The Reign of King John Balliol Overview :- The reign of King John lasted only four years This was mainly due to the fact King Edward expected him to be his “Puppet King” and respect him as Overlord. King John rebelled against Edward as overlord and decided to wage war against him at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296

Prior to the Battle of Dunbar, Edward had placed one of his own men (Master Thomas of Hunsingmore) as Chancellor to Balliol This was to ensure he followed Edward’s orders The King’s role during this period was to hold court

Edward continued to undermine Balliol He even called him as a witness in the case of McDuff, which was very humiliating for Balliol, threatening him with the taking of Scottish lands and castles if he failed to obey him at the case When Balliol was ordered to raise an army to fight the French, King John angered Edward further by agreeing a secret Treaty with England’s old enemy France (The Auld Alliance)

Edward headed for Scotland in search of Balliol He firstly, had to overcome the people of Berwick After 3 days of fighting, he had slaughtered the townsfolk, leaving heads on spikes and was on route to Dunbar

The battle of Dunbar was a complete success for the English army With a far experienced army they easily overcame the unprepared and less skilful Scots Thousands died and hundreds of Nobles were captured Balliol was later captured, humiliated and stripped of his crown, removed of his duties and his coat of arms removed from his back He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and renamed “Toom Tabard” empty coat. Edward then had all the important people of Scotland sign the Ragman’s Roll, declaring him the new leader of the Scots He also seized the Stone of Destiny, the Crown Jewels and the Black Rood of St Margaret, taking them back to England with him

After reading Section B you should answer the following questions? Why was the coronation of King John going to cause problems from the start? How did King Edward ensure Balliol was going to follow his orders? Who did he put in place and in what position? What was the McDuff case and how did it effect King John’s reign?

What did King Edward expect from King John in his war with France? What did King John do next which upset Edward? Describe the Battle of Dunbar? How did the defeat at Dunbar affect King John’s reign? Explain what the “Ragmans Roll” was? Why was Balliol named “Toom Tabard”?