Stirling, Scotland and Edinburgh, Scotland
Like many people my age, I first learned about Robert the Bruce through the movie Braveheart. Angus Macfadyen’s portrayal in Braveheart as a reluctant King with issues with his controlling father is what most non-Scots my age would have thought of him. In the movie, the frequent meetings with, and betrayal by, William Wallace are quite fictional, as it is not confirmed that they met in real life. While it was an entertaining movie, the nickname Braveheart actually belonged to Robert the Bruce, not William Wallace. The film’s closest representation of Robert the Bruce comes in the final scene, when he leads the Scots to victory at the Battle of Bannockburn. The real Robert the Bruce is an intriguing historical figure whose impact remains integral to Scottish identity and society today.
The historical record says Robert the Bruce was born the third Robert the Bruce (Sharing a name with his father and grandfather, and causing grief for future genealogists). Robert the Bruce joined the cause of Scottish Independence, but like many nobles of the time, he played both sides, trying to survive what seemed like an eventual English victory. Robert the Bruce even found himself, along with many other nobles, pledging loyalty to Edward I in 1302, when William Wallace was on the run. Later, Wallace was captured, drawn, and quartered, leading to uprisings in Scotland. Still, Robert the Bruce had his eye on the Scottish Throne, but he and his main rival, John Comyn, tried to gain favor from Edward I. John Comyn betrayed Robert the Bruce to Edward I, an action that was not looked upon favorably by Robert. The two men met in a church in Dumfries. The two had a heated discussion that led to Robert the Bruce killing John Comyn in front of the altar. This was not exactly a favorable act, and Robert the Bruce was excommunicated.
Robert the Bruce commissioned and used the Bute mazer while visiting nobles on the Isle of Bute and the town of Rothesay, an island that we also visited at the end of our trip.
The murder of John Comyn was unpopular, but Robert the Bruce was crowned King of the Scots at Scone in 1306. Robert the Bruce’s reign was one of great hardship and struggle. His army was ambushed at night, leading to many casualties. Robert the Bruce’s army was annihilated, and he had to go into hiding. His wife and daughter were captured, and three of his brothers were killed in the uprising. It was not good to be the king.
In this despair, legend says Robert the Bruce went into a cave and watched a spider unsuccessfully try to spin a web. Sir Walter Scott captured this best in his Tales of a Grandfather.
“If the insect shall make another effort to fix its thread, and shall be successful, I will venture a seventh time to try my fortune in Scotland; but if the spider shall fail I will go to the wars in Palestine, and never return to my native country more.”
The spider succeeded, and a newly inspired Robert the Bruce used guerrilla tactics to take back the country from the English gradually. The greatest of these victories came in 1314, when Robert the Bruce led the Scots to victory in the Battle of Bannockburn. Robert the Bruce secured a cease-fire from England, along with his wife and daughter in a prisoner exchange, but it took until the year before his death for Scotland to win its Independence.
Robert the Bruce’s impact on Scotland is still felt today, as he is seen as the nation’s modern father. Robert’s descendants ruled Scotland for over 300 years, until James VI united the English and Scottish Crowns, eventually forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Overall, Robert the Bruce is a complex figure whom Scots ultimately revere as the father of their modern country. I’m glad I got to visit a few places directly related to Robert the Bruce and learn more about this complicated yet pragmatic leader of Scotland.
