The Story of Robert Bruce
Overview
In 1306 Robert Bruce made himself King of Scots but
immediately found himself opposed on many sides. Not
only did the English King Edward I wish to defeat him,
but his Scottish enemies included the powerful families of
Balliol and Comyn. For a period of time Bruce was driven
out of Scotland but would return to carry out a highly
successful campaign against his Scottish enemies and the
English presence in Scotland. This campaign would
include the dramatic and historic victory at Bannockburn
in 1314. With such a success came the reputation as one
of Scotland’s finest kings. Yet the story of Robert Bruce is
a more complicated one than that say, of William
Wallace. Part I of Bruce’s story will investigate his actions
leading up to Bannockburn as you begin to consider
whether Bruce deserves his considerable reputation.
Who were the Bruces?
The Bruce family originated from France. They arrived in
England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy
successfully invaded English and took the throne after the
Battle of Hastings. The Bruce family received land in
England by William and later land in Scotland by the Scottish
King David I in the early 12th Century. Most of the Scottish
lands were in the south-west, particularly around Annan and
Lochmaben.
The Bruces considered themselves as Scottish royalty. One
of their members had married Princess Isabella, the great
granddaughter of King David I. Remember that there was a
Robert Bruce who competed for the throne after the death of the Maid of Norway.
He had even argued that Alexander II had promised him the throne before he had a
son who would become Alexander III.
In 1295 Robert Bruce (the Competitor) had died. It was his son, the defender of
Carlisle who had asked for the Scottish throne after Edward’s successful invasion in
1296, to which Edward reputedly replied:
‘Have we nothing to do, but to conquer kingdoms for you?’
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It was left to the third generation Robert Bruce to pursue the family claim to the
throne of Scotland.
David I
Henry of Northumberland
David, Earl of Huntingdon
Isabella
Robert Bruce (the Competitor)
Robert Bruce (the defender of Carlisle)
Robert Bruce
Bruce’s Changing Allegiances
One of the remarkable facts about the future King of Scotland was the number of
times that he changed sides during the war against English rule. His dilemma was
that there was little chance of him becoming king whilst the English ruled Scotland.
However, if he went against Edward it was possible that the family would lose their
lands and also their lives.
Until 1296, the year of Edward’s invasion, Bruce stayed
loyal to Edward I. However, in 1297 Bruce decided to
join forces with the Scottish rebels and took part in
attacks on Irvine. Therefore, at the time of Wallace’s
battles against the English, the younger Bruce was
supporting Wallace’s cause. His father remained loyal to
Edward in order to safeguard their lands in England.
In 1298, following Wallace’s defeat at Falkirk, Bruce
became Joint Guardian with his old rival John Comyn.
Both Comyn and his uncle, John Balliol had their own
claims on the throne, of course, and Bruce soon fell out
with Comyn and resigned as Guardian. He continued to
support the Scots until making peace with Edward in
1302.
It must have suited Bruce to do this at this time. It looked as if Edward was almost
ready to regain complete control of Scotland. Plus there had been rumours of a
return to Scotland for John Balliol, something Bruce was keen to avoid. He remained
loyal for two years before beginning to question whether he had been sufficiently
rewarded by Edward for his support. From 1304-06 Bruce was heavily involved in
plots to free Scotland.
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A Killing and a Crown
Bruce’s father died in 1304, making him now Earl of Annandale and Carrick. Perhaps
this new power or the fact that the English King Edward was now an old man (67)
gave reason for Bruce to be optimistic about his chances for adding to his power.
Bruce began to enter into discussions with other important Scots to become King of
Scotland. He gained the support of the Bishop of St Andrews – William Lamberton.
He also met again with John Comyn to discuss their rival claims.
Initially it appeared that this first meeting went well. Comyn appeared to accept that
Bruce would be King in return for Bruce’s Scottish lands being handed over to the
Comyn family. It is possible, however, that Comyn still had his own ambitions to be
King and may have leaked Bruce’s plan to none other than Edward I. Edward was
furious and ordered Bruce’s immediate arrest, forcing him to flee back to the southwest.
It was in Dumfries that the second meeting between Comyn and Bruce took place. A
church was chosen as the location for the meeting as fighting between these old
rivals was forbidden. The 10th February 1306 saw the men meet at Greyfriars
Monastery in Dumfries. Bruce arrived with his supporters Kirkpatrick and Seaton.
