Scotland Until the 1280’s there were few disagreements between England and Scotland. Although Edward saw himself as the Overlord of the Scottish king, Alexander III, he was willing to accept that King Alexander should pay homage only for the lands he owned in England. The problem arose when the Scottish king died in 1286. His heir was his young grand-daughter, Margaret, (a child), who sailed from Norway but died during the journey to Scotland. This left no obvious heir and caused a succession crisis known as the Great Cause. Edward agreed to help decide who had the best claim to the throne. He eventually backed John Balliol, who became king in 1292. Edward continued to involve himself in Scottish affairs, calling the new Scottish King to appear before the English Parliament and trying to establish himself as the overlord of Scotland.

Scotland continued King John Balliol grew increasingly unhappy with Edward’s interference. The final straw was when Edward demanded that Scottish barons send men to help him fight the French. The Scottish barons attacked the English town of Carlisle in 1296. Edward’s response was swift and brutal. He invaded Scotland, crushing his opponents at the Battle of Dunbar and stealing the Stone of Scone, used in Scottish coronations ceremonies. Balliol and the Scottish nobles were humiliated. It seemed Scotland had been crushed. However, in 1297 a new rebel leader, William Wallace, inflicted a humiliating defeat on the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Full scale war on Scotland was now unavoidable.

Wales By the 1280s, Edward nearly destroyed all opposition in Wales and had begun a huge castle building programme to create bases from which he could control the Welsh. Although many of the Welsh remained hostile, a level of order was established, but at a price. The castles had cost a fortune to build and it was now going to be difficult to pay for expensive wars in France and Scotland – and Edward still couldn’t take his eyes of Wales because he was concerned that the Welsh would rebel against him at any time.

Gascony As Duke of Aquitaine, Edward had always taken a great interest in Gascony, a wealthy area in South-West France within the region of Aquitaine. As a child it had been run for him, often brutally, by Simon de Montfort but once he was king, he took an active role in its governance. The problem, however, was how Gascony fitted in to the rest of France. As a duchy it was technically under the rule of the French king, making Edward one of his vassals or underlords. Edward was even required to pay homage to the king of France, which he did in 1286. The situation remained uneasy, however, and when a group of French ships was captured by the English, who also attacked La Rochelle, the relationship between the two kings was in crisis.

Gascony continued Seizing an opportunity to gain a victory over his rival, King Philip called Edward to do homage once again in 1294. Edward failed to appear and Philip declared that he had lost Gascony. By August 1297, Edward was ready for war and set sail for Flanders. Unfortunately for him, his allies in Flanders had already been defeated and he faced a challenge that was impossible to overcome.