Robert "the Bruce" I King of Scotland

• General Notes
  • [brownlee.ged]
    
    ROBERT I (r. 1306-29)
    
    On 25 March 1306, Robert the Bruce was chosen to be King of Scots and to l ead the fight for Scottish independence against Edward I of England.
    
    Born in 1274 in Ayr, the son of Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, he was t he grandson of the Robert Bruce who had been one of the competitors for t he throne after the death of the Maid of Norway.
    
    Robert I had been on the English side when Edward moved against Balliol, b ut he had subsequently joined Wallace's revolt. When Wallace gave up the G uardianship of Scotland in 1298, Robert became joint Guardian with Sir Jo hn Comyn of Badenoch (Balliol's nephew).
    
    A few weeks before his coronation, Robert killed his greatest rival for t he crown - his joint Guardian - in a Dumfries church, during the last of m any arguments between them. For this murder, Robert was outlawed by Edwa rd I and excommunicated by Pope Clement V.
    
    His reign did not begin well. He was defeated by the English at Methv en in Perthshire; his wife, daughter and sisters were imprisoned; and thr ee of his brothers were executed by the English. Robert fled westward to t he Antrim coast. (The story of Robert drawing inspiration from a persiste nt spider mending its web in a cave dates from the sixteenth century.)
    
    However, he possessed real military genius and he was helped by the fact t hat in 1307 Edward I, the self-styled 'Hammer of the Scots', died and w as succeeded by his less effective son Edward II.
    
    From 1307 onwards, with energy and determination, Robert waged highly succ essful guerrilla warfare against the English occupiers, establishing contr ol north of the Forth, and gradually won back his kingdom; by 1314, Stirli ng was the only castle in English hands.
    
    His campaign culminated in resounding victory over Edward II (whose larg er army of 20,000 outnumbered Robert's forces by three to one) at the Batt le of Bannockburn, near Stirling on 24 June 1314. Bannockburn confirmed t he re-establishment of an independent Scottish monarchy.
    
    Two years later, his brother and heir presumptive, Edward Bruce, was inaug urated as High King of Ireland (which increased pressure on the English ), but was killed in battle in 1318.
    
    Even after Bannockburn and the Scottish capture of Berwick in 1318, Edwa rd II refused to give up his claim to the overlordship of Scotland, a nd so in 1320 the Scottish earls, barons and the 'community of the real m' sent a letter to Pope John XXII declaring that Robert I was their right ful monarch. This 'Declaration of Arbroath' has become perhaps the most fa mous document in Scottish history.
    
    The Declaration asserted the antiquity of the Scottish people and their mo narchy:
    
    "...we gather from the deeds and books of the ancients, that among other d istinguished nations our own nation, namely of Scots, has been marked by m any distinctions.
    
    "It journeyed from Greater Scythia by the Tyrrenhian Sea and the Pilla rs of Hercules, and dwelt for a long span of time in Spain among the mo st savage peoples, but nowhere could it be subjugated by any people, howev er barbarous. From there it came, twelve hundred years after the peop le of Israel crossed the Red Sea and, having first driven out the Brito ns and altogether destroyed the Picts, it acquired, with many victories a nd untold efforts, the places which it now holds ...
    
    "As the histories of old time bear witness, it has held them free of all s ervitude ever since. In their kingdom one hundred and thirteen kings of th eir own royal stock have reigned, the line unbroken by a single foreigner .'
    
    The Declaration also had a stark warning for Robert:
    
    "were he to desist from what he has undertaken and be willing to subje ct us or our kingdom to the king of the English or the English, we would s trive to expel him forthwith as our enemy and as a subverter of right, h is own and ours, and make someone else our king who is equal to the ta sk of defending us."
    
    In 1324, the Pope recognised Robert as king of an independent Scotland. T wo years later, the Franco-Scottish alliance was renewed in the Trea ty of Corbeil, by which the Scots were obliged to make war on England shou ld hostilities break out between England and France.
    
