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The Lion
King of Scots
Earl of Northumberland, 1152-7
Earl of Huntingdon, 1165-1174
William, King of Scotland, was surnamed "The Lion" due to the rampant ( s t a n d ing on hind legs) red lion on a yellow field, which he had as his s t a n d a rd. It would go on to become Scotland's Royal Heraldic colours and i s e a s i l y recognizable eveven today.
He was the second son of Henry, Earl of Huntingdon (died 1152), a son o f K i n g D a vid I, he became king of Scotland on the death of his brother, t h e w e a k -willed Malcolm IV. In December 1165, William was crowned at Sco n e . S h o rtly after his accesssion to the throne, he spent some time at t h e E n g l ish court of Henry II; then quarrelling with Henry, he arranged a n a l l i a nce betgween the two countries, Scotland and France,which would t a k e r o o t again over 100 years later (in 1294) and last until 1746, know n a s t h e " A uld Alliance." The oldest mutual self-defence treaty in Euro pe . H e a r r anged this treaty with French King Louis VII; and even assist e d H e n r y' s sons in their revolt against their father (Henry II of Engl a n d ) i n 1 173. In return for this aid, the younger Henry granted Northum b e r l a nd , a possession which William had sought, in vain, from the Engl i s h k i n g .: William was a ferocious fighter and military commander, but o f q u e s t ionable ability as a tactician, by English chronicle accounts. H e l e d a b a n d of well armed men, a mix of wild Irish Kerns, Norman-Scots , C e lt s a n d Galloway men. According to the chroniclers the kerns slaugh te r e d c h ildren, ripped open pregnant women, and cut down priests at the i r a l t a rs." But, this type of description of William's actions were wri t t e n b y f rightened and highly propagandized English chroniclers, whose p r o s e w a s so compelling that later chroniclers and writers would use thi s s a m e p r opaganda when they described the behaviour of William Wallace' s m e n .
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Abt 1143 - Abt 1214 (71 years)