Scotland under her early kings, Volume 1 (of 2) : $b a history of the kingdom to the close of the thirteenth centuryRobertson, Eben William
History
Scotland under her early kings, Volume 1 (of 2) : $b a history of the kingdom to the close of the thirteenth century
Robertson, Eben William
Scotland -- History -- To 1603
The effects of the calamity which had befallen the king of Scotland
were at once instantaneous and decisive. His own army, stunned for the
moment, only recovered to break out, as usual, into mutual dissension
and strife. Gilbert and Uchtred, the lords of Galloway, hurrying
homewards, destroyed the castles which had been built in their province
to secure the authority of the king, drove out the royal officers, and
then dispatched gifts and envoys to the English king with the offer
of their fealty and submission. The Scots availed themselves of the
anarchy of the moment to vent their long suppressed animosity against
the townsmen and burghers, mostly of English origin, with whom David
and his successors had filled the royal burghs and cities of their
kingdom. The Earl of Huntingdon, relinquishing his high command,
returned in haste to Scotland. Ferrers and De Mowbray threw themselves
on Henry’s mercy; Gloucester and De Clare, the waverers of the western
counties, met him with assurances of their fidelity; Hugh Bigot
dismissed his Flemish auxiliaries; and the Bishop of Durham surrendered
his castles, protesting that the presence of his nephew, the Count de
Bar, was merely for his own protection: whilst the formidable fleet,
which had threatened the invasion of the English coasts, melted away at
the news of the disaster; and the Count of Flanders, with the younger
Henry, drew off their forces from Gravelines to join Louis of France at
the siege of Rouen. Within three weeks from the date of the catastrophe
the power of Henry was re-established throughout England; and, as he
had nothing more to fear in his own kingdom, he prepared to face his
opponents in France, [Sidenote: 8th Aug.] and sailed with his Scottish
prisoners for Normandy. Such were the first consequences of William’s
fatal error, in mistaking the rash folly of “a true knight” for the
gallant bearing of a king.[413]
In another month the war was brought to a triumphant conclusion by the
elder Henry, who, at the personal request of Louis of France, set all
his prisoners at liberty, with the exception of the king of Scotland,
detaining William in fetters at Falaise until the month of December,
before the terms of his release were finally arranged.[414] They may
be briefly described as follows:--
William was to become the liegeman of his lord, the King Henry, for
Scotland, Galloway, and all his other lands, and to perform fealty
to his liege lord in the same way as other vassals. His brother, his
barons, his clergy, and all his other vassals, were to become the
liegemen of the English crown, acknowledging that they held their lands
of the English king, and swearing to support him, their liege lord,
against the king of Scotland, if the latter ever failed in his fidelity.
The Scottish Church was to acknowledge the subjection due to the
English Church; and the English Church was to possess all those rights
over the Scottish Church to which the former was justly entitled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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