    In 1327, the English deposed Edward II in favour of his son Edward III a nd peace was then made between Scotland and England with the treaty of Edi nburgh-Northampton, which began with England's total renunciation of all c laims to superiority over Scotland. Robert had achieved all he had foug ht for: ejecting the English, re-establishing peace and gaining recogniti on as the true king.
    
    By that time, King Robert was seriously ill, probably with leprosy, a nd he died at Cardross, Dunbartonshire on 7 June 1329, aged 54. A few da ys later, in response to an earlier request by him, the Pope granted permi ssion for kings of Scots to be anointed at their coronation (Scottish kin gs had previously been enthroned in a mainly secular ceremony at Scone). T his was a clear acknowledgement that the Pope recognised Scotland's indepe ndence.
    
    Robert I was buried at Dunfermline and, in fulfilment of his dying wish, S ir James Douglas set out to carry his heart to the Holy Land.
    
    Sir James was killed fighting the Moors in Granada, in Spain, but the hea rt was retrieved and brought back to Scotland, to be buried in Melrose Abb ey, Roxburghshire.
    
    
    
    
    ROBERT THE BRUCE - THE PATRIOT KING
    Scotland; The Story of A Nation by Magnus Magnusson
    
    and
    Thorns Among the Roses;
    ROBERT DE BRUCE, EARL OF CARRICK [SCT], LORD BRUS son and heir, b. 11 Ju ly 1274, at Writtle, Essex. He did homage and had livery of his father's l ands, 14 June 1304. On 25 and 27 March 1306, he was crowned KING OF SCOTLA ND. His estates in England had been taken into the King's hand, 20 Februa ry 1305/6.(i) He died 7 June 1329. See particulars under "CARRICK," Earld om of [S.]. [CP 2:360]
    Note: CP Page: 8:142ch, 12[1]:386, 544
    Magna Charta Sureties, Weis
    Page: 41-5
    Note:
    Robert the Bruce, 2nd Earl of Carrick and grandson of the old Competitor h ad supported Edward I against Balliol but, when Wallace renounced the guar dianship of Scotland Bruce and Balliol's nephew, John "Red" Comyn replac ed him as joint guardians. After a quarrel with Comyn he returned to Edwar d's camp and obtained a pardon. Bruce, seeking a reconciliation with Comy n, impulsively stabbed him at Dumfries in a church. He was again outlaw ed by Edward and excommunicated. Bruce claimed the Scottish throne as grea t-great-grandson of David I and was crowned at Scone in 1306. He went in to hiding in a cave on an island off Ireland after he killed Red Comyn. Th is is where we get the legend of Bruce and the spider. We do not know if t his is a true story but it makes a good legend. He watched the spider spin ning its web and attempting to fix the web to the ceiling. At last the spi der succeeded. According to the legend, this inspired Bruce to overcome h is many hardships and persevere until he had won back Scotland. He made pl ans to take back his original home, Turnberry Castle. As they made their w ay to the castle, the plan was that if all was well, a light would be show ing at the castle wall. They did see the light but upon nearing the castl e, discovered that it was an enemy fire. Nonetheless, Bruce attacked a nd by this surprise attack gained food, armour and horses. He learned th at three of his brothers and his wife, daughter and two sisters had been i mprisoned by the English. Although he was now King, he was not well suppor ted by the nobles and so Scottish lands and castles remained in the han ds of the English. He knew that he would have to fight castle by cast le in order to regain Scotland and drive the English out. Through his pers everance, by 1324 all castles in Scotland except Stirling were in Scotti sh hands. By this time Edward II was on the throne of England and was mu ch more ineffectual than his father.
    Note: Bruce's much smaller force spectacularly defeated Edward II's 20,0 00 strong army at Bannockburn.
    Note:
    The Declaration of Arbroath, an affirmation of Scottish independence, w as sent to the Pope but the Pope did not recognize Bruce for four yea rs as the rightful king of Scotland. After Edward III ascended to the thro ne, Bruce's army harassed the English so much that Edward III was forc ed to acknowledge his sovereignty and Scotland's freedom.
    
