The House of Balliol (de Bailleul) was a

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

family originating from the village of Bailleul in Picardy. They held estates in England, granted during the reign of King

William Rufus William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...

. Through marriage, they had claims to the Throne of Scotland. One member of the family,

John Balliol John Balliol ( – late 1314), known derisively as ''Toom Tabard'' (meaning "empty coat" – coat of arms), 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 ...

, was named King of Scotland after the disputed succession following extinction of the Dunkeld line. John was deposed, leading to the

First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty ...

. His son, Edward Balliol, also briefly controlled the Scottish throne during the

Second War of Scottish Independence The Second War of Scottish Independence broke out in 1332 when Edward Balliol led an English-backed invasion of Scotland. Balliol, the son of a former Scottish king, was attempting to make good his claim to the Scottish throne. He was opposed b ...

. Edward had no issue, and the direct line went extinct with him.

List of heads of the Balliol estates

* Guy I de Balliol (died before 1130 × 1133), established lordship in northern England in 1090s *

Bernard I de Balliol Bernard I de Balliol (died 1154 x 1162), the second-known-ruling Balliol of his line, was a twelfth-century Anglo- Picard baron based for much of his time in the north of England, as well as at Bailleul-en-Vimeu close to Abbeville in northern Fra ...

(died 1154 x 1162), nephew of Guy *

Guy II de Balliol Guy II de Balliol (died early 1160s x 1167) was probably the second-eldest son of Bernard I de Balliol, Lord of Balliol and Barnard Castle Barnard Castle (, ) is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, Northern En ...

(died early 1160s x 1167), son of Bernard * Bernard II de Balliol (died c. 1190), brother of above *

Eustace de Balliol Eustace de Balliol (or Eustace de Helicourt) (died c. 1209) was the cousin and successor of Bernard II de Balliol, lord of Balliol and Barnard Castle. He was the lord of Château de Hélicourt, Hélicourt in Picardy, an estate near the chief seat ...

(died c. 1209), cousin of above * Hugh de Balliol (died 1229), son of above *

John I de Balliol John de Balliol (before 1208 – 25 October 1268) was an English nobleman, belonging to the House of Balliol. Balliol College, in Oxford, is named after him. Life John de Balliol was born before 1208 to Cecily de Fontaines, daughter of Aléa ...

(died 1268), son of above, the founder of

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

* John II de Balliol (died 1314), son of above, reigned as King of Scotland from 1292 to 1296, as a descendent

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim ( Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Mal ...

of the

House of Dunkeld The House of Dunkeld (in or "of the Caledonians") is a historiographical and genealogical construct to illustrate the clear succession of Scottish kings from 1034 to 1040 and from 1058 to 1286. The line is also variously referred to by historians ...

. * Edward de Balliol (died 1364), eldest son of John; from 1332 to 1356 he was a pretender to the Scottish throne with the support of the England, in opposition to

David II of Scotland David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371) was King of Scots from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five, and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, beco ...

. The last two on the list both had English support for their claims but both were deposed. Edward died without issue, but the Balliol descent continued through his cousin Christine de Lindsay (granddaughter of John I), who married Enguerrand V, Lord of Coucy, to the lords of Coucy and ultimately the Bourbon kings of France and Spain.

References

* Stell, G. P., "Balliol, Bernard de (d. 1154x62)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
, accessed 24 Jan 2008
* Stell, G. P., "Balliol, Bernard de (d. c.1190)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
, accessed 24 Jan 2008
* Stell, G. P., "Balliol , John de (b. before 1208, d. 1268)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
, accessed 24 Jan 2008
People from Picardy Balliol Balliol Scoto-Normans {{Normandy-stub

List of heads of the Balliol estates

See also

References