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You are here: UK History > Royal History > Scottish Monarchy > John Balliol
John Balliol was King of Scots from 1292 – 1296. Following the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered a period of time where several competitors for the crown put forward their claim, while the country was governed by a series of regents. Balliol was selected as the new king by a group of noblemen headed by King Edward I of England.
Quick Facts:
Born: 1249
Died: 1314
Reign: 1292-1296
Parents: John I de Balliol
Predecessor: Dervorguilla of Galloway
Successor: Robert I
Spouse: Isabella de Warenne
Children: Edward Balliol
Royal House: House of Balliol
Though selected to be king, John is not well remembered. He is known as Toom Tabard, which means empty coat, either a reference to him being ineffective or because his arms were stripped from his...Read More
John Balliol was King of Scots from 1292 – 1296. Following the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered a period of time where several competitors for the crown put forward their claim, while the country was governed by a series of regents. Balliol was selected as the new king by a group of noblemen headed by King Edward I of England.
Quick Facts:
Born: 1249
Died: 1314
Reign: 1292-1296
Parents: John I de Balliol
Predecessor: Dervorguilla of Galloway
Successor: Robert I
Spouse: Isabella de Warenne
Children: Edward Balliol
Royal House: House of Balliol
Though selected to be king, John is not well remembered. He is known as Toom Tabard, which means empty coat, either a reference to him being ineffective or because his arms were stripped from his tabard in public. It could also refer to the Balliol coat of arms, which shows a plain shield.
The committee that selected John to be the new king was headed by King Edward I in England, who used his influence to subjugate Scotland and undermined Balliol’s reign by treating Scotland as though it was a vassal of his own kingdom. Edward’s continued influence, tainted John’s reign and he ended up being deposed by the Scottish nobles, replacing him with a council of twelve nobles to rule instead. These nobles signed a treaty with France, which further irritated Edward.
In retaliation, Edward invaded Scotland, which started the Wars of Scottish Independence. After the Scots were defeated, John was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was eventually sent to his estates in France where he lived in exile for the rest of his life, avoiding politics entirely. This once again left Scotland without a monarch until Robert the Bruce was anointed king in 1306.
Little is known of John’s early years. He was the son of John Balliol, the Lord of Barnard Castle and founder of Balliol College in Oxford and Dervoguilla, the daughter of the Lord of Galloway and grandniece of William the Lion. From his parents, he inherited significant lands, including land in Galloway, as well as estates in England and France.
In 1284, John had attended the parliament at Scone which had recognised Margaret, Maid of Norway, as the next heir to the Scottish throne. After both Alexander III and Margaret died, he put his name forward as one of the competitors for the Scottish crown as a descendant of David I. He was chosen and inaugurated as King of Scotland at Scone on St Andrews Day 1292, despite a stronger claim from Robert Bruce the Lord of Annandale, the grandfather of Robert the Bruce, who would later go on to be king.
As head of the committee, Edward I of England had a strong influence over the decisions made by the new king and steadily undermined his authority. The Scottish took matters into their own hands by deposing the king, appointing a council and signing a treaty with France. In retaliation, Edward I invaded. Over the next few years, there were several Scottish rebellions against Edward.
John died at his family’s estate in France in 1314. The following January, King Edward II wrote to the king of France saying he had heard of the death and requesting the fealty of John’s son Edward Balliol. Edward was the only legitimate son of John and his wife Isabella, the daughter of the Earl of Surrey.
Edward Balliol would go on to revive his family’s claim to the Scottish throne with some support from the English, though he is remembered as the Scottish Pretender.
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