Source D and recall) 5 marks
Bruce’s victory at Bannockburn was a sensational result. Bruce’s enemies in Scotland now had a choice: pay homage to Bruce or leave the country. Many of his Comyn / Balliol enemies went to England. Their lands were confiscated and given to Bruce’s supporters.
But Edward II did not accept that Bruce was King of Scotland or that Scotland was free of his overlordship. The war went on. Bruce continued to attack the Northern counties of England several times and his surviving brother led an invasion of Ireland where he too was killed in battle.
The support of the Pope was vital if Edward II was to accept Bruce’s claim so in 1320, the Scottish Bishops and nobles sent a letter to the Pope to ask for his support. This letter became known as the “Declaration of Arbroath”.
Revision Task D5: First, Find out about the Declaration of Arbroath by reading this website page.
Then read the source and answer the question below.
Source D explains why the Scots sent the Declaration of Arbroath to the Pope in 1320.
Source D
In the years after Bannockburn, although Bruce controlled Scotland, he was not accepted internationally as its king. Earlier efforts to gain recognition by invading the north of England had failed. They had only annoyed Edward. The Scots then tried to increase the pressure on Edward by invading Ireland, but this ended in disaster when Edward Bruce was killed in 1318. When they sent the declaration to the Pope in 1320, they hoped he would recognise Bruce as king.
Why did the Scots send the Declaration of Arbroath to the Pope in 1320? (Use Source D and recall) 5 marks
13. Section D. The Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn
Revision Task D4: First, find out about the Battle of Bannockburn by reading this website and watching the TV clips. Then read the source and answer the question below.
Source C is about the Battle of Bannockburn.
Source C
Bruce’s careful preparations for battle were ruined when Edward II moved his army to attack from the east and not from the south. However, this gave the much larger English army no room to move because they were surrounded by marshes and streams. Bruce decided to take advantage of this mistake and to attack them. The English were so jammed together and so tangled up that their leaders struggled to organise any defence and they lost all confidence in Edward.
Why did the Scots win the Battle of Bannockburn? (Use Source C and recall.) 5 marks
Revision Task D4: First, find out about the Battle of Bannockburn by reading this website and watching the TV clips. Then read the source and answer the question below.
Source C is about the Battle of Bannockburn.
Source C
Bruce’s careful preparations for battle were ruined when Edward II moved his army to attack from the east and not from the south. However, this gave the much larger English army no room to move because they were surrounded by marshes and streams. Bruce decided to take advantage of this mistake and to attack them. The English were so jammed together and so tangled up that their leaders struggled to organise any defence and they lost all confidence in Edward.
Why did the Scots win the Battle of Bannockburn? (Use Source C and recall.) 5 marks
12. Section D - 3. His victory over the English; reasons for his success
3. His victory over the English; reasons for his success
In 1307 Bruce was on the run. He had been defeated in battles at Methven Wood near Perth and Dalry. His brothers had been captured and executed and his wife and sister had been imprisoned by Edward II. Edward and his cronies mocked Bruce by calling him “King Hob”. Edward II also called his minstrel (personal entertainer) "King Robert". The message was clear: Robert THE Bruce's claim to be King of Scotland was a joke.
Seven years later, Bruce was master of Scotland. How did he do it? Simples! It was as easy as AB and 2Cs!
A = Ambushes. Bruce changed his tactics. He gave up fighting major battles and changed to ambushes and hit and run. We would now call this “guerrilla warfare”. Bruce used his knowledge of the Scottish country side to choose his battle grounds carefully and he increased his advantage by digging traps and trenches to cancel out the advantage of the English mounted knights.
B = Brutality. The ordinary people of Galloway and Buchan were innocent. Their only crime was to live on land controlled by Bruce’s enemies. This made no difference to Bruce. He attacked these lands without mercy. This streak of ruthless brutality is something which all successful military leaders possess: nice people don’t win wars!
C1= Castles. Bruce and his followers gradually captured all of Scotland’s important castles except Stirling. This was done by stealth and sneakiness: Bruce did not have the strength or the wealth to pay for long sieges. For example, Linlithgow was captured by “ram raiding” a hay cart into the main gate. Edinburgh was captured by a daring climb up the castle rock. When castles were captured, Bruce pulled down the walls or threw dead bodies into the wells to prevent them being re-occupied by his enemies.
