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 280 General History oj Europe 465. Scotland and Edward I's Attempt to conquer it. The conquest of Scotland proved a far more difficult matter than that of Wales. When the Angles and Saxons conquered Britain some of them wandered north as far as the Firth of Forth and occupied the so-called "Lowlands" of Scotland. The mountainous region to the north, known as the " Highlands/' continued to be held by wild tribes related to the Welsh and Irish and talking a language similar to theirs, namely, Gaelic. There was constant warfare between the older inhabitants themselves, and between them and the newcomers from Germany, but both Highlands and Lowlands were finally united under a line of Scotch kings, who moved their residence down to Edinburgh, which, with its fortress, became their chief town. It was natural that the language of the Scotch Lowlands should be English, but in the mountains the Highlanders to this day continue to talk the ancient Gaelic of their forefathers. When the old line of Scotch monarchs died out in 1290, Edward was invited to decide who should be the next ruler. He did so on condition that the new king should hold Scotland as a fief from the English king. But Edward's demands roused the anger of the Scotch, and they declared themselves independent. The English monarch regarded this as a rebellion, and he made various attempts to incorporate Scotland with England by force, in the same way that he had treated Wales. Scotland was able to maintain her independence largely through the skill of Robert Bruce, a national hero who united the people under his leadership. Edward I died, old and worn out, in 1307 and left the task of dealing with the Scotch to his incompetent son, Edward II. The Scotch made Bruce their king and defeated Edward II in the great battle of Bannockburn. (1314), the most famous conflict in Scottish history. While England was forced to recognize the independence of Scotland, intermittent war between the two countries continued for nearly three hundred years after the battle of Bannockburn. Finally, a Scotch king ascended the English throne as James I, in 1603, and a hundred years later the countries were at last united as they are today.