A.D. 1282.

Llewelyn and his brother David are reconciled, and the Welsh attempt to recover their independence. They capture Hawarden, March 22; destroy the castles of Flint and Rhuddlan, and carry Roger de Clifford, the justiciary of North Wales, off prisoner.

The king removes the law courts to Shrewsbury; hires soldiers from Gascony, and marches into Wales, July. Bodies of pioneers are employed to clear away the woods.

The English sustain severe loss in endeavouring to cross the river Conway, Nov. 6; Llewelyn, encouraged thereby, descends into the plains, but is surprised and killed by the marchers, Dec. 11.

A.D. 1283.

David, the brother of Llewelyn, surrenders himself. He is condemned during the sitting of parliament at Shrewsbury, and executed as a traitor, Sept. 20.

All armed opposition having, for the present, been overcome, the king proceeded to settle the state of his new dominions. Accordingly a statute, called the Statute of Wales [12 Edw. I.] was enacted at Rhuddlan, March 19, 1284, which alleges that "Divine Providence has now removed all obstacles, and transferred wholly and entirely to the king's dominion the land of Wales and its inhabitants, heretofore subject to him in feudal right." At the prayer of his new subjects the king grants that their ancient laws may be preserved in civil causes, but the law of inheritance is changed, and in criminal matters the English law is to be in force. Sanctuary is no longer to be allowed, but those who

its conquest, it had been seized by Charles of Anjou, brother of the French king, who defeated and killed Manfred, the natural son of the emperor Frederick II. The natives rose suddenly on the French, massacred great numbers of them (a butchery known as "the Sicilian Vespers," March 20), and, being assisted by the princes of Arragon, shook off their yoke. The quarrel between the Arragonese and the French was at last adjusted by King Edward. See A.D. 1286.

He is said to have been betrayed whilst sleeping in a barn by the people of Builth, in Brecknockshire, who had before refused to admit him into their town; hence they are styled bradwyr Buallt ("the traitors of Builth") by Welsh writers. His wife, the daughter of De Montfort,

would otherwise be entitled to it are to abjure the realm within a given time, proceeding by the high road, cross in hand, to some appointed seaport. Sheriffs are appointed for Anglesey, Caernarvon, Merioneth, and Flint, with coroners and bailiffs in each district, who are all placed under the supervision of the justice of Chester. The rest of the country remained as before under the jurisdiction of the marchers.

As the sincerity of the people's submission was reasonably doubted, the king erected many new strongholds, and re-edified others, constructing them on a plan so different from that of the Normans, that the term Edwardian is usually applied to them. Flint, Rhuddlan, Hawarden, Denbigh, Caernarvon, Conway, Beaumaris, and Harlech, in the immediate neighbourhood of Snowdon; Cilgarran, in the palatinate of Pembroke; and Caerphilly, in the honour of Glamorgan, are among the number. As a further security, bodies of English were planted in convenient stations, and endowed with municipal privileges; from these "borough, or English towns," Welshmen were rigidly excluded, not being allowed to hold either lands or office therein.

Popular tradition charges the king with a systematic massacre of the Welsh bards, but this odious accusation appears to be unfounded, though the order may be said almost to have disappeared with the complete subjugation of their country. bards, as we see from the laws of Dyvnwal Moelmud, considered themselves the leading order in the state; they also claimed the right of cele

The

had died shortly before. Their only child (Wenciliana), and the daughters of his brother David were carried into England, and became nuns at Sempringham, a pension of £20 each being paid for them. Wenciliana was alive in Oct. 1327, but how much longer is not known.

The cost was in part borne by the see of York, (vacant by the death of Archbishop Wickwane,) its revenues from August, 1285, to April, 1286, being devoted to the purpose. They amounted to £1812 125. 4d., equal to £30,000 now.

f Among them may be named, Montgomery, Radnor, Brecknock, and Caermarthen, which had before been in the hands of the lords marchers, but were now annexed to the crown.

See A.D. 640.

brating marriage under the oak-tree, and ostentatiously retained many ceremonies of Druidic origin; they were thus avowedly hostile to, and disliked by, the clergy, who for ages had maintained a closer connexion with England than the rest of their countrymen. Many of the bards too were bitter satirists, and branded their opponents as betrayers of their country; they also, we know, often bore arms, and many doubtless perished in the field; others would probably be denounced, and thus meet with death as traitors; hence their disappearance under the English rule may be reasonably accounted for, without imputing such deep personal guilt to the conqueror.