C2 – the Church. Bruce had the support of the Scottish church. The Scottish Bishops also contacted the Pope to get his support fro Bruce.
Revision Task D3: Make up a detailed mind map to show why Bruce was successful by 1314.
This BBC website gives more information about the life of Robert the Bruce including clips from the TV series “A History of Scotland.”
In 1307 Bruce was on the run. He had been defeated in battles at Methven Wood near Perth and Dalry. His brothers had been captured and executed and his wife and sister had been imprisoned by Edward II. Edward and his cronies mocked Bruce by calling him “King Hob”. Edward II also called his minstrel (personal entertainer) "King Robert". The message was clear: Robert THE Bruce's claim to be King of Scotland was a joke.
Seven years later, Bruce was master of Scotland. How did he do it? Simples! It was as easy as AB and 2Cs!
A = Ambushes. Bruce changed his tactics. He gave up fighting major battles and changed to ambushes and hit and run. We would now call this “guerrilla warfare”. Bruce used his knowledge of the Scottish country side to choose his battle grounds carefully and he increased his advantage by digging traps and trenches to cancel out the advantage of the English mounted knights.
B = Brutality. The ordinary people of Galloway and Buchan were innocent. Their only crime was to live on land controlled by Bruce’s enemies. This made no difference to Bruce. He attacked these lands without mercy. This streak of ruthless brutality is something which all successful military leaders possess: nice people don’t win wars!
C1= Castles. Bruce and his followers gradually captured all of Scotland’s important castles except Stirling. This was done by stealth and sneakiness: Bruce did not have the strength or the wealth to pay for long sieges. For example, Linlithgow was captured by “ram raiding” a hay cart into the main gate. Edinburgh was captured by a daring climb up the castle rock. When castles were captured, Bruce pulled down the walls or threw dead bodies into the wells to prevent them being re-occupied by his enemies.
C2 – the Church. Bruce had the support of the Scottish church. The Scottish Bishops also contacted the Pope to get his support fro Bruce.
Revision Task D3: Make up a detailed mind map to show why Bruce was successful by 1314.
This BBC website gives more information about the life of Robert the Bruce including clips from the TV series “A History of Scotland.”
11. Section D - 2. Bruce the patriot; his conflict with and victory over Scottish opponents
2. Bruce the patriot; his conflict with and victory over Scottish opponents.
Was Bruce a patriot? (Someone who is proud of and prepared to fight for their country.) Let’s look at the evidence …
Until 1297, Bruce supported King Edward. Then he joined the revolt against him. When other nobles gave in to Edward, Bruce supported Wallace. After Falkirk, Bruce became joint Guardian of Scotland along with John Comyn. In 1302, Bruce submitted to Edward along with most of Scotland’s powerful nobles.
So Bruce was no Wallace then! He was prepared to compromise and do deals but he did support the Scottish cause against Edward when it was sensible to do so. Of course, the best answer is simply this: for Bruce, the interests of the Bruce family were the same thing as the interests of Scotland!
Bruce’s Scottish opponents were mostly the Balliol / Comyn clan. Bruce showed that he was able to work with John Comyn as joint Guardian even although this was very difficult for him because the Balliols / Comyns
competed with the Bruce family for the throne of Scotland.
This rivalry came to a head in February 1306. Bruce had arranged to meet with John Comyn at Grayfriars church Dumfries. The meeting was probably to arrange a deal between the two families: Edward I was dying and Bruce had been given the support of the Scottish church in a bid to become King. A deal with the Comyn clan made sense.
The two nobles argued and Bruce stabbed Comyn. He later heard that the wound was not fatal so he sent a follower back to the church to “mak siccar” (make sure). Bruce then had himself crowned King at Scone and was supported by the Scottish church.
Over the next few years, Bruce gradually built up his strength but his main priority was to kill off the threat from the Comn / Balliol clan. Two key events show how determined he was …
The Herschip of Galloway
Galloway in SW Scotland was a Comyn stronghold. In 1307, Bruce laid waste to the crops and animals and killed any peasants who did not run away.
