Scottish national hero Robert the Bruce really deserves an honorary title. His real pride was the difficult victory in the fierce battle of Bannockburn. It was only thanks to this event that Scotland received the long-awaited independence, although this path was difficult to overcome.
Robert raised the same Banner of National Liberation and gave his own people will and freedom. The history of Scotland is closely connected with the famous ruler, whose life to this day does not reveal all the real facts.
His merits cannot be described in a nutshell, but only one thing can be said for sure: the people of Scotland really respect their king and give him a lot of gratitude for all his work. In addition to freedom and independence from England, Bruce gave Scotland many improvements in life. Despite the fact that during the entire reign he tried to protect his own lands from the enemy English, Robert also managed to do other things,helping the Scots to fight.
The founder of the dynasty and the famous surname
Robert 1 was born in 1274, July 11, at Turnsberry Castle. He became the founder of the dynasty and rightfully took possession of the crown of the ruler. Bruce spent his youthful years at the court of Edward 1 - King of England.
The origin of the surname is due to the fact that the Bruce family descended from the Normans, who took possession of the lands of Normandy.
The great Bryus dynasty can really be proud of such a ruler and commander who did everything solely for the sake of the people, and not for his own benefit.
Baron Robert de Bruce took part, or rather, was the leader of the uprising in the fight against England. For this he was solemnly rewarded with considerable lands in Yorkshire. Thanks to all his merits, the Bruce family became closely connected with Scottish history.
All the eldest sons in the family had the same name - Robert. Of course, all this was in honor of the founder of the dynasty. The first wife was Isabella (the middle daughter of David of Huntingdon). It was through marriage to her that Robert was granted the right to claim the Scottish throne by law, and then present a valid claim to the throne. But soon their marriage was annulled for unknown reasons. There are several sources that tell a variety of reasons, but modern people will never know the truth.
The life of a king is really full of interesting facts, events and little stories. Modern youth can safely take an example from such a ruler. His character deserves respect first and foremost, and thenall skills and abilities.
Towards the crown
After the death of the ruler of Scotland, there were many contenders for the crown, but Robert the Bruce's father refused to resolve this dispute, and therefore entrusted him to his own son.
1292 was a significant year for Robert, because he was given the title of Earl of Carrick. Then, after the death of his father, Robert the Bruce became the seventh Lord of Annandale. The clan put forward opposition to John Balliol, who subsequently made an alliance with France.
During all this confusion and the loss of a large amount of land, the clan was simply forced to reunite with the rebels, as many lords of Scotland did.
Return of Edward 1 from the campaign
At this point in time, the history of Scotland loses some facts, but still there is only one official version.
Edward 1 invades Scotland and the fighting begins. In these battles, the English archers and cavalry break up the enemy troops, many rulers are overthrown from the throne. The Bruce clan has to endure heavy battles, and as a result, they are in conflict with the Comyn clan for a long time.
Robert the Bruce brutally killed John Comyn, and only then the dispute between the clans was resolved. With this assassination, Bruce successfully cleared his way to the crown. Then the meeting of the Lords of Scotland proclaimed him the new king, and the coronation itself took place in Scone on March 10, 1306. In that place was kept the "Stone of Destiny", which was the sacred coronation stone of the Scots.
Coronation
On the significant day of the coronation, many locals sincerely rejoiced. The signing of the coronation document meant only one thing - Scotland does not want to see Edward 1 as its own ruler. Therefore, on the same day, the War of Independence began.
Robert suffered a couple of defeats, and then his family was captured by the British. Bruce himself sought refuge in many places. The Pope personally excommunicated him from the church, but even this fact did not stop the Scots, and their rebellion only increased in scale. Robert the Bruce returned to his own homeland in February and led all the rebel forces there.
The way north
Due to the increase in the number of rebels, Edward 1 had to take tougher measures, and he decided to lead the army to the north, and already there to implement his own plans.
Unfortunately, all his dreams were shattered because he suddenly passed away. It happened already near the border with Scotland, and his son decided to continue all his plans.
Edward 1 died suddenly, so his son had to take drastic measures and somehow take matters into his own hands until his troops suffered a severe defeat.
At the same time, the Scots had more strength and power, so the troops of England were gradually squeezed out of Scotland.
King recognition
The King of Scotland convened the first Parliament in 1309. And after that, despite the fact that he was excommunicated, he was duly recognized by the Scottish clergy as king.
Robert the Bruce's troops took control of most of the land, and the British had little territory left.
The town of Bannockburn itself suffered a massive defeat, since it was there that the Scots defeated the army of England, the number of soldiers in which was much larger than that of Bruce's army.
In addition to Scotland, the Irish also fought with the British, since an alliance was concluded between Scotland and Ireland. According to this document, Ireland did not have the right to leave the allies to be torn apart by the enemy, so the additional forces were useful to the Scots.
In 1315, Robert's younger brother was recognized as the Irish king. The union of Ireland and Scotland brought a lot of success, but the British were not so simple. Their counter-offensive was a failure for the allied countries. A huge defeat was inflicted on the troops of Scotland and Ireland, and the ruler of the Irish was killed.
Fighting the British
Even with all these failures and the loss of the king's sibling, the War of Independence continued. Robert and his army were not going to give up. A certain part of the land also passed to the control of the Scots. The British tried to launch a second large-scale counteroffensive, hoping for the same success, but their plans were again destroyed. The Scottish troops invaded before the opponents, so they managed to block all their moves and defeat them.
Robert the Bruce with little difficulty concluded a military treaty with France. A year later, his first son was born, who, accordingly, subsequently passed the crown.
The most final attempt by the British was made in 1327, but, fortunately, their campaign ended in failure. Scottish troops completely ravaged Northumberland and again landed on the lands of Ireland.
A year later, England was simply forced to sign an agreement that declared the independence of Scotland. Now Scotland has rightfully become a sovereign state, and Robert the Bruce is recognized as its king.
All the conditions of the world are finally fixed by the only marriage of David Bruce (the four-year-old son of Robert the Bruce) and Joan Plantagenet (the seven-year-old sister of Edward III).
After death
The famous king of Scotland has achieved many foreign policy and military successes. But, despite all his merits and victories, he still could not achieve his cherished goal. Robert wanted to create a solid foundation for Scottish power, which he was unable to build.
In recent years, he fell ill with a terrible disease - leprosy (leprosy). Unfortunately, at that time there was no available equipment for isolating and treating a person, so he had to endure all this live and endure it to the last. He lived at that time in Cardross, on the very shore, and died there.
The body, at the request of the Scots, was buried in Dunfermline, and the heart was transferred to Melrose. Some time after the terrible event, many legends spread throughout Scotland, people composed and wrote poems, poems, legends, etc. In all these manuscripts, the king was credited with the powers of a wizard or some extraterrestrial ruler whogave his people freedom by sacrificing their own strength.
After the death of his son, the line of the dynasty ended. The crown passed to the grandson of the female line - Robert Stewart.
Second wife
Elizabeth de Burgh is best known as the second wife of the King of Scotland. There were many legends about her among the locals and the Scottish troops, where she became famous.
She was born in Dunfermline, where, as you know, Robert spent the last years of his life. She was the daughter of the all-powerful Richard de Burgh, so her noble family gave her enough status.
Elizabeth de Burgh met Robert the Bruce at the English court, and in 1302 they married.
