Betrayal
If Scotland was independent in 1314, why
is it under English rule today? In 1606,
Queen Elizabeth I of England died childless and James VI of Scotland became
king because he was the nearest heir. James
was crowned James I of England while remaining James VI of Scotland. England and Scotland were united, but only
because they shared a king. They were
united like this until 1707. In 1707,
the English Parliament proposed an “Act of Union” to the Scottish Parliament,
but bribed them to accept it. After the
Act of Union was passed, the English fired most of the Scottish
Parliament. A 1791 poem by Robert Burns contrasts
the honor of Bruce and his men with the treachery of the Scots in Parliament:
“What force, or guile, could not subdue,
Through many warlike ages,
Is wrought now by a coward few,
For hireling traitors’ wages
The English steel we could disdain,
Secure in valor’s station;
But English gold has been our bane—
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!”
Bannockburn won Scotland’s independence,
and Scotland would become one of the most Reformed countries in the world. Scots like John Witherspoon and Lord Stirling
influenced the founding of this country.
But without God’s Providence at Bannockburn, none of this would have
happened.
1.
Numbers taken from In Freedom’s Cause
by G. A. Henty, pgs. 175-6
2.
This tactic is depicted in at least two scenes in the movie Pendragon: Sword of His Father: once at
11:15 and again at 1:27:11.
3.
Quotations taken from en.wikisource.org/wiki/Declaration_Of_Arbroath
Hi, Jordan,
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying your Bannockburn saga very much! Quite a few interesting bits and pieces here I never heard of. I especially like a part where the Scots were seen kneeling in the field asking for God's mercy and Edward II had to be corrected as to their motives! ;-)
However, I must differ slightly with your view above about the Union of the Parliaments. Scotland is not actually under "English rule" today, since they are fully represented in the British Parliament and are not subject to anyone.
While there definitely was bribery present during the push to pass the Act of Union, recent research indicates it has been greatly blown out of proporation and that there were a fair number of Scots in high places who actually did believe that the Union would be a good thing for Scotland. And I think it did turn out to be a good thing, since it formulated the British identity and government which successfully stood up to tyrants from Napolean to Hitler with clout!
God Bless,
Pearl
Thank you for your comment! You are correct that Scotland is not under English rule, however, as of this date, its laws must be approved by the Crown.
DeleteAs for bribery, my source is History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, first published in 1869.
I am glad for the U.K. standing against tyrants, I only disagree with the method of their union.
Hopefully this helps!
Jordan