 Neither party showed any inclination to back down , and the nation seemed on the brink of another civil war . Just as the conflict was coming to a head , however , external events intervened to settle it . In September 1297 , the English suffered a heavy defeat to the Scots at the Battle of Stirling Bridge . The Scottish victory exposed the north of England to Scottish raids led by William Wallace . The war with Scotland received wider support from the English magnates , now that their own homeland was threatened , than did the war in France to protect the king 's continental possessions . Edward abandoned his campaign in France and negotiated a truce with the French king . He agreed to confirm Magna Carta in the so @-@ called Confirmatio Cartarum ( Confirmation of the Charters ) . The earls consequently consented to serve with the king in Scotland , and Hereford was in the army that won a decisive victory over the Scots in the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 . Hereford , not satisfied that the king had upheld the charter , withdrew after the battle , forcing Edward to abandon the campaign . 
