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 was now the most important market for English wool, and also because Philip was helping Edward's enemies the Scots. What Edward himself was really set upon was the union of Wales and Scotland to England. With Wales he was finally successful. After two or three long and patient campaigns, full of painful marches and costly castle-building, he managed to shut up Llewellyn, the last ‘Prince of North Wales’, in the mountainous district of Snowdon; and when Llewellyn was killed in a skirmish, Edward organized Wales into counties with regular sheriffs, judges and law courts, all under the English crown. From that time the eldest son of the King of England has always borne the title of ‘Prince of Wales’. The first Englishman to be Prince of Wales could at least speak no English when the title was given to him, for he was only a few hours old. But the King stained his victory by the cruel execution of a Welsh prince, David, who, after all, had only done what all Celtic princes had been doing for centuries, namely, promised to submit and then rebelled again.

With Scotland Edward just failed, and his failure brought a terrible retribution on both countries. For nearly a century before this time Scotland had been at peace with England, and its southern half had been growing richer and happier. Many Norman and English barons owned lands on both sides of the border and so were ‘vassals’ of the Kings of both countries. Even the Scottish King held a small English earldom, and for that he was, of course, the ‘vassal’ of King Edward. But the crown of Scotland he held from God alone, as Edward held the crown of England.

King Alexander III of Scotland died in 1286, leaving an infant grand-daughter known as the ‘Maid of Norway’.