The royal line of succession can be a complicated matter. Throughout history, men came from the same origins, so people who lived in different places often had a similar claim to the throne. Also, in some societies, including the ancient Pictish system, the line of succession was matriarchal. However the Scottish system was tanistry (the previous monarch elects the incoming monarch and promises with an oath). Add to that the confusion caused by the multiple wives or illegitimate children, and you have lots of people who think they should be king.

Kenneth MacAlpin was the king of the Scots when they gained control of the Picts. He reigned from 843-859. He was crowned king of Scotia using the Stone of Destiny, after moving his capital from Dalraida in the west to Scone in the east. Kenneth was the first in a line of monarchs from the House of Alpin, which reigned for nearly 200 years. In 1034, Duncan I became king, though Macbeth had an equal right to the title. Macbeth did become king in 1040 after killing Duncan on the battlefield. Macbeth reigned for 17 years until Malcolm Canmore killed him in 1057. MacBeth’s stepson was king for a few months, then Malcolm became the first among the House of Canmore which ruled for nearly 250 years. During these monarchies, daughters married into the royal families of other countries, and the line of succession became more confused.

The final member of the House of Canmore to rule over Scotland was Margaret, the Maid of Norway. She was only three when she became queen and died four short years later from seasickness on the trip from Norway. Edward I had arranged for her to be married to his son Edward, the heir to the kingdom. That would certainly have been a convenient way of joining the two countries. The heir produced between Margaret and Edward would have been heir to both thrones.

With Margaret’s death, there were no more heirs to the House of Canmore, but 13 men claimed a right to the throne of Scotland. This began a most bloody period in Scottish history, and it is in this period we begin to hear the names associated with the story Braveheart.

The thirteen competitors sought the aid of Edward I of England, who forced the men to take an oath of allegiance to Edward. Several men refused. After some time, Edward selected John Balliol as king. He was the last Scottish king to be crowned over the Stone of Destiny. He reigned from 1292-1296, but had a row with Edward, signed a treaty with France and was sent to the Tower of London. He was released three years later and died in Normandy in 1315. Edward performed a most incredible act of humiliation by taking the Stone of Destiny from Scone to Westminster. Then he tried to pressure the Scots into submission, bringing into light the great heroes of the middle ages - William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.

William Wallace was a man of noble character. Edward I tried to conquer Scotland by force, raping and pillaging the land and people. Wallace fought valiantly; killing only when necessary and protecting the women and churches from harm, even in English territory. He ordered some of his followers to be hanged for committing sacrilege. He was deeply committed to his Christian faith and was moved by his desire for a free Scotland. In 1297, he won a major battle at Stirling Bridge. Soon after, Wallace was knighted and elected Governor of Scotland. Edward responded with a large army, which defeated the Scots at Falkirk and by 1304 most of Scotland was under English rule again.

William Wallace was one of the men who refused to honour Edward. In 1305 he was arrested and tried for treason. Wallace replied, “I cannot be a traitor, since I never swore fealty to the English king.” He was hanged. The gruesome nature of his death does not end there, however. His body was removed while he was still alive, gutted and his heart, which was still beating, was burned. His body was quartered and put on display all over the country - his head in London and the four bits of his body in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Perth.

Robert the Bruce quickly rose to power, crowning himself king of Scotland in 1306 at the age of 32. His grandfather was among the thirteen competitors for the crown after the death of Queen Margaret. Robert was a prominent landowner who at times supported Wallace, and at other times supported Edward. There are some who believe he supported Edward only to keep hold of his property while biding time. By the time Wallace was killed, circumstances created the perfect opportunity for Robert to take over the throne of Scotland and once again make it a free nation. The pope supported independence, as did the other countries of Europe. Edward I was getting old, and Edward II was a weak man. Robert had a strong claim to the title and the people of Scotland were ready once again to be free. In 1314, Robert defeated a much larger English force at Bannockburn. In 1320, Robert sent an affirmation to Pope John XXII who took four years to recognize Robert as the rightful king of Scotland. In 1327, Edward III finally acknowledged Robert’s sovereignty.

At his death, Robert asked that his heart be buried in the Holy Land. The man entrusted with that act was killed in Spain, and the heart was returned to Scotland. It is now buried in Melrose Abbey. The rest of his body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey. The son of Robert the Bruce was the final king from the Bruce clan, and then the Stewarts reign began. The reigns of Robert II, Robert III and the James’ I-V was filled with war and bitter rivalry. Many of the kings were just infants when crowned; therefore the rule was actually by a regent for many years. James I was named king while he was in prison, and was not released until he had reigned for eighteen years. While several kings died of natural causes, many fell to the sword of someone who desired control of the throne. James III had some trouble with his boyfriends. He died on the battlefield as he warred against his son James IV.

James IV was an excellent king whose policies brought prosperity to the country. He always regretted the role he played in the death of his father, so wore an iron chain around his waist in repentance. He married Margaret Tudor, the daughter of Henry VII of England. This marriage eventually linked the thrones of England and Scotland by creating a Tudor heir to the Scottish throne. Throughout the world, the church was under reform by people like Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox.

In 1513, James V was crowned at Stirling. He was a favourite of the common people because he was sympathetic to their problems. He died in 1542 when his only child, a daughter, was just a week old. Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned at Stirling Castle when she was just nine months old. Her life was surrounded by death and political maneuvers which were designed to bring Scotland under the dominion of a greater power. Henry VIII of England tried to marry Mary to his son Edward. She was sent to France and given to Francis, son of Henri II. Henry VIII died, passing the kingdom to his daughter ‘Bloody Mary’ Tudor. When she died, Elizabeth was crowned queen of England. Henri II thought Mary Queen of Scots had a more legitimate claim on the throne because she was Catholic. So, he named her queen of England. Elizabeth remained the queen. Henri II, Mary’s husband and mother all died. In 1560, Mary decided to return to Scotland, but faced opposition from John Knox who by this time had transformed Scotland into a Protestant country. He not only disliked her Catholic faith, but he vehemently disagreed with women as sovereign. She married her cousin Henry Stuart, who killed her secretary. Henry was killed a short time later by an explosion in the house where he was staying. Her son James was born in 1566. Mary married James Bothwell, the probable murderer of her second husband. This third marriage upset the political leaders of the day who had Mary arrested. She was forced to abdicate the throne. She escaped to England where she spent her final years under house arrest by Queen Elizabeth of England. She was beheaded in 1587.

In 1567, James VI of Scotland was crowned when he was just a year old. James never knew his mother, and though he did not hate her, he did not try to have her pardoned. In 1603, Elizabeth I of England died childless. James VI was the person with the most right to the throne, so was crowned James I of England. The island was now known as Great Britain, unified by one king. The fighting continued, but we’ll take a brief respite from history to visit the places we saw.