During an interval of three years of peace, the king resided chiefly on the continent, whither he had been Called to accommodate a dispute between the kings of Arragon and France respecting the kingdom of Sicily. On his return, he found hiS attention arrested by the statc of affairs in Scotland. Alexander III. had died without male issue, and had left his kingdom to his grand-daughter Margaret, who was yet an infant. This princess was the daughter of Eric, king of Norway, and Margaret, daughter of Alexander, and is common ly known in history under the name of the .:11clicl of Norway. On the death of her grandfather, she was immediately recognized as sovereign by the states of Scotland, and a regency was appointed to adminis ter the affairs of the kingdom during her minority. Edward, whose mind was continually alive to pro jects of ambition, was no sooner informed of Alexan der's death, than he conceived the design of uniting the whole island into one monarchy, by the marriage of the .Maid of Norwav with his eldest son Edward. The proposals of the king of England were accepted and approved of by the Scottish parliament, who even agreed that their young sovereign should be educated at the court of Edward. But these flattering prospects were soon dissipated by the death of the young prin cess, who died on her passage to Scotland. The dis putes and disorders which were the consequences of her death, still furnished Edward with a pretence for inter meddling in the affairs of the neighbouring kingdom ; and of at last endeavouring to compel, by force of arms, what he had been prevented from accomplishing in an amicable manner. But these transactions, in which he was chiefly engaged during the remainder of his reign, will be particularly detailed under the article ND.
Edward was intent on the conquest of Scot land, he found himself at the same time embroiled in a war with France. The origin of this war was a quar rel between an English and Norman sailor at Bayonne, in which the Norman was killed. The crew of the Norman vessel to which the deceased sailor belonged, complained to the king of France ; but he, without in quiring into the business, bade them revenge them selves, and give him no more trouble. They according ly seized an English ship in the channel, and, having hanged several of the crew at the yard-arm, along with some clogs, dismissed the vessel, saying, That was the satisfaction they required for the blood of their coun tryman slain at Bayonne. This outrage and insult pro duced retaliations on the ships of France ; and, in a short time, the whole navy of both nations were enga ged in the quarrel. The sovereigns seemed to take no notice of the depredations which were daily commit ted against their respective subjects, until, the two fleets having met, an obstinate battle ensued, in which the French were totally routed, with the loss of 15,000 men. The affair had now become too serious to be overlooked; and Philip dispatched an envoy to Eng land to demand reparation. Edward attempted to con ciliate ; and, as he was apprehensive of danger from Scotland, he studiously avoided a rupture with France. Philip pretended, that as it was his honour merely that was interested by the outrages of the Gascons, if Ed ward would give hint possession of Guienne, he would consider himself satisfied, and would immediately re store it. The king was deceived by the artifice, and
ordered Guienne to be delivered up; hut Philip had no sooner got possession, than he threw off the mask, and declared himself sovereign of the province. Ed ward, enraged more at being thus over-reached, than even at the loss of his territory, dispatched a considerable force for its recovery. All his attempts, however, were unsuccessful ; and he was in return, threatened with invasion from France. Philip had entered into a secret treaty with Baliol, king of Scotland ; and had even made a descent upon the Kentish coast. His troops took and burnt the town of Dover, but were soon after compel led to retire.
The expences attending his multiplied wars, obli ged Edward to have frequent recourse to parliamentary supplies, and was the means of again introducing the lower orders into a share of the government. The par liament at this time consisted entirely of the great ba rons and the knights of the shires; for the representa tives from the boroughs had never been summoned since the usurpation of Leicester. But as the growth of commerce, and the improvements in agriculture, had given property and consequence to the inhabitants of the towns, they were also called upon to contribute to the support of the state. The king, by his prerogative, had the power of taxing them at pleasure; hut he some times found it both difficult and inconvenient in enfor cing his demands: the taxes could only be levied with the consent of each particular borough ; and this con sent was often obtained only by solicitations or threat cnings. To remedy, therefore, this inconvenience, Ed ward resolved to summon two deputies from each bo rough, who should be provided with sufficient powers from their constituents to agree to what he should require of them: 44 As it is a most equitable rule," said he, "that what concerns all, should be approved of by all; and common dangers be repelled by united efforts." Above fifty years after, these deputies and the knights of the shires were united in one assembly, with the same rights and privileges, and now constitute the third estate of the realm.
Having procured a liberal supply from his parlia ment, Edward determined to prosecute the war, both in France and Scotland. He overran the latter king dom with a numerous army, received the submission of the nobles, and carried Baliol a prisoner with him to London. He sent an army of 7000 men into Gui enne, under his brother Edmond ; but this prince soon after dying, the command devolved on the Earl of Lin coln, who terminated the campaign without any mate rial advantage. Not discouraged by this failure, he prepared to make a more powerful effort for the reco very of the ancient patrimony of his family. He en tered into an alliance with the Earls of Holland and Flanders, and flattered himself that, at the head of the allied forces, he might penetrate to Paris, and compel Philip to purchase peace by the restoration of Gui cline. Considerable supplies, however, were requisite for the accomplishment of his plan ; and he obtained from the barons and knights a grant of a twelfth of all their moveables; and from the boroughs an eighth. He also applied to the clergy for a fifth of their move ablcs ; but here he met with an opposition, which put a stop, for a time, to his projected expedition.