General Notes

Alexander II (of Scotland) (1198-1249), king of Scotland (1214-49), the son of
William the Lion. He supported the English barons in their rebellion against
King John, helping them to secure the Magna Carta (1215), but in 1217 he
recognized John's successor, Henry III, as his overlord, and in 1221 he
married Henry's sister, Joan. After Joan's death in 1238, he took a second
wife, Mary of Coucy, who bore him a son in 1241. By the Peace of York (1237),
Alexander and Henry established the permanent boundary between England and
Scotland. At home, Alexander imposed his rule over outlying parts of Scotland
and strengthened the power of the monarchy.