Alexander II

Alexander II (1198-1249), king of Scots (1214-49). Son and successor of William the Lion. He swiftly asserted himself against King John by allying with the barons of Magna Carta, who formally recognized Scottish claims to Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmorland. In 1216 the Yorkshire rebels paid homage to him, and he marched as far south as Dover to meet Prince Louis of France, claimant to the English throne, who acknowledged his right to the border counties. Following John's death and the royalist victory at Lincoln, the ground was cut from beneath the Scots, and in December 1217 Alexander made peace with Henry III, relinquishing his war gains. These events introduced a new realism into Anglo-Scottish relations, and both kingdoms adopted more conciliatory policies. His marriage to Henry III's sister Joan reinforced the new understanding between the crowns, and by the treaty of York (1237) he renounced all claims to the border shires. Scottish resources were now concentrated on the vigorous assertion of authority in the north and west of Scotland. Alexander died of a fever on the island of Kerrera in Oban Bay while leading a major expedition against the Western Isles.