John Balliol

John Balliol, known derisively as Toom Tabard (meaning empty coat), was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296. Little is known of his early life. After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered an interregnum during which several competitors for the Crown of Scotland put forward claims, and Balliol was chosen from among them as the new King of Scotland by a group of selected noblemen headed by King Edward I of England. Edward used his influence over the process to subjugate Scotland and undermined Balliol's personal reign by treating Scotland as a vassal of England. Under pressure from the Scottish nobility, Balliol signed a treaty with France known as the Auld Alliance and renounced his fealty to Edward. In retaliation, Edward invaded Scotland, starting the Wars of Scottish Independence, and after a Scottish defeat in 1296, Balliol abdicated and was imprisoned in the Tower of London before being sent to his estates in France, where he retired into obscurity.