Edward was asked to arbitrate between the two strongest claimants for the Scottish throne: John Balliol and Robert the Bruce. Edward chose Balliol and expected him to become his puppet.

King Robert the Bruce ... defeated the Scottish army at the Battle of Dunbar and got rid of King John Balliol in 1296 , Bruce supported the rebellion against Edward's control.

Edward, who claimed to be 'Lord Superior of Scotland', supported John Balliol over Robert the Bruce, awarding him the crown. Scottish nobles united against Edward and there followed sixty years of ...