Robert the Bruce, King of Scots
1274 - 1329 (54 years)
-
Name Robert the Bruce Suffix King of Scots Born 11 Jul 1274 Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland 
Gender Male Occupation Earl of Carrick Occupation King of Scots Died 7 Jun 1329 Cardross Castle, on the Clyde, Scotland Person ID I1888 Brown Genealogy Last Modified 19 Sep 2024
Father Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, b. 1253, Annandale, Dumfrieshire, Scotland , d. 14 Jan 1304, Holy Land, Palestine (Age 51 years) Relationship natural Mother Marjory Carrick, Countess of Carrick, b. Abt 1252, Carrick, Argyll, Scotland , d. Bef 27 Oct 1292, Scotland (Age ~ 40 years) Relationship natural Married 1271 Castle, Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland Family ID F536 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family 1 Isabella of Mar, b. 1276, Aberdeenshire, Scotland , d. Abt 1297, Scotland (Age 21 years) Children 1. Marjorie Bruce, Princess of Scots, b. Abt 1297, Scotland , d. 2 Mar 1316, on horseback, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland (Age ~ 19 years) [natural]Last Modified 19 Sep 2024 Family ID F538 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family 2 Unknown Mistresses, b. UNKNOWN, d. UNKNOWN Children 1. Elizabeth Bruce, b. Bef 1329, Scotland , d. UNKNOWN [natural]Last Modified 19 Sep 2024 Family ID F539 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family 3 Elizabeth de Burgh, b. Abt 1280, Ulster, Ireland , d. 26 Oct 1327, Cullen Castle, Banffshire, Scotland (Age ~ 47 years) Married 1302 Children 1. Margaret Bruce, Princess of Scots, b. Abt 1317, Scotland , d. 1346, Scotland (Age ~ 29 years) [natural]2. Matilda Bruce, Princess of Scots, b. Abt 1320, Scotland , d. 20 Jul 1353 (Age ~ 33 years) [natural]3. David Bruce, King David II of Scots, b. 5 Mar 1324, Dunfermline Palace, Fifeshire, Scotland , d. 22 Feb 1371, Edinburgh Castle, Midlothian, Scotland (Age 46 years) [natural]4. John Bruce, b. Oct 1327, Scotland , d. UNKNOWN, Forfarshire, Scotland [natural]Last Modified 19 Sep 2024 Family ID F537 Group Sheet | Family Chart
-
Notes - Bruce, Robert (1274-1329), liberator, and, as Robert I, king of Scotland (1306-1329). He was originally named Robert de Bruce, and to distinguish him from his father and grandfather, who had the same name, he is often referred to as Robert de Bruce VIII. He is also called Robert "the Bruce". As earl of Carrick he paid homage to King Edward I of England, who, in 1296, defeated King John de Baliol and thereafter refused to acknowledge another king of Scotland. Bruce later abandoned Edward's cause and joined other Scottish leaders in taking up arms for the independence of his country. In 1299, the year after the Scottish patriot Sir William Wallace was defeated by Edward at Falkirk, Bruce, then still in favor with Edward, was made one of the four regents who ruled the kingdom in the name of Baliol. In 1305 he was one of those consulted in the decision to make Scotland a province of England. In 1306 he met an old enemy, the Scottish patriot John Comyn, who was the nephew of Baliol; a quarrel occurred, and Bruce stabbed Comyn. Bruce proclaimed his right to the throne, and on March 27, 1306, he was crowned king at Scone.
Bruce was deposed, however, in 1307 by Edward's army and forced to flee to the Highlands and then to the little island of Rathlin on the coast of Antrim (now in Northern Ireland). In his absence all his estates were confiscated, and he and his followers were excommunicated. He continued to recruit followers, however, and in less than two years he wrested nearly all of Scotland from the English. Bruce again defeated the English in 1314 in the Battle of Bannockburn, twice invaded England, and in 1323 concluded with King Edward II of England a truce for 13 years. After the accession of King Edward III in 1327, war again broke out, and the Scots won again. In 1328 they secured a treaty recognizing the independence of Scotland and the right of Bruce to the throne.
In his later years Bruce was traditionally said to have been stricken with leprosy and lived in seclusion at Cardross Castle, on the northern shore of the Firth of Clyde, where he died. He was succeeded by his son, David II. Bruce's grandson, Robert II, who succeeded David, was the first king of the Stewart house of English and Scottish royalty.
The claim that Robert The Bruce had leprosy is disputed by modern archaeologists. (https://news.westernu.ca/2017/02/rumour-rest-western-researcher-clears-kings-reputation/)
- Bruce, Robert (1274-1329), liberator, and, as Robert I, king of Scotland (1306-1329). He was originally named Robert de Bruce, and to distinguish him from his father and grandfather, who had the same name, he is often referred to as Robert de Bruce VIII. He is also called Robert "the Bruce". As earl of Carrick he paid homage to King Edward I of England, who, in 1296, defeated King John de Baliol and thereafter refused to acknowledge another king of Scotland. Bruce later abandoned Edward's cause and joined other Scottish leaders in taking up arms for the independence of his country. In 1299, the year after the Scottish patriot Sir William Wallace was defeated by Edward at Falkirk, Bruce, then still in favor with Edward, was made one of the four regents who ruled the kingdom in the name of Baliol. In 1305 he was one of those consulted in the decision to make Scotland a province of England. In 1306 he met an old enemy, the Scottish patriot John Comyn, who was the nephew of Baliol; a quarrel occurred, and Bruce stabbed Comyn. Bruce proclaimed his right to the throne, and on March 27, 1306, he was crowned king at Scone.