Comyn was accompanied by one of his uncles. Historians will never know exactly
what was said in this meeting or how the violence began. We do know that the
events in the church would force Bruce’s hand in taking control of Scotland.
It can be assumed that Bruce and Comyn argued. Perhaps Bruce accused Comyn of
betraying him to Edward. During the struggle that followed, it appears that Bruce
pulled a dagger and stabbed Comyn in front of the high altar. When Bruce left the
church and told his companions what he had done Kirkpatrick is reputed to have
said in response ‘I’ll mak siccar’ (I will make sure). It is likely that Kirkpatrick then
executed Comyn and his uncle.
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These murders were an incredible serious event.
Not only had one of the most important and
powerful Scottish nobles been put to death, but
the murders had taken place in the sacred
surroundings of a church. Bruce would face
opposition from other Scottish lords and could face
possible excommunication from the Catholic
Church.
A stark choice faced Bruce – go on the run as an
outlaw or take this chance to proclaim himself
King. Bruce decided to gamble on the latter. With
his supporters alongside, he rode out to the Royal
Castle in Dumfries (Castledykes) and took back
control from English hands. It was here that Bruce
first proclaimed himself King of Scotland.
The Coronation of Robert Bruce
Bruce’s only hope of avoiding too much Scottish opposition and the threat of
excommunication was to quickly gather enough support for his claim to the throne.
He had already gained the support of Lamberton and this was was followed by
support from the Bishop of Glasgow, Robert Wishart. Next Bruce made sure that he
controlled all the main castles in the south-west, including Dumfries, Lochmaben,
Annan and Kirkcudbright.
The next step for Bruce was to head north to Perth and Scone. It was important that
a formal ceremony take place so other Scots could begin to regard him as their
ruler. In two separate events, on March 25th and 27th Bruce was crowned. The most
‘official’ ceremony was on the 27th, despite the absence of the Scottish coronation
robes, crown and the Stone of Destiny. You will remember that these had been
taken by Edward’s men ten years before.
This was a much smaller ceremony than
would normally accompany a Scottish
coronation. In attendance were some of
Bruce’s brothers, three of Scotland’s
leading bishops and a number of
important nobles including Lennox and
Sir James Douglas. The Earl of Fife
traditionally crowned Scottish Kings but
as the Earl was a child currently living
under English control, the task fell to
the Earl’s sister Isabel, Countess of
Buchan.
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In the hastily arranged ceremony the royal robes were replaced by a bishop’s cloak.
The ‘crown’ was a golden collar, donated by the Countess. All these issues did not
take away from the fact that Bruce had now officially been crowned King. His next
challenge was to strengthen his control of other parts of Scotland and deal with
enemies, both at home and in England.
Early Defeats
Such challenges would prove considerable. Most of the key Scottish castles were
under English control. The Comyn family and their allies, for example the
MacDougalls of Argyll were eager on revenge on Bruce. Many Scots had been
horrified at the actions of Bruce in killing Comyn, particularly in the manner in which
the murder had taken place.
Historian Fiona Watson summed up the situation Bruce faced in 1306:
‘A large number of Scots saw it as their duty to fight against Bruce. In the
years after 1306 most Scots preferred to live under the rule of an English
King rather than accept a man who had seized the throne and murdered a
rival in church for it.’
On hearing news of Bruce’s actions, Edward appointed de Valence his commander in
Scotland with the order that:
‘All those who were present at the death of John Comyn are to drawn and
hanged. All those who agreed to it or helped them afterwards have to
meet the same fate. All those captured bearing arms against the King
[Edward] are to be hanged or beheaded.’
Despite all these obstacles, Bruce
decided to go on the offensive,
attempting to unsettle his Scottish
enemies. His opposition was
strengthened, however, with the
arrival of a large English army led
by de Valence. Supported by
troops from the Comyns and
MacDougalls, Bruce’s supporters
began to struggle. Bishops
Lamberton and Wishart were
captured and imprisoned.
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Bruce’s small army came up against a significantly
larger force at the Battle of Methven, just outside
Perth on 19th June 1306, and was badly defeated.
