David II

King of Scotland (r. 1329-1371)

• Born: March 5, 1324
• Birthplace: Dunfermline, Scotland
• Died: February 22, 1371
• Place of death: Edinburgh, Scotland

David, king of Scotland during many years of its struggle for independence from the English, spent much time in exile or captivity before his return to the kingdom and a period of peace, leaving room for debate over his accomplishments as king.

Early Life

David Bruce was the son of Robert Bruce, the famous Scottish warrior and then king of Scotland who had led the nation in successful revolt against English control. King Robert, a strong and energetic ruler, sought to consolidate his family’s and nation’s position through a marriage between his son David and Joanna, the sister of Edward III of England. This marriage was celebrated on July 12, 1328. Less than a year later, on June 7, 1329, King Robert died. David II was then crowned and anointed king and Scotland faced the uncertain prospect of a long period with a child monarch on its throne, uncertainty among its nobles, and a powerful English presence on its border.

The symbolism of the ceremony crowning David deliberately underscored Scotland’s position as an independent kingdom. This independence had been threatened earlier by the weakness of John de Baliol, who had accepted the English monarch as his feudal lord; Baliol had later been thrust aside by King Robert, who had claimed the crown and driven the English from the land.

A number of Scots lords had sided with Baliol and the English during the struggle, and during the early years of David’s reign, they and Edward III pressed for the return of their forfeited estates. In August, 1323, Edward de Baliol (son of John, who was by this time long deceased) and many of these nobles, known as the Disinherited, landed on the coast of Fife. They were secretly supported by Edward III, who desired at least a friendly ruler in Scotland and who eventually claimed the crown for himself. On August 11, at Dupplin Moor, the rebels defeated a Scots army led by the earl of Mar, guardian for the young king. The guardian and many of the nobility were slain, and Baliol advanced rapidly through the kingdom. In September, he was crowned at Scone.

Civil war now resumed in Scotland. The new guardian, Sir Andrew Moray, was captured by Baliol, but under his successor, Sir Archibald Douglas, supporters of David forced Baliol to evacuate Scotland. In turn, this brought Edward III into the conflict to support his ally, and on July 19, 1333, the English inflicted a serious defeat on the Scots at the Battle of Halidon Hill. Douglas, the new guardian, fell in battle, along with more of the Scots lords. Although Baliol established himself at Perth as king, his deference to Edward III was complete: All southern Scotland was surrendered to the English, and there were clear indications that Edward III contemplated possession of the entire nation.

In this uncertain situation, David and Joanna sailed for the safety of Scotland’s traditional ally, France; they landed in Boulogne on May 14, 1334. The royal exiles, well-treated abroad and supported by funds from home, would remain in France for seven years.

Back in Scotland, the struggle against the English continued. The fortunes of war varied greatly, generally favoring Edward III when he campaigned in person. Edward’s lieutenants were less capable, and the Scots waged a remorseless guerrilla war against them. The decision of Edward in 1337 to concentrate his strength in a French campaign was a turning point in the war, because it reduced the level of English power in Scotland.

Sir Andrew de Moray, who had been reappointed as guardian, was able to take advantage of the favorable situation and drive the English from their strongholds. After de Moray’s death in the spring of 1338, the struggle was continued by the next guardian, Robert the Steward. Robert, although he was eight years older than David II, was his nephew, heir, and eventual successor. Under Robert, the Scots took Edinburgh from the English in April, 1341.

Life’s Work

On May 4, 1341, David returned to Scotland. Thanks to leaders such as Robert and Moray, northern Scotland had been liberated. In a council held at Aberdeen in February, 1342, David assumed command as king. He set out with Moray on a raid on the English border to underscore his commitment to the struggle and traveled about his kingdom to be seen by his subjects. The attack on the English was ineffectual, however, and the kingdom deeply troubled.

