On the night of the 18th of March 1286, Scotland’s King Alexander III rode at night through a storm to meet his new French wife, Yolande. Alexander’s previous wife and three children had all died. He needed an heir from this new marriage so that Scotland would have a king or queen after his death. But Alexander never made it. The next morning he was found dead at the base of a cliff. He had fallen from his horse in the storm. With no king, Scotland was plunged into crisis. It was decided that Alexander’s seven-year-old granddaughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway, would be queen designate, and six Guardians of Scotland were appointed to rule on her behalf. In 1290, Margaret died on a long sea voyage from Norway to Scotland. With no clear heir left and several rival noble dynasties attempting to seize power, fears of civil war grew. Alexander’s succession crisis created a period of instability that eventually led to the Scottish Wars of Independence.
Description
In 1287, the death of King Alexander III plunged Scotland into a succession crisis. This crisis would lead to the period known as the Wars of Independence.
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