King Alexander I, II and III
King Alexander I, II and III
King Alexander I (c. 1078-1124, king from 1107). The son of Malcolm III and St. Margaret. As king of the lands of the lands north of the Forth Alexander I represented the Anglo-Norman policy of controlling turbulent Scots through dependent kings. He developed a curia regis, or royal administration, according to current practice in England, attempted to reorganise the northern dioceses, and founded the monastery at Scone after defeating Highland rebels.
King Alexander II ((1198 - 1249, king from 1214) inherited the failure of his father, William the Lion, to recover Northumbria from King John of England. In 1212 father and son were both compelled to swear fealty to John and it was not surprising that Alexander tried to take advantage of John's difficulties in 1216 with his barons. The result was again failure. Better relations followed under Henry III, and in 1237 the northern ambitions of the Scots were abandoned in exchange for estates held from the English crown. Thus the border remained peaceful under Alexander and he was able to pursue a policy of expansion in the west and north; Argyll was conquered and plans were made for the re-conquest of the Hebrides.
King Alexander III (1241 - 1286, king from 1249) suceeded his father, Alexander II, at the age of eight. During the regency King Henry III of England tried to exert control of affairs through Alan Durward, the justiciar, but in 1258, after opponents of Durward had seized power, Henry was forced to broaden the composition of the council. In 1251 Alexander married Henry III of England's daughter Margaret. Throughout the reign relations between England and Scotland were close. Like Alexander himself many of the Scottish barons held land of the English king and resentment was directed only at high-handed use of English influence.
At Alexander's untimely death the hazards of regency returned; both his sons had died before him and in 1283 his daughter, Margaret of Norway, died in childbirth. It was her child, the "Maid of Norway", who succeeded Alexander.
His most notable achievement was to complete the conquest of the Hebrides planned by his father, Alexander II. In 1263 the Scots repulsed a formidable Norwegian fleet, led by Haakon IV, off the coast of Ayrshire, and in the Treaty of Perth in 1266 the Norwegians gave up their claim to the islands in return for a cash settlement.
The great seal of Alexander III of Scotland is shown at the top of this page, click the image to view a larger version.
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