King
Robert the Bruce
Bruce was of far-out royal descent and in early life was even favoured by Edward I of England. He and his brothers attended the Royal court in London but Bruce became enraged by the tyrannical treatment meted out to the Scots.
Understanding the imbalance of military strength between the two nations, he suffered excruciating restraint in the years leading up to Edward’s assumption of the style of Lord Paramount of Scotland.
The savage imposition of Edward’s subsequent rule over the Scots was too much for Bruce and he called the nation to arms. From 1298 until 1314 he fought unequal and desperate campaigns for freedom and independence, often defying the odds by using guerrilla-warfare taught to him by William Wallace. By the time of Bannockburn, Edward Longshanks “Hammer of the Scots” was dead and it was against his weaker successor, Edward II that Bruce won the vital battle, using brilliant tactics to overcome vastly superior numbers.
‘Bannockurn’ by William Hole 1846-191 – National Galleries of Scotland