William the Lion (Scottish Gaelic:Uilleam an Leòmhann), sometimes styledWilliam I (Uilleam MacEanraig;Medieval Gaelic:Uilliam mac Eanric) and also known by the nicknameGarbh, 'the Rough'^[2] (c. 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned asKing of Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49-year-long reign^[3] was the longest for aScottish monarch before theUnion of the Crowns in 1603.

William I
Seal of King William
King of Alba (Scotland)
Reign	9 December 1165 – 4 December 1214
Coronation	24 December 1165
Predecessor	Malcolm IV
Successor	Alexander II
Born	c. 1142[1]
Died	(1214-12-04)4 December 1214 (aged 71–72) Stirling, Scotland
Burial	Arbroath Abbey, Scotland
Spouse	Ermengarde de Beaumont ​ ​ (m. 1186)​
Issue	Margaret, Countess of Kent Isabella, Countess of Norfolk Alexander II Marjorie, Countess of Pembroke Isabella, Baroness Ros of Wark (ill.)
House	House of Dunkeld
Father	Henry of Scotland
Mother	Ada de Warenne

William was born around 1142, during the reign of his grandfather KingDavid I of Scotland. His parents wereHenry of Scotland, a younger son of David I, andAda de Warenne, a daughter of the powerfulAnglo-Norman lordWilliam de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey andElizabeth of Vermandois, Countess of Leicester, herself a granddaughter ofHenry I of France.^[3] William was around 10 years old when his father died in 1152, making his elder brotherMalcolm theheir apparent to their grandfather. From his father, William inherited theEarldom of Northumbria. David I died the next year, and William becameheir presumptive to the new king, Malcolm IV. In 1157, William lost the Earldom of Northumbria toHenry II of England.^[4]

Malcolm IV did not live for long, and upon his death on 9 December 1165 at age 24, William ascended the throne. The new monarch was crowned on 24 December 1165.^[3] His brother's steward, constable, and chancellor remained in office, and William confirmed Malcolm IV's last bequest toDunfermline Abbey.^[3] In contrast to his deeply religious, frail brother, William was powerfully built, redheaded, and headstrong.^{[citation needed]} He was an effective monarch whose reign was marred by his ill-fated attempts to regain control of his paternal inheritance ofNorthumbria from theAnglo-Normans.

After his accession to the throne William spent some time at the court of King Henry II; then, quarrelling with Henry, he arranged in 1168 the first definite treaty of alliance between France and Scotland.^[5]

William was then a key player in theRevolt of 1173–1174 againstHenry II, which was led by Henry's sons with some short-lived assistance fromLouis VII of France.^[5] In 1174, at theBattle of Alnwick, during a raid in support of the revolt, William was surprised in this encampment with only 60 men to the English 400. He recklessly charged the English troops himself, shouting, "Now we shall see which of us are good knights!" He was unhorsed and captured by Henry's troops led byRanulf de Glanvill and taken in chains toNewcastle, thenNorthampton, and then transferred toCaen thenFalaise inNormandy.^[3] Henry then sent an army to Scotland and occupied it. As ransom and to regain his kingdom, William had to acknowledge Henry as his feudal superior and agree to pay for the cost of the English army's occupation of Scotland by taxing the Scots. The cost was equal to 40,000 Scottishmarks (£26,000).^[6] The church in Scotland was also subjected to that of England. William acknowledged this by signing theTreaty of Falaise and was then allowed to return to Scotland.^[7] On 10 August 1175 he swore fealty to Henry II atYork Castle and became his liege man.^[3]

The humiliation of the Treaty of Falaise triggered a revolt inGalloway which lasted until 1186 and prompted the construction of acastle at Dumfries. In 1179, meanwhile, William and his brother David personally led a force northwards intoEaster Ross, establishing two further castles, north of theBeauly andCromarty Firths:^[8] one on theBlack Isle atEderdour; and the other at Dunkeath, near the mouth of the Cromarty Firth oppositeCromarty.^[9] The aim was to discourage theNorseearls of Orkney from expanding beyondCaithness.

A further rising in 1181 involved DonaldMeic Uilleim, descendant of KingDuncan II. Donald briefly took over Ross; not until his death in 1187 was William able to reclaim Donald's stronghold ofInverness. Further royal expeditions were required in 1197 and 1202 to fully neutralise the Orcadian threat.

