Prior to the 'Treaty of
Edinburgh-
Northampton',
Edward II claimed he adhered to a truce, but he allowed
English privateers to attack
Flemish vessels trading with
Scotland. For example, privateers seized the Flemish vessel Pelarym worth £2,000. All the
Scots on board were massacred. King
Robert I of Scotland (Robert the Bruce) demanded justice, but in vain, and so he renewed the
Auld Alliance between Scotland and
France which was concluded
26 April 1326, at
Corbeil.
In
1327, the Scots invaded northern
England and defeated the English at
Stanhope and
Weardale in
County Durham. Before this Bruce invaded
Ulster in
Ireland. After the failure of the Weardale campaign,
Isabella and
Earl Mortimer of March, governing England on behalf of the underage
Edward III began to consider peace as the only remaining option. In October they sent envoys to Scotland to open negotiations. On
1 March 1328, at a Parliament at
York,
Edward III issued
letters patent which set out the core of the agreement. On
17 March, the negotiations ended and a formal treaty was signed in the King's Chamber of the
Abbey of Holyrood (the Treaty was ratified in Parliament at Northampton on
3 May[1]
Isabel and Mortimer agreed in the treaty that they in the name of young
Edward III "renounced all pretensions to sovereignty" to Scotland; and Joanna (six years of age), sister of Edward III, was promised in marriage to
David (four years of age), son of Robert Bruce. In the
quitclaim of Edward III of 1328, one can see the treaty mentioned: The
Scottish Borders set by
Alexander III "shall remain for ever to the eminent prince Lord Robert, by the grace of God the illustrious king of Scots, our ally and dearest friend, and to his heirs and successors, divided in all things from the realm of England, entire, free, and quit, without any subjection, servitude, claim, or demand."
It is sometimes claimed that as part of the treaty, Edward III agreed to return the
Stone of Destiny to Scotland. This was part of a concurrent agreement (
Edward III issued a royal writ on
1 July, addressed to the
Abbot of Westminster, which acknowledged this agreement and ordered the Stone be taken to his mother — it was not), but, as can be seen from the text below, it is not mentioned in the Treaty.
See also
★
Wars of Scottish Independence
★
List of treaties