Open warfare still raged between the supporters of Baliol and the English and those of David; personal feuds, murders, and assaults were common. The administration of justice and government was uncertain. Contemporary chronicles noted a fast-spreading disease that attacked the fowls of the kingdom; it was a forerunner of the Black Death, which would soon ravage Europe.

By 1346, Edward III was deeply involved in the siege of Calais, on the French coast. To assist his French allies while the English were weakened, David gathered his forces and moved south with twelve thousand men-at-arms and thirteen thousand other troops. William Zouche, the archbishop of York, mustered the English and, on October 17, 1346, smashed the Scots at the Battle of Neville’s Cross, killing many of their leaders and capturing David himself. The king would spend the next eleven years as captive of Edward. The English were unable to exploit fully this victory because of their campaigns in France.

Robert was appointed guardian of the realm once more, and ransom negotiations began for the release of David. The negotiations were long and difficult because the English demands were considerable. A total of 90,000 marks (60,000 pounds) was set, which could be raised only with great difficulty in poor, war-ravaged Scotland. Worse, from the Scots’ view, was Edward’s insistence that, should David die without an heir, the kingdom go to Edward III or one of his sons.

In January, 1356, Baliol, as scholar Ranald Nicholson describes it, “took the crown from his head, lifted a handful of earth and stones from Scottish soil, and handed them to Edward III.” Now that Baliol, the pretender he had supported, had renounced his claim, the English monarch openly sought the throne for himself. Later that year he led an army through southern Scotland in the “burnt Candlemas” campaign, spreading additional devastation throughout the countryside.

Edward III’s position was strengthened by his success in France: In September, 1356, the Battle of Poitiers left the French routed and their monarch, King John II , a captive of the English. Realizing that their traditional ally was unable to assist them, the Scots concluded the ransom treaty with Edward, agreeing to pay 100,000 marks (66,666 pounds) over a ten-year period. Although the amount was enormous, the treaty placed no other conditions on the Scots, including matters touching the succession. On October 7, 1357, David II finally returned to Scotland as a free man.

David’s return to Scotland may have restored the monarchy, but it failed to bring an immediate end to the nation’s troubles. There was turmoil among the Scottish nobles, who continued to struggle among themselves and who defied his attempts to gain control of the kingdom. Their opposition was decisively countered by David, who asserted his power over his subjects through various methods, including the revocation of titles, imprisonment, and the use of armed force. Royal control over the Church was strengthened. The administration of the government was greatly improved, especially in fiscal matters, and commentary of the time remarked on the even dispensation of justice under David.

As the king established himself more firmly throughout the land, Scotland began to emerge from the trials of war. The burgesses, that class below the nobility and above the commons, assumed new and more important positions in the realm. One reason for their growing importance was the vital role they took in raising the ransom for the king; this service was their entry into political decisions affecting Scotland. A second source of their new strength was their essential participation in the rebirth of Scotland’s trade. Restoration of peace permitted renewed commerce with England and with the Continent. Once again, the burgesses engaged and profited in this enterprise.

It was in the area of foreign affairs, specifically relating to England, that David proved less satisfactory to his subjects. The treaty for his release had set a large ransom but had left Scotland independent. In November of 1363, further talks were held between English and Scottish representatives, regarding nonpayment of the ransom and possible solutions; the old issue of the succession was raised once more. The English were willing to forgo the unpaid portion of the ransom if the Scots would agree that their kingdom would go to Edward III should David die without an heir.

It seems that David, while in London, personally agreed to this proposal. He apparently had a genuine respect and admiration for Edward, who was generally regarded as an outstanding example of kingly chivalry, a point of particular importance to David. The Scottish king also must have been impressed by the weakness of the French and the growing strength of England. These considerations, combined with the great difficulty in raising the annual payments, seem to have inclined him toward settling the kingdom on the English king as the best solution for his own and the kingdom’s dilemma. The Scots, on the other hand, scorned the suggestion, and in March of 1364, their parliament rejected the proposed treaty. Although the Scots were in arrears on their payment of the ransom and had rejected his proposal, Edward was unable to act against them because of his continued deep involvement in France. Despite the force of Edward and the complaisance of David, Scotland remained independent.

