These efforts by the Scottish kings roused (рассердили) old King Haakon of Norway, and in 1263 a large Norwegian force appeared in the Clyde. Bad weather scattered (разметала) the ships, but the Norwegians managed to force their way ashore in Ayrshire. There Alexander met them and soundly beat them in the battle of Largs. As a result, Norway gave up the Hebrides to the king of Scots. However, the Lord of the Isles, caring little for overlords, whether Norwegian or Scots, continued to behave as an independent prince.

In 1286 Alexander III died after a fall from his horse. His sons had died before him, and the heir to the kingdom was a baby girl, Margaret, daughter of the king of Norway and Alexander's granddaughter. Scotland was left again without a strong head to wear the crown, at a time, unfortunately for the Scots, when the English crown was resting on a very strong head indeed, that of Edward I.

Edward suggested that the 'Maid of Norway' should marry his son. He sent a ship, with boxes of sweets, to fetch her, but she died on the way from Norway. Who was to reign now? Several nobles had claims of a kind, and the strongest candidates were Robert Bruce and John Balliol. Edward hastened to Scotland, declaring that he would help to judge who had the better claim. Under his menacing (грозный) eye, the Scottish nobles selected Balliol, Edward's choice.

It was obvious that Edward's real aim was to gain control of Scotland himself. His chief reason for preferring Balliol to Bruce was that he believed Balliol would do what he was told. He knew both men, for both had fought with him in France and both held lands in England, which made them Edward's vassals.

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- возможность общения с людьми из разных областей своей страны и разных стран мира, что позволяет расширить свой кругозор и усовершенствовать владение иностранным языком;
- неограниченный набор учеников, зависящий исключительно от обучающих возможностей преподавателя;
- свободный график ведения занятий и уроков, составленный в соответствии с планами преподавателя;
- оплата занятий устанавливается преподавателем согласно его желаниям и требованиям;
- комфортное место для занятий, исключающее все возможные внешние раздражители.

Причина 1. «У меня нет денег»

Хорошая отговорка, весомая. Действительно, еще каких-то 5-10 лет назад отсутствие финансов было основной преградой для жаждущих грызть гранит английской науки.

Решение: Сегодня в интернете чуть ли не каждый день появляются новые бесплатные ресурсы. Выберите самый интересный сайт для изучения английского языка и осваивайте новые знания. На просторах всемирной паутины можно найти бесплатные видео уроки по английскому. Они рассчитаны на разные уровни знания языка, вы подберете именно то, что нужно вам.

Причина 2. «У меня нет времени»

Конечно, темп современной жизни заставляет нас отказываться от многих удовольствий в жизни. Но подумайте, может быть, уделив изучению языка немного времени сегодня, вы сможете впоследствии сменить работу на более интересную и менее напряженную? Может у вас появится возможность больше времени проводить с семьей? Вас отправят в заграничную командировку, о которой вы давно мечтали? ...

To keep the barons loyal and helpful, the king had to be a man worthy of their respect. King John (1199-1216) fell far short of that standard. Although he was not an evil man, John could be vicious and treacherous. Though clever, he was lazy. Though he had a sense of humour, his jokes could be unpleasant for others. When he went to Ireland as governor for his brother Richard I, he laughed at the old-fashioned appearance of the Irish lords and amused himself by pulling their long beards. The Irish were deeply offended by such behaviour, and no wonder.

Just as foolishly, John angered the English barons. They were already discontented as a result of the heavy taxes they had to pay for the Crusading campaigns of Richard I. John demanded yet more taxes for his French wars and, what was far worse, John's wars were unsuccessful. The barons resented the king's cruel and unpredictable behaviour towards individuals; they suspected him of having his nephew, Prince Arthur, secretly murdered. They were annoyed by John's refusal to seek advice from the men who, according to tradition, should have been his chief counsellors – themselves.

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