<P> With a further series of battles and deposings, five of Malcolm's sons as well as one of his brothers successively became king . Eventually, the Crown came to his youngest son, David I. David was succeeded by his grandsons Malcolm IV, and then by William the Lion, the longest - reigning King of Scots before the Union of the Crowns . William participated in a rebellion against King Henry II of England but when the rebellion failed, William was captured by the English . In exchange for his release, William was forced to acknowledge Henry as his feudal overlord . The English King Richard I agreed to terminate the arrangement in 1189, in return for a large sum of money needed for the Crusades . William died in 1214, and was succeeded by his son Alexander II . Alexander II, as well as his successor Alexander III, attempted to take over the Western Isles, which were still under the overlordship of Norway . During the reign of Alexander III, Norway launched an unsuccessful invasion of Scotland; the ensuing Treaty of Perth recognised Scottish control of the Western Isles and other disputed areas . </P> <P> Alexander III's unexpected death in a riding accident in 1286 precipitated a major succession crisis . Scottish leaders appealed to King Edward I of England for help in determining who was the rightful heir . Edward chose Alexander's three - year - old Norwegian granddaughter, Margaret . On her way to Scotland in 1290, however, Margaret died at sea, and Edward was again asked to adjudicate between 13 rival claimants to the throne . A court was set up and after two years of deliberation, it pronounced John Balliol to be king . Edward proceeded to treat Balliol as a vassal, and tried to exert influence over Scotland . In 1295, when Balliol renounced his allegiance to England, Edward I invaded . During the first ten years of the ensuing Wars of Scottish Independence, Scotland had no monarch, until Robert the Bruce declared himself king in 1306 . </P> <P> Robert's efforts to control Scotland culminated in success, and Scottish independence was acknowledged in 1328 . However, only one year later, Robert died and was succeeded by his five - year - old son, David II . On the pretext of restoring John Balliol's rightful heir, Edward Balliol, the English again invaded in 1332 . During the next four years, Balliol was crowned, deposed, restored, deposed, restored, and deposed until he eventually settled in England, and David remained king for the next 35 years . </P> <P> David II died childless in 1371 and was succeeded by his nephew Robert II of the House of Stuart . The reigns of both Robert II and his successor, Robert III, were marked by a general decline in royal power . When Robert III died in 1406, regents had to rule the country; the monarch, Robert III's son James I, had been taken captive by the English . Having paid a large ransom, James returned to Scotland in 1424; to restore his authority, he used ruthless measures, including the execution of several of his enemies . He was assassinated by a group of nobles . James II continued his father's policies by subduing influential noblemen but he was killed in an accident at the age of thirty, and a council of regents again assumed power . James III was defeated in a battle against rebellious Scottish earls in 1488, leading to another boy - king: James IV . </P>

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