Alexander III; but they might be said to have reached the heights of their power and influence during the reign of John Balliol . Competitors and kings In 1290 Margaret, Maid of Norway, the last direct descendant of the Canmore dynasty, died, leaving the Scottish throne with no clear successor. Thirteen competitors came forward, including Robert Bruce of Annandale, grandfather of the future king, and John Balliol. Although John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, sometimes known as the Black Comyn, was one of the minor competitors, the weight of the family was behind the claim of Balliol, Badenoch's brother-in-law. Following the intervention of Edward I, Balliol finally emerged in 1292 as the strongest claimant in terms of feudal law, though the Bruce family was not reconciled to this outcome. Any successful future bid for the crown could only proceed with the co-operation, or by the destruction, of the house of Comyn. By 1292 the great division which was to dominate Scottish politics on and off for over fifty years had taken definite shape. John of Buchan John Comyn became third earl of Buchan following the death of his father, Alexander, in 1289. Comyn was some 30 years of age at the time. He was prominent in John Balliol's administration, emerging as Constable of Scotland by 1293. He was one of those summoned by Edward I, in his capacity as the Feudal overlord of Scotland, to serve in the wars in France. When King John agreed to the demands of the English king for Scottish participation in the war, Buchan and others, took management of the kingdom into their own hands. The new government concluded an alliance with France and prepared for war with England. In the first act of that war Buchan, along with his cousin, John, the Red Comyn, son of the Black Comyn and nephew of King John, led an attack on Carlisle. This attack was against Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, son of the competitor. Thus it might be said that what was to become the War of Scottish Independence opened with a clash between the Comyns and the Bruces. The attack on Carlisle was a failure; so too was the whole Scottish campaign of 1296. Edward, having knocked out the main Scottish host at the Battle of Dunbar, moved North in rapid stages. Buchan and King John surrendered at Montrose in July, along with other leading Scottish