Robert the Bruce Is Crowned King of Scotland
Robert the Bruce, also known as Robert I, was crowned king of Scotland on March 25, 1306, at Scone, marking a significant event in Scottish history. His ascension came during a tumultuous period characterized by internal clan rivalries and external pressures from England, which had exerted control over Scotland for several years prior. Bruce’s claim to the throne stemmed from his noble lineage and strategic alliances, which shifted throughout the conflict. Initially supporting the English king Edward I, Bruce later declared his intention for Scottish independence, leading to his coronation by supporters eager to reclaim their national identity.
Facing immediate challenges, including being declared an outlaw by Edward I, Bruce adopted guerrilla warfare tactics against the superior English forces. His persistence in the face of adversity became legendary, notably inspired by a spider's tenacity during his time in exile. The turning point came in 1314 with the Battle of Bannockburn, where Bruce achieved a decisive victory against the English army, further cementing his legacy as a national hero. Although England did not officially recognize Scotland's independence until 1328, Bruce's reign laid critical groundwork for future Scottish sovereignty. He passed away in 1329, leaving a profound impact on Scotland's historical narrative and political landscape.
Robert the Bruce Is Crowned King of Scotland
Robert the Bruce Is Crowned King of Scotland
Robert the Bruce, also known as Robert Bruce or Robert de Bruce, was crowned king of Scotland at Scone on March 25, 1306. (Some sources list the date of his coronation as March 27). He was the first king of Scotland to bear the name Robert and would be known in later years as Robert I.
For centuries Scottish politics had been characterized by warring clans and bickering nobles. To the south was England, whose larger population, superior agricultural economy, and more unified government put it in a position to dominate Scotland. The kings of Scotland had little effective control over their own people, particularly in the rugged highland region. There, far removed in culture and spirit from the cities and settlements of the more civilized lowlands, the ancient clans followed their traditional independent lifestyle, feuding with one another over land and cattle. They were unified in nothing but their opposition to outside rule, but their lack of unity made outside rule almost inevitable. For a time King Edward I of England was able to hold all of Scotland, highland and lowland, under his thumb. He defeated the reigning king of Scotland, John de Baliol, in 1296 and put down an uprising under the popular hero William Wallace in 1299. Robert the Bruce, 25 years old and at that time Earl of Carrick, had at first supported Wallace but now allied himself with Edward. He was rewarded when Edward made him one of the three regents he appointed to rule over Scotland for him.
Scottish alliances could shift treacherously, however, and this one was no exception. Thanks to the complicated lineages and intermarriages of the Scottish aristocracy, Bruce had a plausible claim to the Scottish throne, and in 1306 he decided to pursue it. He gained the support of one of his coregents, murdered the other, and openly declared for independence from England, drawing upon the reservoir of national feeling that Wallace had created. Crowned king at Scone by those he had won to his cause, Bruce was soon fighting for his life against the angry Edward I, who declared him an outlaw and a traitor.
An ancient, probably apocryphal, rhyme entitled “Good King Robert's Testament” lays out the ground rules for the sort of hit-and-run guerrilla campaign that was Bruce's best hope, pitting his knowledge of the terrain and his growing support among the people against the greatly superior forces of the English. His struggle was difficult, and he was forced to flee first to the highlands, then to northern Ireland (where, legend has it, he was inspired by a spider's persistence to try again). After Edward I died in 1307, Bruce was able to regroup, and with his followers he managed to secure control over most of Scotland, thanks in part to the incompetence of the new English king, Edward II. On June 24, 1314, Bruce met and defeated the English in battle near Bannockburn in Scotland, his army of approximately 40,000 men defeating a much larger English force of some 60,000 men and inflicting roughly 10,000 casualties. The Battle of Bannockburn signaled the de facto independence of Scotland, although England did not formally recognize Scotland as an independent kingdom with Robert the Bruce as king until 1328.
Bruce died shortly thereafter, in 1329, probably of leprosy. A devoted follower carried his heart on a crusade against the Saracens, in accordance with his last wishes. Scotland relapsed into its previous pattern of factional warfare. However, a grandson of Bruce's would become king for a while as Robert II, the first of the Stuart house of English and Scottish nobles and kings. It would be a Stuart king of Scotland who would unite the two kingdoms under one crown when James VI of Scotland also became James I of England in 1603, after Elizabeth I of England died with no direct heir. England and Scotland were finally unified independently of dynastic ties in 1707 with the Act of Union, which created Great Britain.