Bruce managed to escape unhurt but many of his
commanders were killed or captured. His brother Nigel
was soon captured and hanged. His wife and
daughter were imprisoned in an English nunnery. The
punishment for other supporters of Bruce was even
more imaginative. Both the Countess of Buchan and
Bruce’s sister, Mary were imprisoned in cages outside
Berwick and Roxburgh Castle respectively. Bruce fled
the Scottish mainland. After a few short months, it
looked as if his ‘reign’ was already over.
Bruce Fights Back
A well-known legend is often repeated
from Bruce’s time spent away from
Scotland from 1306-7. It is said that
whilst hiding on an island off the coast of
Ireland, Bruce watched closely the
determination of a spider spinning its
web. Taking heart from the spider’s
continued efforts until the web was
complete, Bruce apparently resolved to
keep on fighting until Scotland had
regained her independence. Although
this story is almost certainly not true, it is
clear that from 1307 onwards, events
and circumstances began to give Bruce’s
supporters some hope for the future.
In February 1307 Bruce landed back on the mainland with a small band of
supporters. This landing was at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast. His brothers
Alexander and Thomas had arrived with supporters on the Galloway coast but had
been captured and executed. Using ‘guerrilla’ or ‘hit and run’ tactics, Bruce fairly
quickly established a new army, an army that could move very quickly. The
countryside lent itself to this style of ambush strategy, Bruce’s men launching
surprise attacks, then quickly disappearing back into the dense woodland.
At the Battle of Loudon Hill, on 10th May 1307, Bruce unexpectedly defeated a
larger English force, using the soft marshy ground to his advantage, ground that did
not suit the English knights.
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An event of huge
significance to
Bruce’s chances of
success took place
on July 7th with the
death of Edward I.
His death coincided
with his march on
Scotland to oversee
the crushing of this
latest rebellion.
Reaching no further
than Burgh-onsands in Cumbria, it
is said that as
Edward I lay dying he asked for his heart to be taken to the Holy Land and for the
flesh to be boiled from his body so his bones could lead the English army in battle
against the Scots. Neither request was carried out.
Edward’s death was such a boost to Bruce’s chances when the character of the new
English king, Edward II is considered. Edward II was neither an able soldier nor a
particularly strong leader. He made the decision to postpone his army’s march
northwards and returned to London. In struggling to deal with problems in England,
Edward’s reluctance to focus on defeating the Scottish rebels gave Bruce the
opportunity to steadily gain support and ground across important areas of Scotland’s
heartland.
Bruce’s Recovery Continues 1308-1314
In 1308 Bruce moved against his Scottish enemies, defeating the pro-English Earl of
Buchan and destroying much of the Comyn family’s control in north-east Scotland.
In the Battle of the Pass of Brander Bruce defeated his old enemies, the
MacDougalls. As a result of such successes, many more noble families began to
switch their allegiance to Bruce.
March 1309 saw Bruce hold a parliament in St Andrews, which formally recognised
him as King. Edward II briefly attempted an invasion in 1310 but the English forces
were quickly driven back. Bruce retaliated by invading northern England. Historian
Paterson wrote that:
‘Life in Northern England became so bad that normal life could only
continue with the permission of the Scots’
By the end of 1310 Bruce controlled all the land north of the River Tay. Over the
course of the next few years, his control spread and key castles including those at
Perth, Dumbarton, Roxburgh and Linlithgow were retaken from the control of the
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English. Some of the techniques for taking these castles were innovative, including
stories of men smuggled in hay carts, or cloaked soldiers stealing up to castle walls
in darkness, using cattle as cover.
Edinburgh Castle was
retaken in March 1314
after a secret path into
the castle was used by
one of Bruce’s young
commanders, Thomas
Randolph.
By the summer of 1314 only the castles of Berwick, Bothwell and Stirling remained
under English control. If Edward II was to re-establish control of Scotland, Stirling
played the key role. Its central location would provide the stepping stone for turning
back the clock on all of Bruce’s recent successes. Bruce’s brother Edward had laid
siege to Stirling Castle for months but the English troops were managing to hold out.
Eventually Edward Bruce
made an agreement with
the castle governor that if
an English army had not
arrived by midsummer, the
castle would be surrendered
to the Scots. By early
summer Edward had put
together one of the biggest
armies ever seen on British
soil. This battle would play a
crucial role in the future of
Scotland. Both sides would
meet on the field of
Bannockburn on June 23rd
1314.
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