With the death of Alexander III of Scotland in 1286 without a male heir, the throne of Scotland has become the possession of the three-year old Margaret, Maid of Norway, the granddaughter of the Scottish King.

In 1290, the Guardians of Scotland, who had been appointed to govern the realm during the young Queen's minority, draw up the Treaty of Birgham, a marriage contract between Margaret and the then five-year old Edward of Caernarvon, the heir to the English throne.

The treaty, among other points, contains the provision that although any offspring of this marriage will be heir to the crowns of both England and Scotland, the latter kingdom shall be "separate, apart and free in itself without subjection to the English Kingdom".

The intent, clearly, is to keep Scotland as an independent entity.In early October, the young Queen Margaret dies in Orkney on her way to Scotland, leaving Scotland without an undisputed successor to the throne.

The Guardians call upon Edward I of England to decide between various competitors for the Scottish throne in a process known as the Great Cause.

One of the strongest claimants, John Balliol, lord of Galloway, forges an alliance with the powerful Antony Bek, Bishop of Durham, the representative of Edward I in Scotland and began styling himself 'heir of Scotland', while another, Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale, turns up to the site of Queen Margaret's supposed inauguration with a force of soldiers amidst rumors that his friends the Earl of Mar and the Earl of Atholl are also raising their forces.

Scotland looks to be headed for civil war.