Isuue 4 - Rise and Triumph of Robert Bruce Flashcards
Murder of Comyn and Meeting With Bishop Wishart
- Bruce and Comyn agreed to meet in Greyfriars Church in Dumfries before the High Altar
- Comyn came with his uncle and Bruce came with Kirkpatrick
- Comyn and his uncle dead (Bruce kills them)
- Later found out that Comyn hadn’t died - sent one of his men to finish the job
- Sacrilege - Bruce excommunicated by the Pope.
- Bruce fled to Glasgow Cathedral
- Bruce gets help from Bishop Wsiahrt - absolves him of blood guilt and makes him swear an oath to obey the wishes of the Scottish clergy
Crowning of Bruce
Bruce crowned King of Scotland on March 25th 1306
Coronation took place at Scone
The ceremony took place without the Stone of Destiny and the Scottish Crown Jewels, which had been taken to England by Edward I
Only a few supporters present - emphasised the lack of support Bruce had amongst nobles. Threat of civil war loomed once more.
Edward Raising the Dragon
- Edward so angry with Bruce that he gave order to “Raise The Dragon”
- This involved the invading troops carrying a banner of a Dragon that they would fly when in combat
- It meant that the usual etiquette of medieval warfare wouldn’t be followed.
Methven Woods
June 1306
* In June , Aymer de Valence - Edward’s apponted representative in Scotland - cossed the border at Berwick with an army of 300 knights and 2000 infantry
* Eager to deal with early threat before Edward arrived with much larger army, Robert marched to meet Valence
* Bruce’s troops camped in Methven Woods 19th June 1306
* They were taken by surprised and defeated
Dalry
July 1306
* Having gone on the run and retreating west from theri defeat at Methven, King Robert’s supporters were confronted near Tyndrum in Argyll by the MacDougalls of Argyll, who were releated to the Comyn family
* Bruce’s remaining supporters were virtually wiped out by the cottish noble, John MacDougall
* MacDougall looking to exact revenge for the murder at Greyfriars
* Bruce managed to escape
Attacks on Bruce’s Family
Autumn 1306
* Bruce’s brother, Neil, was hing, drawn, and beheaded
* His wife, sisters and daughter were captured by English forced and placed under house arrest. They were kept as hostages - either for ransom or to help negotiate if Bruce ever became powerful again
* Bruce’s sister Mary, and Isabella, the Countess of Buchan were both imprisoned. They were put in cages that hung from the walls of Berwick and Roxburgh castles, respecitively, as a warning to other rebels.
* Bruce fled Scottish mainland. Was given the nickname King Hob - King Nobody
* Not known where he went, although probs spent winter on an island off the west coast of Scotland.
* During period of absence, 2 of his brothers were captured by the English and executed.
Return of Bruce
Glen Trool
February-April 1307
Bruce gathered support in his family lands at Carrick and managed to defeata small English garrison at Glen Trool.
Return of Bruce
Loudon Hill
May 1307
Bruce was able to defeat a larger English force, led by Aymer de Valence, at Loudon Hill. Bruce set traps and took up position on the higher ground. Defeating what had been the main English force in Scotland gace Bruce and his supporters great confidence
Death of Edward I
July 1307
Edward I fell ill near the Scottish border and eventually died at Burgh-on-Sands. His son Edward II returned south instead of confronting Brucee so that he could secure his position among his own before waging war on a foreign country. This delay gave Bruce time to solidify his position as King of Scotland.
Civil War In Scotland after Bruce’s Return
Winter 1307-08
Winter 1307/08 -
Bruce fought and captured castles in the Great Glen, gaining control of Inverlochy, Urghuart, then Inverness, resulting in the surrundr of the Earl of Ross
Spring 1308 -
Bruce went to Buchan, capturing the Comyn castles of Banff, Balvenie and Duffus before beseiging the Black Isle.
Despite being ill, in May 1308, Bruce’s forces defeated John Comyn, the Earl of Buchan at the Battle of Inverurie
Civil War In Scotland after Bruce’s Return
Spring 1308
Spring 1308 -
Bruce went to Buchan, capturing the Comyn castles of Banff, Balvenie and Duffus before beseiging the Black Isle.
Despite being ill, in May 1308, Bruce’s forces defeated John Comyn, the Earl of Buchan at the Battle of
Civil War In Scotland after Bruce’s Return
Summer 1308
Herschip of Buchan - Bruce ordered the lands of Buchan to be destroyed - farms were burned, livestock slain and Comyn supporters murdered. Most northern castles were ruined.
