The price of a king's freedom
The Treaty of London, agreed in 1364 and ratified by the Scottish Parliament, set the terms for the ransom of King David II, who had been an English prisoner since his capture at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346. The ransom was set at 100,000 merks — an astronomical sum that would burden Scotland's treasury for decades and reshape the kingdom's finances.
David II had spent eleven years in English captivity, living in considerable comfort as a royal prisoner. Edward III treated him well — perhaps too well, as David developed a fondness for English culture and English ways that would cause tension when he returned to Scotland. The ransom negotiations were protracted and complicated by David's apparent willingness to consider making an English prince his heir, which would have effectively surrendered Scottish independence. The Scottish Parliament rejected this proposal outright.
The final terms were severe. Scotland was to pay 100,000 merks in annual instalments, with hostages held in England as security. The burden fell on every level of Scottish society — the Crown, the nobility, the burghs, and the church all contributed. The payments required new taxes and levies that were deeply unpopular. Scotland had won its independence through the blood of Wallace and Bruce; now it was paying for the freedom of a king who had lost it through military recklessness.
The ransom was never fully paid. David II died in 1371, and the remaining payments were quietly abandoned. But the financial damage was done. Scotland's treasury was depleted, royal authority was weakened, and the kingdom entered a period of noble factionalism that would define the early Stewart era. The Treaty of London stands as a reminder that independence has a price — and that the cost of a single military defeat can echo through generations.