It has been pointed out how deep was the poverty of the country during the fourteenth century, and with what difficulty the nobles, amongst whom Bruce had distributed the forfeited lands, were able to raise even a small pele tower for the defence of themselves and their retainers.[58] The Church, patriotic as it was, suffered in the general distress, and for a time funds were lacking for the completion of works in progress, or the execution of new undertakings. In these circumstances, it is vain to look in Scotland for much architecture during the fourteenth century. This being the period during which Gothic art reached its highest expression, both in England and abroad, it is unfortunate for Scottish architecture that it should be so imperfectly represented by edifices worthy of that time. The country may be said not to have recovered from the impoverishment of the war of independence till the fifteenth century was well advanced, and when that period arrived, the desire for the erection of cathedrals and establishment of monasteries had to a large extent ceased, and endowments were, after that time, principally devoted to the erection of smaller structures in the nature of Collegiate Institutions. The connection with England having now been completely severed, and a political alliance having been formed with France, it is natural to find a departure in the architecture of Scotland from the close resemblance to that of England which had hitherto characterised it, and to detect the introduction of features from abroad. These elements play an important part in the architecture of the end of the fifteenth century and succeeding period, and produce a mixed style, not distinctly the same either as that of the perpendicular in England, or of the Flamboyant in France, but a style peculiar to Scotland, which includes elements derived from both these styles, and also retains some features of the earlier phases of Gothic architecture. This style has a distinct character of its own, and is in Scotland parallel to the third period of Gothic both in England and France.