Alexander de Balliol

Coat of arms of Alexander de Balliol

Alexander de Balliol (also Baliol ) († 1310) was an English - Scottish nobleman, military man and politician.

Origin, inheritance and marriage

Alexander de Balliol came from the Balliol family . He was the second son of Henry de Balliol and his wife Lora de Valognes († before 1272). His father was an important Scottish nobleman as Lord of Cavers in Roxburghshire and Chamberlain of Scotland , and Alexander is not to be confused with his contemporary Alexander de Balliol , Lord of Barnard Castle († 1278), the third son of his cousin John de Balliol . His older brother, Guy de Balliol , died in 1265 while carrying the standard of Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham . Alexander also had the barons to rebel against the English king Henry III during the Second War . heard. That is why he was only allowed to take possession of his brother's English possessions after he had submitted to the English king in 1266. To this end, he inherited extensive property in southern Scotland. Shortly after November 7, 1270, Balliol married Isabel of Chilham , heir to the Barony of Chilham in Kent . Since he had inherited the extensive estates of the Valognes family in Hertfordshire and Essex from his mother , he was one of the most important landowners in south-east England. After the death of his wife in 1292 he was allowed to keep these possessions with the approval of the English king, although his ownership claim was forfeited with the death of his wife. His wife was also the widow of David of Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl , whose heir John Strathbogie was still a minor. The legacy of Strathbogie was not without controversy, but Balliol as his guardian and Isabel of Chilham achieved in early 1284 that Strathbogie as Earl of Atholl could take over his inheritance. It is not exactly clear why this recognition was delayed.

Service as Chamberlain of Scotland

Despite his possessions and interests in Scotland, Balliol had been politically active, especially in England, up to this time. After the death of King Alexander III. In 1286 Balliol dealt much more intensively with Scottish politics. After the king's death, his young granddaughter Margarete was the potential heir to the throne, so that six Guardians took over the reign for her . Before December 1287, Balliol Chamberlain became part of the Guardians' government, a position not only held by his father, but also by his maternal grandfather and great-grandfather. The political situation in Scotland changed completely in 1290 when the young Margaret died and the succession to the throne was completely unclear. The English King Edward I was ultimately to examine the legality of the claims of the heir to the throne as arbitrator , so that Balliol and numerous other Scottish nobles swore allegiance to the English king on June 13, 1291. In 1292 John Balliol , a second cousin of Alexander, was finally declared the new king. Alexander continued to serve him as Chamberlain until at least the beginning of 1295. Numerous letters and official letters have been received from his term of office, which prove that this office was very complex, but also very important. Balliol was assisted in 1288 and from 1291 to 1292 by his younger brother William , a clergyman who was believed to be the rector of Kirkpatrick Durham in Kirkcudbrightshire . As one of the most important members of the government, he was elected during the Stirling Parliament in July 1295 to a member of the twelve-member State Council, which de facto took over rule for John Balliol.

Role in the Scottish War of Independence

When the war between England and Scotland broke out in 1296 , the English King Edward I Balliol had English possessions occupied. In 1297 Balliol belonged to the army with which Edward I undertook a campaign to Flanders during the war with France . Balliol then got back most of its possessions in England and Scotland. Nevertheless, Balliol remained suspicious of the English king because of his relationship with John Balliol, who was deposed in 1296. In the next few years Alexander Balliol took part several times in English campaigns in Scotland, including demonstrably 1298 at the Battle of Falkirk and 1300 at the siege of Caerlaverock . In 1302 the King of England appointed him administrator of the Forest of Selkirk and commander of the important crew of the Peel of Selkirk . Balliol was one of the few Scottish nobles who held a higher office in the service of the English king at this time. Nevertheless, in 1301 his eldest son Alexander was taken hostage in the care of the English king. In early February 1302, Balliol was arrested for alleged treason. He was released about six weeks later after holding another son, Thomas , hostage. In the meantime, however, the Scots had conquered the Peel of Selkirk under the leadership of Simon Fraser .

Focus on his Scottish possessions, past years and death

After almost all Scottish nobles had submitted to the English king in February 1304 and therefore English rule in Scotland seemed permanently secured, Balliol energetically asked the English king for the return of his remaining Scottish possessions, including possessions in northern Scotland between the Mounth and the Forth . To this end, he asked for the surrender of lands that had been promised to him, such as Kirkpatrick Durham, or of lands that the king had confiscated, including those of Richard Fraser or Alexander Menzies . Apparently he wanted to concentrate more on his Scottish possessions, because in November 1303 he sold Benington , the center of his estates in Hertfordshire, as well as other lands in Hertfordshire and Essex to John de Benstede (also Binsted ), the king's controller of the wardrobe . In March 1310 he renounced his rights to the barony of Chilham . Apparently Balliol rejected the rebellion of Robert Bruce , who rose to be king of the Scots in 1306, and remained resolutely on the English side. There is evidence that he took part in military actions against Bruce between 1307 and 1309. Balliol is last mentioned in April 1310. He probably died a few months later. His Scottish possessions were later declared confiscated by Bruce.

progeny

His eldest son Alexander was released by Edward II in March 1310 after being held hostage for nine years after Balliol had renounced Chilham. His younger son Thomas was owned by the southern Scottish lordship of Cavers in 1310 and married in early 1313. His stepson John Strathbogie, on the other hand, became a staunch supporter of the Brus family in the early 1290s and later of Robert Bruce. Balliol may have a third son, William , and a daughter Margaret . Apparently he had not remarried after his wife's death in 1292.

Web links

• GP Stell: Balliol [Baliol], Alexander de (d. 1310?). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

Individual evidence

1. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 49.
2. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 90.
3. ^ Geoffrey Barrow, Ann Royan: James fith Stewart of Scotland, 1260 (?) - 1309 . In: KJ Stringer (Ed.): Essays on the Nobility of Medieval Scotland , John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1985, ISBN 0-85976-113-4 , p. 175.
4. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 200.
5. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 393.