Newcastle Treaty

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The Treaty of Newcastle was a peace treaty signed on August 14, 1244 between England and Scotland . He ended a crisis that had almost led to war between the two kingdoms.

Political crisis between England and Scotland

In the Treaty of York , signed in 1237 , the Scottish King Alexander II finally renounced the claims of the Scottish kings to northern England. Nevertheless, from 1243 onwards there was a serious crisis in relations between the two empires. The immediate trigger for this was probably the visit of Baron Walter Bisset , who was banished from Scotland, to the English King Henry III before autumn 1243 . The English king was staying in Gascony at this time , where he launched an unsuccessful campaign against the French King Louis IX. Had led. Bisset stated that the Scottish king had wrongly banished him under pressure from other barons. Henry III. Already followed the policy of the Scottish King with suspicion and was now greatly alarmed by Bisset's reports. Apparently the English king was afraid of a Scottish-French alliance. In addition to the rumors that Bisset spread, the marriage of the Scottish king to the French noblewoman Marie de Coucy , whose father was a declared opponent of English politics in France, and the flight of the outlawed in England Geoffrey de Marisco to Scotland contributed to this. The English king was also concerned about strengthening the fortifications of the Hermitage and Tarset Castle not far from the border . Henry III. had entrusted the administration of Newcastle and other castles to the Scottish king for the duration of his campaign in France and now feared that the Scots would try again to incorporate these castles into their kingdom. Perhaps he also saw an opportunity to claim suzerainty over Scotland. In a letter to the Scottish king, he stated that Bisset's exile was illegal because it was carried out without his consent. In doing so, he effectively claimed sovereignty over Scotland, which the Scottish king firmly rejected. In April 1244, the English king instructed his officials in northern England to arrest travelers to Scotland and to confiscate and send any letters to him. In May 1244, Heinrich III. his army entered Newcastle on August 1, 1244 . In July, Heinrich III. then to Newcastle. The Scottish king then made preparations to repel an English attack and also hired an army. With this he moved through Northumberland to Ponteland . In early August, the two armies were only ten kilometers apart, and the two empires were on the verge of war.

Course of negotiations

However, both sides evidently did not seek war and finally agreed to negotiations. The English king assured the Scottish king safe conduct so that the two could meet in Newcastle. The Scottish king probably had no serious plans for an alliance with France. Richard of Cornwall , the brother of the English king, and several English barons stood up for the Scottish king so that the crisis could be resolved quickly. On August 14, 1244, the two kings renewed their peace in a treaty.

Content of the contract

In the treaty the claim of the English king to suzerainty was no longer mentioned and thus dropped. Walter Bisset's exile was not lifted. In return, the Scottish king promised the English king his loyalty and devotion and that he would not conclude any contracts with his enemies. Four Scottish bishops and 24 Scottish barons vouched for their king's loyalty, including Patrick Dunbar, 5th Earl of Dunbar and Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith . Both also assured that they had not been involved in attacks on English possessions in Ireland in 1237 and that they had not given refuge to William de Marisco that year . Presumably the engagement of the Scottish heir to the throne Alexander to a daughter of the English king was agreed in Newcastle . With this, the English king probably wanted to ensure that the Scottish king's son was not betrothed to a French princess.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 535.
  2. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 41.
  3. ^ A b Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 536.
  4. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 42.