William also quarrelled withPope Alexander III, a quarrel which arose out of a double choice for the vacantbishopric of St Andrews. The king put forward his chaplain,Hugh, while the pope supported the archdeacon,John Scotus, who had been canonically elected. A hostile interchange followed; then after the death of Alexander in 1181 his successor,Pope Lucius III, consented to a compromise by which Hugh got the bishopric and John becamebishop of Dunkeld. In 1188 William secured apapal bull which declared that the Church of Scotland was directly subject only to Rome, thus rejecting the claims to supremacy put forward by theEnglish archbishop.^[5]

The Treaty of Falaise remained in force for the next fifteen years. Then the English kingRichard the Lionheart, needing money to take part in theThird Crusade, agreed to terminate it in return for 10,000 silver marks (£6,500), on 5 December 1189. William then was able to address the turbulent chiefs in the outlying parts of his kingdom. His authority was recognized inGalloway which, hitherto, had been practically independent; he put an end to a formidable insurrection inMoray andInverness; and a series of campaigns brought the far north,Caithness andSutherland, under the power of the crown.^[5]

William attempted to purchaseNorthumbria from Richard in 1194, as he had a strong claim over it. However, his offer of 15,000 marks (£9,750) was rejected due to wanting the castles within the lands, which Richard was not willing to give.^[10] In 1200, William did homage for Northumbria, not for Scotland, to Richard's successor,John, apparently to save face.^[5]

Despite the Scots regaining their independence, Anglo-Scottish relations remained tense during the first decade of the 13th century. In August 1209 King John decided to flex the English muscles by marching a large army toNorham (near Berwick), in order to exploit the flagging leadership of the ageing Scottish monarch. As well as promising a large sum of money,^[11] the ailing William agreed to his elder daughters marrying English nobles and, when the treaty was renewed in 1212, John apparently gained the hand of William's only surviving legitimate son, and heir,Alexander, for his eldest daughter,Joan.

Due to the terms of the Treaty of Falaise, Henry II had the right to choose William's bride. In 1184, William attended Henry II's court to request a marriage to Henry's granddaughter Matilda of Saxony, daughter ofDuke Henry the Lion of Saxony andMatilda of England. The proposal was referred to the pope and was forbidden on the grounds of consanguinity.^[3]

Henry instead choseErmengarde de Beaumont, a great-granddaughter of KingHenry I of England, although through an illegitimate line.^[12] They married atWoodstock Palace on 5 September 1186.Edinburgh Castle was herdowry and Henry II paid for the four days of festivities. After the wedding she was escorted to Scotland by Scottish nobles and Jocelin, Bishop of Glasgow.^[12]

The marriage was not very successful, and it was many years before they had an heir. William and Ermengarde's children were:

1. Margaret of Scotland, Countess of Kent (1193–1259),^[13] marriedHubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent;
2. Isabella of Scotland, Countess of Norfolk (1195–1263), marriedRoger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk;
3. Alexander II of Scotland (1198–1249);^[14]
4. Marjorie (1200–17 November 1244),^[15] marriedGilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke.

Out of wedlock, William I had numerous illegitimate children, their descendants being among those who wouldlay claim to the Scottish crown.

By a daughter, name unknown, of Adam de Hythus:

1. Margaret, marriedEustace de Vesci,Lord of Alnwick.^[16]

By Isabel d'Avenel:

1. Robert de London;^[17]
2. Henry de Galightly, father ofPatrick Galithly one of the competitors to the crown in 1291;^[18]
3. Ada Fitzwilliam (c. 1164–1200), marriedPatrick I, Earl of Dunbar (c. 1152–1232);^[18] Ada predeceased her husband in 1200.^[19]
4. Aufrica married William de Say, whose great-great-grandsonRoger de Mandeville was one of the competitors to the crown in 1291;^[18]
5. Isabella Mac William (born c. 1165) marriedRobert III de Brus (1183) thenRobert de Ros (1191),Magna Carta suretor.^[20]

William died on 4 December 1214 and was succeeded by his son Alexander.^[14]

Despite continued dependence on English goodwill, William's reign showed much achievement. He threw himself into government with energy and diligently followedthe lines laid down by his grandfather, David I.Anglo-French settlements and feudalization were extended, newburghs were founded (for example Perth in 1210),^[22] criminal law was clarified, the responsibilities of justices and sheriffs were widened, and trade grew. Traditionally, William is credited with foundingArbroath Abbey,^[23] the site of the laterDeclaration of Arbroath. TheBishopric of Argyll was established (c. 1192) in the same year aspapal confirmation of the Scottish church byPope Celestine III.

William was not known as "the Lion" during his own lifetime,^[24] and the title did not relate to his tenacious character or his military prowess. It was attached to him because of his flag or standard, a red lion rampant with a forked tail (queue fourchée) on a yellow background. This (with the substitution of a "double tressure fleury counter-fleury" border instead of an orle) went on to become theRoyal Banner of Scotland, still used today butquartered with those ofEngland and ofIreland. It became attached to him because the chroniclerJohn of Fordun called him the "Lion of Justice".

• Ashley, Mike.Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens, 1998.
• Magnusson, Magnus;Scotland: Story of a Nation, 2001.

• William I at the official website of theBritish monarchy