A.D. 1283.

The Statute of Merchants' [11 Edw. 1.], to facilitate the recovery of their debts, passed Oct. 12, at Acton Burnell, in Shropshire.

A.D. 1284.

Margaret of Norway acknowledged as heir to the crown of Scotland, at Scone, Feb. 5*.

The king promises again to go to the Holy Land. The pope (Martin IV.) in consequence grants him absolution for all crimes committed by him in the wars with the barons and the Welsh', May 26.

A.D. 1285.

The king solemnly presents at Westminster many rich spoils from Wales. Among them are "a large piece of the true cross," and other famous relics adorned with gems and gold, and "the crown of King Arthur."

See especially A.D. 872, 918, 1120.

There is another statute of the same name [13 Edw. I. c. 3] passed in 1285, to give better effect to the provisions of the former, but it is expressly provided that the Jews are not to be benefited thereby.

She was the grandchild of Alexander III. and Margaret, the sister of Edward I., by Margaret, their daughter, who married Eric, king of Norway. The Welsh churches seem to have been plundered, and on June 15 the king ordered their temporalities to be restored. He also appointed commissioners to report on any injuries that they had received, June 25, and before the end of the year the sum of £445 was granted as compensation.

This statute presents a curious picture of the times. No armed men are to be seen in the street after the curfew has tolled at St. Martin's le Grand except he be a great man, or other lawful person of good repute, or their messenger with their warrant, and lantern in hand." All brokers are placed under the special direction of the magistrates, as they were often "foreigners who for great offence

A statute passed to redress disorders in London [13 Edw. I. c. 5.]

Justices of assize appointed, to go into every shire twice or thrice a-year for the more speedy administration of justice [13 Edw. I. c. 30.]

A.D. 1286.

Alexander III. of Scotland dies, March 16. Six regents are chosen to govern the kingdom in the minority of his grand-daughter Margaret".

and renews his homage at Paris, June The king goes to France, May 13, 5. He then reduces Gascony to obedience, and stays there three years; Edmund, earl of Cornwall, is regent.

The king arbitrates between the French and the Arragonese on account of Sicily.

A.D. 1287.

The king, being seized with severe illness, again assumes the cross.

The Welsh, under Rhys ap Meredith, attempt to shake off the English yoke, June. They are subdued before the end of the year by Robert Tiptoft, the king's justiciary, and their leader carried to York and hanged.

A.D. 1288.

The pope (Nicholas IV.) grants to the king the tenth of the revenues of "all the churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland," to enable him to undertake his crusade P.

A.D. 1289.

The king returns to England, August 12. He directs a strict inquiry to be made into the conduct of the judges, sheriffs, and other officers during his absence, Oct. 13. In consequence, he banishes some of the

have fled their country;" none but freemen are to keep taverns, and none are to teach fencing in the city under heavy penalties.

She remained in Norway with her father until 1290, when, a marriage having been arranged for her with Edward, prince of Wales, the king despatched a ship to fetch her to England, where she was to remain under his guardianship until he should consider Scotland in a sufficiently settled state for her to go there in safety. She, however, fell ill at sea, and being landed in the Orkneys, she died there, Oct. 7, and was buried in the cathedral of St. Magnus at Kirkwall.

• He was a descendant of Owen Gwynneth, and had sided with the English against Llewelyn in the expectation of being placed on the throne in his stead, but was contemptuously treated when the war was over.

P The king did not at once avail himself of this grant, as the survey (known as the Taxation of Pope Nicholas) was not made until 1291 and 1292; and when the money was collected, he used it for his war against France.

guilty, (among them Thomas de Weyland, the chief justice,) and imposes heavy fines upon others.

The marriage treaty of Prince Edward and Margaret of Norway concluded at Salisbury, Nov. 6, between the kings of England and Norway, their parents. It recognises Scotland as "free, absolute, and independent," but with a general saving of any claims of the English kings.

A.D. 1290.

"The fierce multitude of the Jews," with their wives and children, are ordered to leave England, July 27. The feast of All Saints (Nov. 1) was the period assigned, which they were not to exceed on pain of death.

The king takes possession of the Isle of Man, at the request of the inhabitants, September.

