4.27 Europe: a.d. 1301 to 1400  (Page 10/12)

Upon Robert's death, possibly from leprosy, his son David II succeeded him in 1329, nominally ruling for 42 years, although his regents had to fight constantly against usurpers and attacks from England. Edward III gave the Scots one of their worst defeats at Halidon Hill, forcing the boy king David Bruce to be taken to France for protection, while Edward Balliol (also Baliol), with English support, took over the throne. When Edward III turned to fight France, David II returned to his own country and Balliol was thrown out. In 1346, however, at the battle of Neville's Cross, David was captured by the English and spent 11 years in the Tower of London. He was finally released after an agreement wherein Scotland was to pay 100,000 marks in 10 yearly installments. Only 1/4 of this was actually ever paid. During these same years, Scotland suffered with England from the terrible scourge of the Black Death, chiefly of the pneumonic form. (Ref. 91 , 222 , 119 )

The Steward (Stuart) line was established on the Scottish throne in 1371 by Robert II Steward, nephew of David 11 and descendant of Walter Fitz-Alan (high steward of Scotland in 1136) and with France as an ally his nobles fought England again, all as part of the Hundred Years War. Robert Ill succeeded to the throne in 1390. There was great poverty in Scotland, except among those nobles who had the military power and dominated the Parliament and the King. The villages had a measure of self-government within the framework of feudalism and monarchy. Industry was primitive, commerce precarious and the cities small and few. All Scotland had about 600,000 people. (Ref. 91 , 119 )

Ireland

Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce of Scotland, landed in Ireland in 1316 and with the support of some native leaders, had himself crowned king, although he lasted only two years. By 1350 the Normans controlled most of Ireland, although during this and the next century they adopted Irish customs. The Irish Parliament, made up almost entirely of English Normans, passed in 1366 the infamous Statute of Kilkenny, which for- bade inter-marriage between English and Irish "to prevent Gaelicization" This government of Ireland, emasculated by the English, soon became very corrupt. That statute, followed by the Black Death epidemic of 1348 and 1349 started the-decline of English influence in Ireland, as the viceroys and governors were unable to maintain order. (Ref. 40 , 119 )

Wales

Remained restlessly under English rule.

Scandinavia

Fishing replaced agriculture as the chief economic activity of both Scandinavia proper and Iceland. Near the end of the century, Margaret ruled as queen and regent over all three of the true Teutonic Scandinavian countries - Norway, Sweden and Denmark - in a wonderful reign lasting into the next century.

Norway

Magnus II, who was also King of Sweden, ruled Norway as king from 1319 until he turned the Norwegian crown over to his son Haakon Vl in 1343. Margaret, daughter of Denmark's Valdemar IV, was married at ten years of age to King Haakon VI and ten years later she had a son, Olaf, who became king of Denmark when Valdemar died and then king of Norway when Haakon died. When Olaf expired in 1387, Margaret was elected as Queen, thus introducing the system of election already in practice in Denmark and Sweden.