[MR] Wikipedia: House of Stewart

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

On this day in 1371, King of Scots David II died. He was the only surviving
son of Robert the Bruce, and his death ended the rather brief House of
Bruce (in terms of how many rulers there were, just two, though they both
had pretty long reigns).

David II was succeeded by his nephew, Robert, house of Stewart. Robert was
the son of Walter Stewart, the 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie
Bruce (a daughter of Robert the Bruce). Robert II was first in a long line
(maybe too long) of Stewart rulers of Scotland and later Great Britain. The
Stewart monarchs were for the most part lousy rulers (in the opinion of
this Scottish descendant), made stupid mistakes, eliminated rivals right
and left, and sometimes got themselves bumped off by their own people.
Somehow the family clung to power though, and that has to count for
something.

Robert II's biography can be found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_II_of_Scotland .

The ruling Stewart (later Stuart) line finally failed in 1714, when Queen
Anne of Great Britain and Scotland died without issue. Queen Elizabeth II
continues this bloodline, through descent from James VI & I's daughter
Elizabeth Stuart and a mess of Germans.

The side of the family represented by James II and VII, who was chased out
of England by William and Mary, and whose grandson Bonnie Prince Charlie
caused all that fuss in 1745-46, continues in Europe. Franz, head of the
House of Wittelsbach (by courtesy styled Duke of Bavaria), is currently the
senior member of this line, but has no interest in claiming the thrones of
Scotland or England.

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