Black Parliament

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Black Parliament, 1320. A parliament held at Scone on 4 August 1320 to try conspirators who had intended to kill Robert I and place Sir William Soulis, the son of a competitor in the Great Cause, on the throne. Soulis was sentenced to life imprisonment, while five others were acquitted. Some were not so fortunate. Sir Roger Mowbray, dead before the trial, was none the less sentenced to be drawn, hanged, and beheaded, although Robert I's clemency prevented the mutilation. Four others were drawn behind horses, hanged, and beheaded. These punishments were unusual by Scottish standards, and shocked Scots more than the initial treason.

Roland Tanner