Talk:Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale

Edward's ambition
There is not a trace of evidence that Edward saw the dispute over the Scottish succession as a means of advancing his ambitions to rule the whole of the British Isles. These ambitions developed in the wake of circumstances. It is important not to read history backwards, so to speak, from outcomes to causes.

There is, unfortunately, a continuing tendency to misread the whole process by which John emerged as king as part of a deeply laid plot by Edward, reflected in this article. This does not accord with the facts. The arbiters most definitely did not stand back while Edward disposed of the kingdom as he would 'with an earldom'. They gave judgement in favour of Balliol in early November, in accordance with all of the precedents of primogeniture: even twenty-nine of Bruce's own auditors voted in favour of Balliol, underlining the strength of his claim. The myth that John Balliol-and it is a myth-was deliberately forced on the Scots as an act of English manipulation was given shape at Robert Bruce's first parliament, held at St. Andrews in 1309. Rcpaterson 05:59, 16 May 2006 (UTC)