After The death of Alexander III, a dispute took place as to the succession to his throne, the matter was referred to Edward I of England.
The latter agreed to arbitrate, and decided in favour of John Baliol, one of the claimants.

But Edward also put forward a claim of supremacy over Scotland,which is based upon acts of homage paid by previous Scottish Kings to Kings of England, which were, however, paid in respect only of English lands owned by the Scottish Kings.

Baliol and the Scottish Norman nobility weakly submitted, but the Scottish people rose under William Wallace, and for eight years fought until Wallace was captured and executed (1305).

The Red Earl of Ulster was, as we have seen, the real leader of the Normans in Ireland at the time. To meet this attack on his own territory of Ulster, he summoned all his forces in Connacht, and both Normans and Irish—the latter led by Felim O’Connor, King of Connacht—assembled at Athlone.

Edward Bruce, to whom the Irish chiefs thus ” transferred their own right of royal dominion,” was the brother of the victorious King Robert of Scotland.