High Middle Ages · Europe · Politics

1286

Alexander III of Scotland dies

March 19, 1286

Riding in a storm to join his new queen, the Scottish king fell from his horse over a cliff near Kinghorn. His only heir was a three-year-old granddaughter in Norway. The succession crisis that followed would draw Edward I of England into Scottish politics with lasting consequences. The sudden death of a healthy king in his prime set in motion events that would lead to centuries of Anglo-Scottish conflict.