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The Treaty of Berwick, signed at Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, in 1357,
officially ended the Second War of Scottish Independence. In this second
phase of the Wars of Scottish Independence, which began in 1333, King
Edward III of England attempted to install Edward Balliol on the
Scottish throne, in place of King David II, son of Robert the Bruce.
Under the terms of Under the terms of the treaty, David II was released by the English, who
had captured him at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346. The English
demanded a ransom of 100,000 merks, or £67,000 sterling for his release,
payable in annual instalments over a period of ten years, but only the
first two payments were made. The first instalment of the ransom was
paid punctually, the second was late, and after that no more could be
paid. Taxation was increased in order to pay the ransom, and David began
to embezzle from his own ransom fund, causing widespread resentment,
culminating in the ransom protest of 1363.
The treaty had ceded large areas of southern Scotland - including most
of Berwickshire and Roxburghshire as well as Annandale in the west,
including substantial areas of Douglas lands. From around 1369,
the Scots had begun to gradually chip away at the English
administrations in these areas and slowly reoccupy this territory.
David II also agreed to name Edward III of England as his successor,
which was rejected by the Scottish Parliament. The issue of succession
was settled when Robert Stewart assumed the throne on David's death in
1371. |