    Not long after the peace Bruce died. He was buried in Dunfermline Abbe y. He had always wanted to go on a crusade. When he died his heart was pla ced in a silver casket and kept by Sir James Douglas who planned to ta ke it on a crusade to the Holy Lands. Douglas joined the army of the Ki ng of Spain and while fighting a battle was killed. But before he die d, he threw the casket in the midst of the battle crying, "Now go befor e, brave heart, as you always did, and I shall follow you or die." The cas ket was recovered and returned to Scotland.
    
    At the end of Bruce's life, he had achieved what he had fought for yea rs to accomplish. Scotland was once again an independent kingdom. Scotla nd remembers him as "Good King Robert" and his triumph at Bannockbu rn is a rallying cry to Scots everywhere. Scotland would never again be co nquered. Bruce's final legacy was to confirm "Scotland as separate and dis tinct, not just as a kingdom but as a community, a people and ultimate ly a nation."
    
    The turn of the 14th century was a time of change and turmoil in Scotlan d. The English king Edward I, the "Hammer of the Scots", had reduced Scotl and to a vassal state. In 1297 William Wallace had defeated the English ar my at the battle  Stirling Bridge, and became Guardian of Scotland, but n ot for long. The Battle of Falkirk on 22nd July saw Wallace defeated by Ed wards army, and he fled underground, after resigning the position of Guard ian so recently bestowed upon him. Two men then became joint Guardians - J ohn 'the Red' Comyn and Robert the Bruce - until 1300 when the place of Ro bert the Bruce was taken by Ingram de Umfraville. John Balliol, the unc le of John 'the Red' Comyn, was technically king of Scotland from 1292-129 6, but had surrendered Scotland to Edward I in 1292, and with the royal ar ms stripped from his coat, he became known as 'Toom Tabard' or 'Empty Coat '. He went into exile, and it was also this man who William Wallace was at tempting to restore as King of Scotland. So Robert the Bruce, after the de ath of his father in 1304, found himself in competition for the Scottish t hrone with the Comyn/Balliol family.
    
    Note: ROYAL TREE
    Wallace evaded capture for years, until finally in 1305 he was betrayed a nd captured as he slept by a well in Robroyston, near Glasgow. He was tri ed for treason and brutally executed on the 24th August 1305, after sev en years in hiding. After the trial, he was taken to Smithfield, and subse quently hung, drawn and quartered, then beheaded. As a warning to all othe rs, the ruthless King Edward I sent the body parts of William Wallace to B erwick, Stirling, Perth and Newcastle to be put on display. His head was i mpaled on a spike on London Bridge. William Wallace inspired many men in h is time, with his courage and brilliant military tactics. Robert the Bru ce was inspired by him as well. In 1302 Bruce had submitted to the Engli sh in exchange for a pardon, partly because at that time, and with Walla ce on the run, he could not see the point in fighting for an independent S cotland if it meant his rivals, the Balliol/Comyn family, would be on t he throne. However, following the execution of Wallace, everything change d. Bruce knew that if he was to realise his claim on the Scottish thron e, he had to eliminate his biggest problem in order to clear the path f or him to rule. The problem was John 'the Red' Comyn, the nephew of the ex iled Balliol. Comyn was powerful, he had influence and many powerful alli es and friends. Bruce knew he had come to a cross-roads. He must co me to an agreement with Comyn, in the shape of a proposal which outlined B ruce's plan to become king. Under Bruce's plan, Bruce would give his lan ds to Comyn, in return for his support in making Bruce king. A meeting w as set for 10th of February 1306, at Greyfriars, a Franciscan church in Du mfries. Comyn agreed to come and listen to Bruce's proposal.
    