Civil War In Scotland after Bruce’s Return
Autumn 1308
Defeat of the Macdougalls at the Battle of the Pass of Brander in Argyll
Civil War In Scotland after Bruce’s Return
March 1309
Bruce contolled all of Scotland north of the Tay. At that time, he held the first parliament at St Andrews.
At this parliament, he was confirmed king with support from the nibles and a letter from the French King. The Scottish bishops formally recognised this in a document known as the Declaration of the Clergy, and they absolved him of his past sins
Capturing Scottish Castles
By 1314, Bruce has managed to recapture all of the Scottish castles from the English
* Roxburgh Castle - was captured by Bruce’s men hiding among castle as dusk to get close to the walls/using rope ladders at night to scale the walls and open the gates.
* Linlithgow castle - captured by jamming the gate and portculis with a haycart/men hidden in cart to fight until reinforcements arrived
* Edinburgh castle - was captured by climbing up the rock face/diversionary attack on the other side
* Stirling, Bothwell and Berwick castles were recpatured later
Capturing Scottish Castles
Stirling Castle
Bruce’s brother Edward was beseiging Stirling Castle. The commander of the Castle agreed to surrender the castle by midsummer 1314 if Edward II hadn’t sent an English forced to save them by then.
Capturing Scottish Castles
The Douglas Lardar
James Douglas recaptured his own castle in Lanark and then burned it down later
Douglas; accompanised by only 2 men, sought out a loyal tenant who would’ve known him as a young boy, With his help he recruited more locals to ambush the castle garrison
They captured or killed the entire garrison
Raided the castle stores, remaining prisoners brought down and beheaded
Whole lot then fired
Battle of Bannockburn
- Bruce chose battlegroud that the Scots has trained on and set traps e.g. pits. The boggy ground was hard for horses to move .
- Henry de Bohun killed by Bruce after trying to kill him before the battle had started.
- Sir Robert Clifford pushed back by a schiltron after avoiding pots so crossing a marsh land - had to retreat
- English morale bad, Scots good. Alexander de Seton told Bruce this so he decided to attack the next day
- Edward II moved English camp at night - they got little rest, bad for morale
- Scots prayed - Edward II though it was a surrnder
- Englsih couldnt use archers or horses because of bog/position meaning they could shoot themselves
- Bruce used Scottish reserve of small folk. English panicked/retreated/some drowned in Bannockburn. Lots died, especially for English
- Scots won bc Bruce’s tactics and reserve. English lost bc poor leadership, bad morale, disorganised, attacked schiltrons without archers to help
After Bannockburn
The Irish Wars
Bruce opened up a second front in Ireland in 1315 to complicate matters for Edward II. This invasion was led by Edward Bruce. The aim was to divert attention and resources away from Scotland. This was achieved for a period of time, although Edward Bruce was killed in 1318.
After Bannockburn
Raids in Northern England
Bruce and his commanders led raids into Northern England every year between 1315-18. They wanted to force Edward II to accept Scottish independece. Scots recaptured Berwick in 1318. Edward II tried to beseige Berwick in 1319 but he was froced to retreat as a result of devastating raids led by Thomas Rundolph and James Douglas.
The Declaration of Arbroath
Bruce realised he would have to secure Scotland’s independence through diplomacy. In 1320, nobles sent a letter to Pope John XXII to argue Scotland’s freedom from the English. The letter became known as the declaration of Arbroath. The DoA was one of three letters drawn up in 1320 to persuade the Pope to accept Scotland’s independence and Bruce as King of Scots. About 38 nobles are named on it and about 50 seals of nobles in total hang from the bottom.
State of England
Edward II still King, but he was weak. 1327: despised his wife Isabella of France and her lover Roger Mortimer. Edward III was crowned as the new King of England. Bruce sent an invasion force to England. As a result of this pressure from Bruce, as well as the threat of rebellion from English nobles, Isabella and Mortimer had to request a truce.
Recapture of Berwick
Scots recaptured Berwick, the last part of Scotland in English hands. Scotland’s relationship w/ the Pope improved which weakened the English case.
Treaty of Northampton
In 1328, the two sides signed the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in which
* Edward III renowned all claims to overlordship over the Kingdom of Scotland
* A marriage contract was arranged between Bruce’s son David and Joan the sister of Edward III
* Scottish independence and Bruce’s position as King of Scots was offficially recognised.
