Many people have talked about what might have happened if Margaret, the Maid of Norway had survived her trip over to Scotland, become Queen and married the future Edward II of England. One of the most agreed-upon consequences is an earlier union of the crowns. However, I've just been reading about the reigns of Edward I and II, and I've learned that one of the problems Edward II faced during his reign was a mountain of debt accumulated by his father when he fought against the Scots and the French at the same time over a period of 13 years.
What if, in a scenario where Margaret of Norway lives, Edward only ends up fighting Philip IV of France over Gascony? Would the initial stress on Edward II be lessened? And what might some other short-term consequences be? I think, in terms of the Scots, anything could happen. They could be happy with Margaret, or eventually see her as an English puppet and try to get rid of her and Edward. Regardless, I think people like the Bruces and William Wallace might still cause trouble (maybe not of the scale of OTL, but still cause trouble regardless).
Any thoughts?