The Herschip of Buchan
Buchan is in NE Scotland and was another Comyn stronghold. Bruce defeated the Comyns in battle at Inverurie and then destroyed the countryside for miles around.
By 1309 the nobles who opposed English rule took the hint: they accepted that only Bruce could lead the fight against Edward II. Bruce encouraged them by taking hostages from their families and warning them that what happened in Galloway and Buchan could also happen in their lands!
Revision Task D1: How far do Sources A and B agree about what happened when Bruce and the Red Comyn (John Comyn) met at Greyfriars Kirk in 1306?
Source A
While they were speaking, Bruce suddenly accused Comyn of betraying him. Comyn denied this. Just as he had planned, Bruce hit Comyn with a sword and left. When some evil folk told Bruce that Comyn would live, he ordered them to kill him beside the high altar.
Source B
When Bruce accused Comyn of telling King Edward about him, Comyn said this was a lie. This evil speaker was then stabbed and wounded. Later, the monks laid Comyn beside the altar but, when he said that he thought he would live, his enemies hit him again. Thus he was taken away from this world.
Revision Task D2: Was Bruce a “Patriot?”. Write your answer in 2 columns. In one column, write evidence that Bruce was fighting for Scottish freedom. In the second column, write evidence that Bruce was fighting for other reasons.
Was Bruce a patriot? (Someone who is proud of and prepared to fight for their country.) Let’s look at the evidence …
Until 1297, Bruce supported King Edward. Then he joined the revolt against him. When other nobles gave in to Edward, Bruce supported Wallace. After Falkirk, Bruce became joint Guardian of Scotland along with John Comyn. In 1302, Bruce submitted to Edward along with most of Scotland’s powerful nobles.
So Bruce was no Wallace then! He was prepared to compromise and do deals but he did support the Scottish cause against Edward when it was sensible to do so. Of course, the best answer is simply this: for Bruce, the interests of the Bruce family were the same thing as the interests of Scotland!
Bruce’s Scottish opponents were mostly the Balliol / Comyn clan. Bruce showed that he was able to work with John Comyn as joint Guardian even although this was very difficult for him because the Balliols / Comyns
competed with the Bruce family for the throne of Scotland.
This rivalry came to a head in February 1306. Bruce had arranged to meet with John Comyn at Grayfriars church Dumfries. The meeting was probably to arrange a deal between the two families: Edward I was dying and Bruce had been given the support of the Scottish church in a bid to become King. A deal with the Comyn clan made sense.
The two nobles argued and Bruce stabbed Comyn. He later heard that the wound was not fatal so he sent a follower back to the church to “mak siccar” (make sure). Bruce then had himself crowned King at Scone and was supported by the Scottish church.
Over the next few years, Bruce gradually built up his strength but his main priority was to kill off the threat from the Comn / Balliol clan. Two key events show how determined he was …
The Herschip of Galloway
Galloway in SW Scotland was a Comyn stronghold. In 1307, Bruce laid waste to the crops and animals and killed any peasants who did not run away.
The Herschip of Buchan
Buchan is in NE Scotland and was another Comyn stronghold. Bruce defeated the Comyns in battle at Inverurie and then destroyed the countryside for miles around.
By 1309 the nobles who opposed English rule took the hint: they accepted that only Bruce could lead the fight against Edward II. Bruce encouraged them by taking hostages from their families and warning them that what happened in Galloway and Buchan could also happen in their lands!
Revision Task D1: How far do Sources A and B agree about what happened when Bruce and the Red Comyn (John Comyn) met at Greyfriars Kirk in 1306?
Source A
While they were speaking, Bruce suddenly accused Comyn of betraying him. Comyn denied this. Just as he had planned, Bruce hit Comyn with a sword and left. When some evil folk told Bruce that Comyn would live, he ordered them to kill him beside the high altar.
Source B
When Bruce accused Comyn of telling King Edward about him, Comyn said this was a lie. This evil speaker was then stabbed and wounded. Later, the monks laid Comyn beside the altar but, when he said that he thought he would live, his enemies hit him again. Thus he was taken away from this world.
Revision Task D2: Was Bruce a “Patriot?”. Write your answer in 2 columns. In one column, write evidence that Bruce was fighting for Scottish freedom. In the second column, write evidence that Bruce was fighting for other reasons.
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