The Barons’ War: King John - Scotland and Wales: Power on the Celtic Fringe
We continue our journey through The Barons’ War: King John by turning our attention to the wider British Isles. Having explored the great Angevin struggle between England and France, it is time to look west and north, where Wales and Scotland played their own decisive roles in the drama of John’s reign.
In Wales, long-standing rivalries between native rulers shaped a political landscape that was both familiar and ferociously violent. Power oscillated between the loosely related royal houses of north and south Wales, their competition complicated, but not fundamentally changed, by the arrival of the Normans. Over the course of the twelfth century, Henry I and Henry II had established England as the ultimate arbiter, skillfully playing Welsh kings and Marcher lords against one another to ensure that no single ruler could dominate for long. It was during this period that the title “prince” began to appear, used in the Latin sense of princeps, meaning “chief” or “over-king”, rather than the later hereditary title.
King John initially followed much the same approach as his father. In 1205, he married his illegitimate daughter Joanna to Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd, forging a powerful personal alliance with the most influential Welsh ruler of the age. The relationship was never simple, shaped as it was by constant shifts in power and loyalty, but for a time, John was able to maintain his authority. His brutal campaign of 1210 against the family of William de Braose was a stark demonstration of royal power, crushing resistance among the Marcher lords of south Wales and Ireland alike.
That dominance did not last. Llywelyn steadily tightened his grip over the Welsh rulers, and by 1212, John’s position was beginning to crumble. A planned punitive expedition was abandoned after warnings from Joanna herself and from King William of Scotland that John’s own nobles could not be trusted. In a spiteful act of rage, John had his noble Welsh hostages hanged and disbanded his army. When civil war erupted in England soon after, the Welsh seized their opportunity, burning Marcher castles and reclaiming lost lands.
Relations with Scotland, by contrast, were more stable, though no less significant. King William of Scotland, known as “the Lion”, had reigned since 1165 and was in no position to challenge his powerful southern neighbour. After decades of fruitless diplomacy aimed at regaining Northumbria, the ageing king turned his attention to securing the succession for his teenage son. When William died in 1214, Alexander II inherited the throne smoothly, his potential rivals dispatched with ruthless efficiency.
With Scotland secure, Alexander was well placed to exploit England’s internal collapse. In October 1215, the nobles of Northumbria offered him homage in return for protection, an offer he gladly accepted. King John responded with characteristic ferocity, riding north after his success at Rochester to devastate rebel lands and even carry his destruction into southern Scotland. Alexander was undeterred. In 1216, he secured Carlisle and then marched south with a small force to Dover, where Louis of France, proclaimed king by the rebel barons, rewarded him with the earldom of Northumbria.
All of this turmoil finds its reflection on the tabletop in The Barons’ War: King John. Players who enjoyed the Welsh in the first edition will be pleased to see them return with their distinctive mix of troops. The Welsh retinue offers a solid core of spearmen, archers and skirmishers, supported by mounted nobles and Welsh knights. A wide range of retinue-specific Abilities allows you to tailor your force for hit-and-run warfare, perfect for harassing royal armies, or for the fierce, aggressive fighting so often seen in conflicts between Welsh rivals and the Marcher lords.
The medieval Scots take centre stage for the first time. Like the kingdom itself, the Scottish retinue is a blend of influences that rewards careful coordination. Its core consists of warriors with the Rabble Ability, including Green or Irregular Light Cavalry, Lowlanders, Bowmen and Gaelic Levies. Rabble makes these troops unpredictable, driving them to charge or shoot at the nearest enemy unless tightly controlled, but it also makes them cheaper. Scottish faction Traits require you to spend a portion of your force on such warriors, while making it easier for your Barons and Lords to keep them in line.
For commanders seeking steadier hands, more reliable and more expensive options are available, including Scottish Burghers, Crossbowmen, Knights and higher-quality common troops. You can even field fierce Galwegians led by a Gaelic Lord if you want to unleash the savage fighters of the Irish Sea. In playtesting, Scottish forces have developed a reputation for dramatic victories and equally dramatic defeats, but they have never, ever been dull.
Scotland and Wales were never mere sideshows to King John’s reign. They were active, ambitious players in a fractured political world, and now they are ready to take their place at the heart of your games.
New to The Barons' War? Check out the Starter Box set here.
New to The Barons' War? Check out the Starter Box set here.
Previous articles about The Barons' War: King John book
The Barons’ War: King John – Bringing the Angevin World to the Tabletop
The Barons’ War: King John – Crowns in Conflict: England, France and the Angevin Struggle
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