There remained the vexatious problem of the succession. David’s wife, Joanna, had joined him in London during his captivity and had died there on August 14, 1362, without ever having returned to Scotland. The next year, David married Margaret, widow of Sir John Logie. His contemporaries believed that he had been overcome by love; certainly, the alliance brought no political or dynastic advantage to the king, nor did it produce children. In 1369, a divorce was granted by the Scottish bishops.

A new marriage was contemplated, this one with Agnes Dunbar. As he was only forty-seven years old, David was still capable of siring children. As plans for the wedding were being prepared, however, David II died, on February 22, 1371, at Edinburgh Castle. His kinsman, Robert the Steward, succeeded him to the throne.

Significance

The reign of David II presents an enigma to historians, particularly in regard to his policy toward England and its effect on the independence of Scotland. Assessments of David vary, according to how his actions are interpreted. Some see David as having come under the increasing domination of King Edward III, ready to cede the realm of Scotland to the more powerful monarch. According to this view, David, discouraged with the prospects of continued struggle and particularly disenchanted with his French allies, believed English victory to be inevitable and sought to make the best possible and practical arrangement for his country. Others stress, in addition, the love of chivalric pageantry and tradition that was so strong a part of David’s character; this led him to an inevitable admiration for Edward III, Europe’s prime example of chivalry. It would have been natural for David to accept Edward as his feudal lord, and the submission of Scotland to the English king would not have seemed shameful to him.

In some of the documents surviving from the 1363 ransom and treaty discussions, there is mention of Scotland’s position should Edward inherit the throne. Promises somewhat vaguely assure the Scots that they can retain their traditional laws and customs and their internal government and administration. Perhaps David thought that, for all practical purposes, Scotland would remain independent under Edward III and that only a common ruler would link the two countries. Whether this was practical and whether this is what Edward intended is unknown. The fate of Wales under the English monarch would suggest otherwise.

Some writers see in David a more nationalistic and independent monarch, whose relationship with England and Edward was based on a realistic appraisal of his country’s power and position. Whatever changes might have been discussed, none was actually implemented. Was that what David intended, or what the Scottish lords demanded? It is certain that those lords and their followers were the ones who preserved Scottish independence during the long years of David’s exile and captivity, and it is logical to conclude that after David’s return they helped maintain that independence despite the inclinations of their royal master.

Bibliography

Bower, Walter. Scotichronicon. Edited by D. E. R. Watt. Edinburgh: Mercat Press, 1987-1997. A nine-volume classic on the history of Scotland, originally written in the 1440’. Volume 7 includes a survey of the years 1320 to 1390, a time period that includes the reign of David II.

Dickinson, W. Croft. Scotland from the Earliest Times to 1603. 3d rev. ed. Edited by Archibald M. Duncan. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1977. A well-written, well-researched account of Scotland, and the section on David II is easily accessible to the general reader.

Donaldson, Gordon, and Robert Morpeth. Who’s Who in Scottish History. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1973. Brief but informative entries on prominent figures in Scotland’s past. The section on David II presents him in a slightly better light than most of his other biographies.

Nicholson, Ranald. Scotland: The Later Middle Ages. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1974. A thorough, narrative account of the kingdom.

Northen, Stephanie. “A Ruler Made to Be Broken.” Times Educational Supplement (June 14, 2002). Discusses David as the first anointed king and the ruler whose death marked the end of the Bruce clan’s reign in Scotland.

Packe, Michael. King Edward III. Edited by L. C. B. Seaman. Boston: ARK, 1985. Provides an interesting perspective on the relationship between Edward III and David, David’s actions, and Scottish aspirations.

Roberts, John L. Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland and the Middle Ages. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1997. A history of Scotland from the eleventh to the seventeenth century, including a chapter on Scottish independence.