Page:Life and adventures of Sir Wm. Wallace.pdf/3

 daughters ; for Allan lord of Galloway, leaving.no sons by his wife Margaret ; his eldest daughter Dor- nagilla of Galloway, married John Baliol, a man of great power and lands both in Scotland, England and France, and bare to him John Baliol afterwards King.

Robert Bruce by his wife Isabel of Huntington, had Robert Bruce, who came to be earl of Garrick, by marrying Martha heritrix thereof, and who con- tended with John Baliol, and died in the time or Wal- lace’s wars. His eldest son, Robert Bruce, succeed- ed King of Scotland.

Dornagilla of Galloway claimed the crown, as heir to Margaret, eldest daughter to prince David.

Robert Bruce, earl of Garrick, albeit son to Isabel the second daughter yet, contended that in feudal succession, the first male ought to succeed before a woman standing in the some degree, as a son exclud- eth his sister from succession, altho’ she be elder: and therefore he and Dornagilla of Galloway, stand- ing in the same degree from prince David, he ought to he prefered to her ; as for her son John Baliol, he could claim no right but by her, and likewise a de- gree further off from prince David.

The right of succession being thus made doubtful, the competitors were so powerful that they drew the greatest part of the kingdom into two equal factions ; so that it seemed impossible to settle the controver- sy at home, without running into a pernicious civil war.

The states of Scotland, to prevent this mischief, thought it fitter to submit the arbitrament of the plea to Edward I sirnamed Longshanks, king of England, Jam! that upon divers weighty reasons ; for he and his father K. Henry III, being joined by many alliances