[MR] Wikipedia: Death of Robert the Bruce

Garth Groff and Sally Sanford mallardlodge1000 at gmail.com
Thu Jun 7 02:27:46 PDT 2018


Noble Friends, Especially Fellow Scots:

I couldn't let this one pass by--on this date in 1329 Scotland's greatest
king died at Cardross Scotland.

Robert the Bruce was controversial figure who played footsie with the
English during the early Scottish wars of independence, was complicit in
the murder of his rival John "The Red" Comyn in the Greyfriars church, and
exterminated Comyns and other enemies to consolidate his power. After the
murder of Comyn and Bruce's subsequent excommunication, he gambled
everything and had himself crowned King of the Scots and began a long
guerrilla war against Scotland's English occupiers that eventually led to
his country's restored independence. Once firmly in power, Bruce seems to
have ruled with reasonable wisdom and fairness.

As part of a deal to lift his personal excommunication and Scotland's
inderdiction, Bruce made a vow to the Pope to fight a crusade in the Holy
Land. This vow went unfulfilled. By the King's deathbed request, his body
was opened and his heart removed. It was placed in a small casket by Sir
James Douglas, one of Bruce's most loyal supporters. Douglas and a number
of other knights departed on crusade. They chose to fight against the Moors
in Spain, since there was no active war in the Holy Land. At the Battle of
Teba in 1330 the Scots were cut off by the Moors and made a suicidal last
stand. According to legend (embellished by Sir Walter Scott), Douglas threw
the casket into the midst of the Moors and led the Scots to their deaths.
The casket was recovered after the battle and returned to Scotland by Sir
William Keith, one of the expedition's few survivors, and was/is buried in
Melrose Abbey.

King Robert's body, minus his heart, was buried before the alter in
Dunfirmline Abbey, where he remains to this day. The marble upper structure
of his tomb was later destroyed (pieces are in the National Museum of
Scotland).

More about Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots is found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Bruce

Note the style of his title, King of Scots, not King of Scotland. Generally
Scottish rulers were monarchs of the people, not the land. The Declaration
of Arbroath (1320) makes it clear that Scottish kings were answerable to
the people, and could be pitched out if they failed in their duties. It is
not clear when this changed, but it apparently happened under the Stewarts.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆


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