    The two men met at the alter of the church and when Comyn heard Bruce's pr oposal, he was enraged. So enraged in fact, that a heated argument was ign ited between himself and Bruce. This filled Bruce with anger, and in the h eat of the moment he reached for his dagger and thrust it into John Comy n, Killing him on the spot. Sir Robert Comyn, John's uncle, rushed to defe nd his nephew and was killed by Bruce's followers. With that killing, Robe rt the Bruce had placed himself in a vulnerable position, and changed t he history of Scotland. In his temper he had killed a well-respected nobl e, and worse still, killed him in a church. He knew that he was now und er threat from Comyn's kinsmen, as well as being an outlaw for the murde r. He was also excommunicated from the church by Pope Clement V for the mu rder of Comyn. Nevertheless, on the 25th of March, 1306, a mere six wee ks after the killing, Robert the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland in Sco ne palace. Things were only to turn from bad to worse for King Robert t he Bruce, including being outlawed by Edward I, hunted under Edwards comma nd by the brother-in-law of Comyn, Aymer de Valence, defeated by h im in a battle at Methven, and nearly being captured at Tyndrum by mo re of Comyn's kinsmen.
    Note:
    He sent his family to Kildrummy Castle in Aberdeenshire for safety, b ut by September, his wife and daughter were in prison, his brother Neil h ad been hung and beheaded, and his sister Mary and Countess Isabella p ut in cages. Bruce then travelled from Kintyre to the island of Rathlin, j ust off the Irish coast. His movements are unknown after that until his re turn to Scotland in February 1307. It was during this uncertain time th at tales of Bruce were abound, including many that were innaccurate or ju st fanciful talk of a leader by inspired followers. These stories includ ed the famous observation by Bruce of a spider while hiding in a cave. Bru ce was said to have watched the spider persistently attempt to bridge a g ap at the mouth of the cave. The spider failed in its first two attempt s, but was successful on the third. This, allegedly, inspired Bruce, a nd no doubt many of his supporters. After returning to Scotland in Februa ry 1307, Bruce was aware of his position and the strength of the English a rmy, coupled with the followers and kinsmen of Comyn. He knew that the on ly way to succeed was to conduct a guerilla war, with the intention of fri ghtening and demoralizing the forces allied against him. However, sever al important victories followed for Bruce. He defeated John Mowbray's forc es in Glen Trool, Galloway, by ambush. More important still, he defeated A ymer de Valence at Loudoun Hill near Kilmarnock, even though he was great ly outnumbered, and then the Earl of Gloucester shortly afterwards. It mu st have seemed as though things just couldn't have gone better for Bruc e, but they were about to take a significant turn. The news that Bruc e, as well as many others, had been hoping for finally came to pass - Ki ng Edward I - the 'Hammer of the Scots' - was dead. At the start of 131 4, Edward II of England was losing his grip on Scotland. He did not mat ch up to his father in presence or military knowledge, and one by one t he Scottish castles held by the English began to fall. After taking Edinbu rgh Castle, Perth and Roxburgh, Bruce turned his eyes to Stirling. This si gnificant Scottish stronghold was garrisoned by the English under the comm and of Sir
    Philip Mowbray. To make matters more difficult, the brother of King Rober t, Edward the Bruce, had agreed that if the English had not relieved Stirl ing Castle by midsummers day, it was to be surrendered. King Robert realis ed that this was a good opportunity for the English to mass an army in o ne place. He knew that he must defend the Castle in a head to head battl e, or the English would gain a strong foothold right in the centre of Scot land. He could not allow the castle to be relieved. The two men, Edwa rd II and King Robert the Bruce had a lot to lose. If Edward could not ev en relieve one castle, he would be looked on as a failure. If Bruce cou ld not demonstrate his skill and leadership in the face of an English adva nce, especially with such a significant place as Stirling, then there w as a real risk of losing his reputation as a couragous leader. So Bruce be gan in March of 1314 three months of intense training and drilling of h is men. Bruce knew the lie of the land, and also knew this was goi ng to be his greatest asset. He booby-trapped the small Bannock Burn (bu rn is the Scottish word for stream) with spikes to gouge the feet of advan cing cavalry. He also knew that if he could force the English horse onto t he boggy ground of the Carse, they would be of little use to the English k ing. Aware that the English army was likely to greatly outnumber his ow n, Robert had to use every natural advantage of the land that he coul d. He had 5,500 well-trained men, and there were 2,000 'small folk' - untr ained volunteers. On 17th of June the massive army of Edward II was in Edi nburgh, where supplies were collected in Leith. By Saturday 23rd of Jun e, Edwards army were arriving from