Margaret of Norway, queen of Scotland, dies, Oct. 7.

No less than thirteen different parties laid claim to the throne of Scot

Arms of Scotland.

land when it became vacant by the death of the Maid of Norway. Contrary to all received notions of inheritance, one of these was her father, Eric of Norway; Florence, count of Holland, was a second, but his claim was withdrawn. Among the other competitors, only three need be named; these were, John Balliol lord of Galloway, Robert Bruce earl of Annandale, and John Hastings lord of Abergavenny and seneschal of Aquitaine; they were all descended from daughters of David earl of Huntingdon, the younger brother of Malcolm IV. and William the Lion, and grandson of David I.

Balliol was the grandson of Mar

These fines are said to have amounted to the enormous sum of 100,000 marks, or much more than the annual revenue of the kingdom.

They seem to have been personally odious to the king, who had already banished them from Windsor and from Gascony; and had also granted letters patent to his mother forbidding them to remain on any of her manors. Among the Royal Letters in the Public Record Office is one from her, complaining of a Jew (Jacob Cok), who having been expelled from her town of Andover, had had the hardihood to appeal to the king's courts, and "contemptuously to charge her servant Guy de Tauton with felony and robbery." What was

garet, the eldest daughter; Bruce, the son of Isabel, the second daughter; Hastings, the grandson of Ada, the third daughter. Hastings desired a share only of the kingdom, but as the state was wisely held by all parties to be indivisible, his claims were at once negatived, and the competitors reduced in reality to two, John Balliol and Robert Bruce. The states of the kingdom had not the courage to decide between them, and in an evil hour for their country they resolved to appeal to the judgment of the king of England, as their only resource for avoiding a civil war.

A.D. 1291.

The Crusades are brought to a close by the capture of Acre, and the few other strongholds of the Christians on the Syrian coast.

The disputed succession to the crown of Scotland is referred to the king of England for his decision.

He repairs to Norham, on the banks of the Tweed, with a large army, and as a first step claims to be acknowledged "sovereign lord of the land of Scotland," May 10, which is conceded to him, after long debate, by letters patent under the hands of nine of the

the result of the appeal does not appear, but may be very probably conjectured.

Their moveables they were allowed to take with them, but no compensation appears to have been made for the houses, synagogues, burialplaces, &c., that they had to abandon. The king granted passes to them, to the number of 16,511, and strictly forbade any injury to be done to them. Some mariners who, for the sake of plunder, drowned a number of them at the mouth of the Thames, were executed.

John Comyn, earl of Badenoch (afterwards killed by the younger Bruce), another of the competitors, was the son of Marjory, a younger daughter of Margaret.

competitors", June 5; he also claims the royal castles, which, by a similar document, dated June 6, are put into his hands. After some discussion, the only competitors remaining are John Balliol and Robert Bruce, who name fifty persons of Scotland, and these choose thirty Englishmen as their assistants; this commission is empowered to investigate the rights of the claimants and to report to the king.

A.D. 1292.

The commissioners meet at Berwick, Aug. 2, and three months after report in favour of John Balliol, Nov. 17. The king delivers his judgment accordingly, Nov. 30.

Balliol does homage "for himself and his heirs, for the whole kingdom of Scotland," at Berwick, the same day; he is also summoned into England, and repeats the ceremony at Newcastle, Dec. 26.

A.D. 1293.

The Isle of Man restored to the Scots, Jan. 5.

A war breaks out between the Cinque Ports mariners and the Normans; the latter are defeated with great slaughter at St. Mahé, in Britanny, April 14.

The Gascons also make war on the French.

Balliol is summoned to Westminster to answer various complaints of maladministration. He is treated with personal disrespect in the court, and on his return to Scotland seeks means of rendering himself independent.

Philip IV. of France summons the king of England to answer in his

These were Florence, count of Holland, Robert Bruce, John Balliol, John Hastings, John Comyn, Patrick Dunbar, John Vescy (for his father), Nicholas de Soules, and William de Ros.

