Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II (
August 24,
1198 –
July 6,
1249),
King of Scots, was the son of
William the Lion and
Ermengarde of Beaumont. He was born at
Haddington,
East Lothian, in
1198, and succeeded to the kingdom on the death of his father on
4 December 1214, being crowned at Scone on
December 6 of that year.
The year after his accession the clans
Meic Uilleim and
MacHeths, inveterate enemies of the Scottish crown, broke into revolt; but loyalist forces speedily quelled the insurrection. In the same year Alexander joined the English barons in their struggle against
John I of England, and led an army into the
Kingdom of England in support of their cause; but after John's death, on the conclusion of peace between his youthful son
Henry III of England and the French prince
Louis VIII of France, the Scottish king joined in the pacification. Diplomacy further strengthened the reconciliation by the marriage of Alexander to Henry's sister
Joan of England on
June 18 or
June 25,
1221.
The next year marked the subjection of the hitherto semi-independent district of
Argyll. Royal forces crushed a revolt in
Galloway in
1235 without difficulty; nor did an invasion attempted soon afterwards by its exiled leaders meet with success. Soon afterwards a claim for homage from Henry of
England drew forth from Alexander a counter-claim to the northern English counties. The two kingdoms, however, settled this dispute by a compromise in
1237.
Joan died in March,
1238 in Essex, and in the following year,
1239, Alexander remarried. His second wife was
Marie de Coucy. The marriage took place on
May 15 1239, and produced one son, the future
Alexander III, born in
1241.
A threat of invasion by Henry in
1243 for a time interrupted the friendly relations between the two countries; but the prompt action of Alexander in anticipating his attack, and the disinclination of the English barons for war, compelled him to make peace next year at
Newcastle. Alexander now turned his attention to securing the
Western Isles, which still owed a nominal allegiance to
Norway. He successively attempted negotiations and purchase, but without success. Alexander next attempted to dissuade Ewen, the son of Duncan, Lord of Argyll, to sever his allegiance to
Haakon IV of Norway. Ewen rejected these attempts, and Alexander sailed forth to compel him.
But on the way he suffered a fever at the Isle of
Kerrera in the
Inner Hebrides, and died there in
1249. He was buried at
Melrose Abbey,
Roxburghshire.His son
Alexander III succeeded him as King of Scots.
1.
Joan of England, (
July 22,
1210 –
March 4,
1238), was the eldest legitimate daughter and third child of
John of England and
Isabella of Angouleme. She and Alexander II married on
June 21,
1221, at
York Minster. Alexander was 23. Joan was 11. They had no children. Joan died in
Essex in 1238, and was buried at
Tarant Crawford Abbey in
Dorset.
2.
Marie de Coucy, who became mother of
Alexander III of Scotland*Tewkesbury Annals
*Worcester Annals
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