John Balliol had to decide whether his first loyalty was to the throne of Scotland or to the man who put him there.
In 1292, John Balliol became King of Scots thanks to the baffling decision of the Scottish noblemen to let King Edward I of England decide between John and his rival for the crown, Robert de Brus, Lord of Annandale. Edward immediately let it be known that he regarded John as his vassal, and Scotland as an English fiefdom; but John Barbour felt that no Scottish King should serve two masters.
What were the Scots thinking back in 1290, when they asked King Edward I of England, of all people, to choose them a king?
In 1286, Alexander III, King of Scots, was killed in a riding accident; four years later his heiress and granddaughter Margaret died in Orkney aged just seven, leaving Scotland without a clear successor. Thirteen ‘Competitors’ staked a claim. They were whittled down to two, John Balliol and Robert de Brus, and to John Barbour’s disbelief the squabbling Scots asked Edward I of England to choose the winner.