Who was Robert the Bruce?
Scottish Military Leader and King.
Date and Place of Birth:
11th July, 1274 at Turnberry Castle, Ayrshire,
Scotland.
Family Background:
Was the seventh generation of Bruces originally
invited into Scotland from Normandy by King David the First. His
mother was the Celtic Countess of Carrick.
Education:
Received from his family and retainers particularly
in the field of law. He e also learnt the Knightly acts and became
proficient with the battleaxe.
Chronology/Biography of Robert the
Bruce:
1295: Death of Bruce's
Grandfather whilst John Balliol was still King of Scotland. He had
been one of the contenders for the throne when Alexander the Third
died but King Edward the First of England was invited to settle
the dispute over the succession and chose Balliol.
1302: Bruce returned
to the fold of King Edward the First of England after supporting
Scotland's freedom fighters. He did not wish to be seen to support
the cause of his rival John Balliol who by this time had been banished
to his estates in France.
1304: Death of Bruce's
father in Cumberland. He was buried in the church at Abbeytown west
of Carlisle.
1305: Execution
of Sir William Wallace in London. Word
reached Bruce that King Edward was terminally ill and he realised
it was the time to try and assume the throne. He arranged to meet
with John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch ("The Red Comyn") in
Dumfries. He was a nephew of John Balliol and one of the largest
landowners in Scotland and could block Bruce's passage to the throne
if he so wished. Bruce offered Comyn all his family's territories
in return for his suppport as King and said that he would support
Comyn's claim to the throne in return for all his lands. Fortunately
Comyn chose the Bruce lands rather than the crown.
1306: Legend has
it that Comyn told King Edward the First of England of Bruce's desire
to become King of Scotland, which was tantamount to treason. The
two met at Greyfriars Monastery in Dumfries on 10th February. Bruce
confronted Comyn and in the ensuing argument Bruce stabbed Comyn
with his dagger in front of the altar which was a major act of sacrilege.
Friends of Bruce killed Comyn with their swords. The moment had
now been forced with the death of Comyn for him to take the throne
and Bruce took his men to seize the English garrison at Dumfries
Castle. Bruce's army moved northwards and met up with men belonging
to James, Lord of Douglas. On 25th March the crown of Scotland was
placed on Bruce's head at Scone in front of "Four Bishops five
Earls and the people of the land". Traditionally the Earl of
Fife performed the ceremony but Duncan the present Earl was allied
to the English. His aunt Isabel performed the coronation despite
the fact that her own husband the Earl Buchan was also in the pay
of the English. Within a few months however Bruce was defeated at
Methven west of Perth and again Dalrigh south of Tyndrum. Isabel
and his sister Mary were imprisoned in cages and his Queen, Elizabeth
and his daughter Marjorie were put into solitary confinement by
the English. Bruce himself then laid low for several months, probably
somewhere in the Western Isles.
1307: In February
Bruce landed near his birthplace on the Ayrshire coast from the
Isle of Arran. During April Bruce surprised and defeated an English
force at Kloch Trool. On 10th May, he again defeated a superior
English force at Loudoun Hill in North Ayrshire. Edward the First
of England died at Burgh by Sands near Carlisle in July and this
was the signal for many Scots to flock to Bruce's cause. Bruce set
about capturing the remaining castles one by one and began to deal
with the opposition to his crown by the supporters of John Balliol
and "the Red Comyn".
1313: By now most
of the castles had been recaptured largely by stealth as the Scots
were outnumbered by about ten to one and Bruce didn't wish to provoke
outright hostilities. Bruce put the attack on Stirling Castle in
the hands of his impetuous brother Edward but his deal with the
Castle's Captain saying that it would be handed over to the Scots
if a relieving army was not to appear by midsummer meant that the
English would take it as a direct challenge to recover it. A large
English army was mustered and Bruce retired to Torwood to regroup
his followers.
1314: The English
army gathered at Berwick upon Tweed on 10th June and began to march
north. Bruce pulled his men back towards the Bannock Burn on the
old Roman road leading to Stirling Castle. On the 23rd June the
22,000 strong English army approached the Scots position and the
Battle of Bannockburn began. Bruce's spearmen managed to hold off
the English cavalry. As night fell Bruce had to decide whether his
outnumbered army should retreat or stand and fight another day.
On 24th June not long after 3 a.m. Bruce gave the order for his
men to advance. Edward replied by setting his archers to fire on
them but Bruce had seen Scottish spearmen decimated a the Battle
of Falkirk under Wallace and sent his
cavalry to disperse the archers. Finally Bruce's reserves entered
the battlefield and put the English to rout. James Douglas pursued
English King Edward 60 miles to the castle at Dunbar.
1315: The English
still refused to negotiate with the Scots and Bruce began taking
trubute money from the northern English counties who did not want
their towns sacked. The Scots then invaded Ireland in an attempt
to gain support from another Celtic land.
1316: Bruce's brother
Edward was made King of Ireland.
1318: Hopes that
Ireland could be annexed by Scotland were dashed when the Scots
were defeated near Dundalk. Edward Bruce here met his death.
1319: The English
began to besiege Berwick upon Tweed but Lord Douglas and Randolph
by-passed them and raided into Yorkshire cutting an army raised
by the Archbishop of York to pieces.
1320: In order to
seek help from the Pope for the Scots cause the "Declaration
of Arbroath" was made. It stated that Bruce was King of Scots
and their defender rather than King of Scotland.
1322: In October
the Scots managed to defeat a force raised by Kind Edward at the
Battle of Old Byland near Thirsk. Various peace treaties were drawn
up and broken.
1327: The two armies
met each other at Stanhope in County Durham. Douglas made an attack
at night and narrowly missed capturing the King. The Scots held
an unwinnable situation and disappeared. Their forces now began
to play cat and mouse with the English, fighting them wherever they
thought they could gain advantage. In October a delegation from
London sought out Bruce as he was besieging Norham Castle saying
that they were ready for peace negotiations.
1328: In March the
Treaty of Edinburgh was signed and Bruce's son David married Joan
of the Tower, the Sister of King Edward the Third of England. Scotland
also agreed to pay £20,000 reparation for war damages.
1329: Bruce had
a house built on the river Leven just north of Dumbarton and spent
his final days in relative tranquility.
(1330): After his
death Douglas took Bruce's heart in a wooden casket to fight the
Moors in southern Spain. Bruce had always wanted to go on a crusade
to the Holy Land. However Douglas was slain and the overwhelmed
Scots came back to their native land with the body of Douglas and
the Casket carrying Bruce's heart.
Marriage:
Isabel, daughter of the Earl of Mar, who died
shortly after the birth of their daughter Marjorie. 1302: To Elizabeth
de Burgh, daughter of the Earl of Ulster.
Places of Interest:
AYRSHIRE:
Turnberry Golf Course, Ayrshire. The ruins of
the castle where he was born are near the lighthouse.
Kirkoswald Church, Ayrshire. Contains the font
where Bruce was baptised.
Monument at Loch Trool.
Date and Place of Death:
7th June1329, Dumbarton.
Age at Death:
55.
Site of Grave:
Dunfermline Abbey, Scotland. Heart buried under
the floor in the Chapter House, Melrose Abbey, Scotland.