    Falkirk in order to take up their positions for the forthcoming battle. Br uce himself rode forward to view his enemy and gather information on the ir numbers and formations. It was an incredible sight he saw. Edwards ar my was 20,000 strong, including some 17,000 archers and 2,000 heavy cavalr y, compared to the 500 light cavalry and handful of archers availab le to . The Scots were outnumbered four to one, but King Robert the Bru ce had one massive advantage - he was a master tactician and military plan ner. Bruce had his army positioned in four divisions, with the 'small fol k' behind Coxet hill, where they would remain unless needed. Bruce knew th at their inexperience in battle may hinder his well-trained troops. His sp earmen were deployed in huge, thick circles, facing outward, with their sc hiltrons - 20ft long heavy spears - providing a massive hedgehog-like stru cture that would kill any cavalry attempting to penetrate it. Bruce, whil st surveying the English army, wore his crown and this sparked an id ea in the mind of one young English knight. With Bruce so easy for h im to identify, the young Sir Henry de Bohun realised that if he killed h im the Scots would suffer a most crushing blow, and that he himself wou ld gain unrivalled admiration from his English king. The next thing Bru ce knew, de Bohun was charging towards him with his 12 foot long lance rea dy for action. Bruce was on his Highland pony, and saw the attack comin g. He waited until the last possible moment, then violently wrenched his p ony to one side. The keen de Bohen went speeding past, and Bruce swung h is battle-axe, crushing the armour worn by de Bohun and splitting open h is skull. The eager de Bohun fell dead on the spot with the one mighty blo w, which broke the shaft of the axe wielded by Bruce. His army saw their k ing and his act of courage, and their hearts were filled with admiration a nd inspiration. If any of his men had doubted his courage, surely their fe ars were now at rest. Bruce had shown that he was indeed a warrior king. W hen his commanders reflected on the risk that Bruce took, the king of t he Scots pointed out that he was more dismayed that he had broken the sha ft of his axe! Edward II thought that the Scots were terrified of a he ad to head confrontation, and when they began advancing, he was convinc ed that victory was in his hand. He ordered the Earl of Gloucester to laun ch a massive full-frontal attack, but the inexperienced Edward did not rea lise that he had fallen straight into Bruce's trap. Edwards forces were po sitioned on the boggy carse, as Bruce had intended, and were also squeez ed between two streams - the Bannock Burn and the Pelstream Burn. On launc hing the attack, the Earl of Gloucester was met by the advancing schiltro ns of Bruce's army. The circular hedgehog-like formations of Scottish spea rs cut down the English cavalry and repulsed their advance. The Earl was k illed, and Edward had lost one of his few battle tacticians. Bruce order ed in the cavalry under Keith's command to attack the English archers, a nd scatter them from the battlefield. Bruce himself, with his reserve ar my of Highlanders, launched a full attack on the enemy. Edward, on seei ng this, decided that he should flee the field and rush for the safe ty of Stirling Castle, which was still held by his Garrison. To his surpri se, Sir Philip Mobray refused to allow Edward into the castle, and so t he English king was forced to flee towards Dunbar to escape capture. The E nglish army, realising that their king had deserted them, became demoraliz ed and confused. Bruce then ordered the 'small folk' - the 2,000 untrain ed volunteers hiding behind Coxet hill - to attack. The English on seei ng this thought that the Scots had a massive reserve force, and horror w as struck into their hearts. The English centre fled, unwisely, towards t he waters of the Forth. The right flank attempted to head in the directi on of their king, and the left flank were forced back into the Bannock Bur n, where Bruce had laid his booby traps. Accounts tell of the English fall ing over each other to cross the Bannock Burn, killing many of themselv es in the process. The £200,000 English supply convoy was captured and Bru ce also obtained high-status hostages, which he exchanged for his wife, da ughter and the bishop of Glasgow. King Robert the Bruce, with his Scotti sh army, had defeated an English army four times their size.
    
    Note: provided by Richard Nelson
    Change Date: 23 APR 2004