Section C
1. William Wallace: the reasons for and the progress of his rebellion.
By late 1296, all resistance to Edward had disappeared. Some Scottish nobles such as the Bruces were even enthusiastic supporters: Edward had got rid of their hated rival King John. But Edward made mistakes …
• He relied on “incomers” from England to rule Scotland. Families like the Bruces were not rewarded for their loyalty. Big mistake number 1!
• He decided that only English churchmen were to be promoted in the Scottish church. This was because he thought the Scottish Bishops had been disloyal. He was right but trying to take over the Scottish church was only going to increase their disloyalty. Big mistake number 2!
By 1297, Edward was in France but the mistakes he made in Scotland were starting to build up trouble…
1. Duncan McDougall (a supporter of John Balliol) led a revolt in the north west of Scotland.
2. Andrew of Moray led a revolt in the north east.
3. James the Steward attacked Edward’s garrisons in the south west.
4. William Wallace attacked and killed the Sheriff of Lanark and became the leader of resistance in central Scotland. He attacked William Ormsby, Edward’s chief justice in Scotland.
So William Wallace was only one of a number of Scottish resisters and not very important. It was what happened next which made him famous.
Revision Task C1: Make a list of the methods Edward used to control Scotland. Put a “frowny face” next to the two big mistakes he made. Try to explain why these actions were likely to cause more trouble for Edward.
Revision Task C2: Make up flash cards about the revolts against Edward. Leaders’ names on one side, details on the other.
