Henry the Second died, and was succeeded by his son Richard, (Coeur de Lion) who restored Scotland to its independence. For this, William agreed to pay 10,000 merks sterling. After this transaction there was no national war between the kingdoms for more than a century.
David, earl of Huntingdon, the king's brother, ac companied Richard to the Holy land. Upon his re turn, he was nearly shipwrecked upon the east coast of Scotland, and founded a monastery at Lindores in Fife.
Harold, earl of Orkney and Caithness, having rebel led, William attacked his forces and defeated them. Upon the departure of the royal army, the refractory clans again rebelled under the sons of Harold. The king seized Harold, and detained one of his sons as hostage; who, in consequence of a third rebellion, had his eyes put out, and perished in prison.
Perceiving his declining health, William assembled the barons, and they swore fealty to his infant son Al exander. A dispute occurred between William, and John, king of England, concerning a fortress on the borders; but the barons of both kingdoms interfer ed, and terms of peace were adjusted. John promised to demolish the castle of Tweedmouth. William agreed to pay him fifteen thousand merks; and of this sum, ten thousand were advanced by the barons, and five thousand by the boroughs. William died at Stir ling, and was interred in the Abbey of Arbroath.
,ilexander the succeeded his father, and was crowned at Scone in the seventeenth year of his age. An insurrection in Moray, headed by Donald Macwilliam, was quickly suppressed. A civil Isar between John and his barons distracted the English nation. The malcontents solicited the assist ance of Alexander, and promised him the surrender of Carlisle, and the investiture of Northumberland.
The Scots advanced to Norham castle, which they besieged without success, but John desolated York shire and Northumberland. His soldiers penetrated into Scotland; burned Dunbar, Haddington, the priory of Coldingham and Wick. Alexander wasted the western marches with fire and sword.
Lewis, the son of the king of France, landed a body of troops in England for the purpose of co-operating with the discontented English, and the Scots who had engaged to support them. The confederates had pledged themselves not to make a separate peace; but the French having suffered a defeat at Lincoln, de serted their allies. The Scots were consequently compelled to retreat, and to seek reconciliation with the see of Rome. The papal legate was appointed ar biter of the differences between the Scots and Eng lish; and the king of Scots married Joan, Henry's sister.
An insurrection in Argyll led the king thither with an army. The rebels purchased forgiveness, and gave hostages. Several of their leaders, despairing of par
don, fled from the king's resentment. About the same time, the bishop of Caithness was murdered and burnt by the men of his diocese, for exacting his tithes. Moray also again became the scene of tumult. Gilles pie burned some castles, and fired Inverness. He at first successfully resisted the king; but he was after wards defeated and slain by Buchan, the justiciary of Scotland.
The Galloway men burst into Scotland, and in lead ing an army against them, the king had nearly perish ed in a morass. The insurgents were reduced, and peace was restored. Alexander's queen having died, he married Mary, the daughter of a baron of Picardy. She bore him a son, who was named Alexander. A war was nearly kindled between the Scots and English. Alexander marched to the borders with an army of 100,000 men.
The king died in Kerrera, in the fifty-first year of his age, and the thirty-fifth of his reign, while meditating an expedition against the Norwegian power in the Western isles; and he was interred in the abbey of Melrose.
.dlexander the Third was only eight years of age when he succeeded his father. Some of the Scottish counsellors objected against his coronation; but Wil liam Comyn, earl of Monteith, represented the danger of a delay, as the king of England had solicited a man date from the Pope, declaring, that Alexander, being his liegeman, ought not to he anointed or crowned without his permission. On this occasion, a highland bard, dressed in a scarlet robe, repeated on his knees, in the CriElic language, the genealogy of Alexander from Fergus the first king of Scotland. The king had been betrothed, when an infant, to the princess Mar garet of England. Their nuptials were now celebrat ed at York, and Alexander did homage to Henry for his English possessions. The latter insidiously demand ed homage for the kingdom of Scotland; but the king replied, "that he had been invited to York to marry the princess of England, not to treat of affairs of state, and that he would not take so important a step with out the concurrence of the national council." Alexander and his queen visited London, where Henry renewed to his son-in-law the grant of the hon our of Huntingdon. Another change of the regency took place. A new one, comprehending a mixture of the contending factions, was formed, which restored tranquillity. The king and queen of Scots again visit ed London. To calm the apprehensions. of their sub jects, henry made oath that he would not, contrary to their inclination, detain either the king, the queen, or their children, should they have issue during their stay. The young queen soon after bore Alexander a daughter, who was named Margaret.