The first of these complaints was that of John le Mason, a Gascon, who claimed payment for wine sold several years before to Alexander III., and which that king's executors declared had been paid for. The Scottish court decided accordingly, but the English one overruled their decision, and ordered Balliol to pay the money under threat of seizure of his English lands. This was followed by complaints of denial of justice" from various persons, as Macduff, son of the earl of Fife, Aufrica, daughter of Magnus, king of Man, the abbot of Reading, the bishop of Durham, and others, and Balliol seems to have attended in person to answer them.

y The king's mode of proceeding was peremptory enough. He seized (July 26) on such kinds

of merchandize as were suitable for exportation, and sold them in Flanders, promising to pay for them at a future period; as also on large sums that had been deposited in religious houses for the service of the Holy Land. As the clergy did not meet his demands so readily as he expected, he sent one of his knights (John Havering) to their assembly in the refectory at Westminster, (Sept. 21,) who in a loud and menacing voice delivered this very intelligible message: Holy fathers, this is the demand of the king,-one half of all the annual revenues of your churches. If any one objects to this, let him stand forth, that he may be taken note of, as unworthy of the king's peace." Well may Matthew of Westminster add, "When they heard this, all the prelates were disturbed in mind, and immediately they granted the king's demand."

The king authorized them, Aug. 14, to conclude a truce till the 1st of November with the king of France, if he should desire it.

to give hostages. Madoc shortly after again takes arms; he is captured, and dies a prisoner in the Tower.

The Scots, in a parliament at Scone, appoint twelve peers as guardians of the realm, thus in reality superseding Balliol. They appoint commissioners to treat for a marriage between his son Edward and the princess Joanna of France, July 5.

The king, being aware of the negotiations, demands from the Scots possession of the castles and towns of Berwick, Roxburgh, and Jedburgh, during the French war, Oct. 16.

The Scots having concluded their treaty (in which aid from France is stipulated), Oct. 23, refuse compliance, and hostilities begin.

A.D. 1296.

Prince Edmund ravages the French coast. He captures Bordeaux, March 28, and dies soon after (June 4).

The king marches against the Scots. He captures Berwick, March 30; the Scots at the same time ravage Northumberland, and besiege Carlisle. Balliol formally renounces allegiance to the king, April 5.

The king defeats the Scots with great slaughter at Dunbar, April 27. He ravages the surrounding country and captures the Maidens' Castle (now Edinburgh Castle) early in June, whence he carries off the Scottish royal insignia. Balliol surrenders himself to the

The date is uncertain; two copies exist among | the public records, one dated at Brechin, July 10; the other, Kincardine, July 2. Letters of submission also were exacted from the bishops of Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Whither, August 28, and several nobles, March 25, 1297, who were in Edward's hands as prisoners or hostages; but many of the prisoners were soon after set free on condition of serving in the war with France (July 30, Aug. 17).

He was an officer of the English exchequer, and an ecclesiastic; he held several valuable preferments.

Some of these were compulsorily settled in England, receiving lands in exchange for their own. One John le Scot, thus planted in the south, became the founder of the family of Scott of Brabourne, in Kent.

The clergy were placed in a most painful position; the archbishop of Canterbury (Robert Winchelsey) had received a bull, (dated Feb. 24, 1296,) threatening excommunication to all who granted the property of the Church to the king, but their fear of personal violence obliged them

to do so.

He was the king's lieutenant in Gascony, and being after a time exchanged for John Balliol, the ex-king of Scotland, returned to England, when he was actively employed in the Scottish wars. He is spoken of in the poem of the Siege of Car

king, July 8. He is obliged to make a formal renunciation of his kingly dignity by letters patent, and is then imprisoned in the Tower of London.

The king carries off the "stone of destiny" on which the Scottish kings were crowned from the royal abbey of Scone, August.

John de Warrenne, earl of Surrey, is appointed guardian of Scotland, Sept. 3, and Hugh Cressingham treasurer and justiciary. The king returns to England, carrying many of the Scottish nobles with him as hostages.

A large French ship, called the King Philip, is captured and brought into Sandwich.

A.D. 1297.

The clergy, refusing a fresh demand from the king, are by him declared out of the pale of the law; they are thus obliged to give a large sum &.

The English forces, being treacherously abandoned by the Gascons, are defeated, and John, Lord St. John, their commander, captured.

The king's exactions causing much discontent, the earls and barons resolve on a meeting in the marches to enforce a redress of their grievances. The earls of Norfolk and Hereford (the constable and marshal) place themselves at their head, and also refuse to discharge the duties of their offices in the war'.

The king solemnly offers the regalia