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The turn of the 14th century
was a time of change and turmoil in Scotland.
The English king Edward I, the "Hammer
of the Scots", had reduced Scotland to
a vassal state. In 1297 William Wallace had
defeated the English army at the battle of Stirling
Bridge, and became Guardian of Scotland, but
not for long. The Battle of Falkirk on 22nd
July saw Wallace defeated by Edward’s
army, and he fled after resigning the position
of Guardian so recently bestowed upon him.
John Balliol, the uncle
of John ' the Red ' Comyn, was technically king
of Scotland from 1292-1296, but had surrendered
Scotland to Edward I in 1292, and with the royal
arms stripped from his coat, he became known
as 'Toom Tabard' or 'Empty Coat'. He went into
exile, and it was also this man who William
Wallace was attempting to restore as King of
Scotland. So Robert the Bruce, after the death
of his father in 1304, found himself in competition
for the Scottish throne with the Comyn/Balliol
family.
Wallace evaded capture
for years, until finally in 1305 he was betrayed
and captured as he slept by a well in Robroyston,
near Glasgow. He was tried for treason and brutally
executed on the 24th August 1305. After the
trial, he was taken to Smithfield, and subsequently
hung, drawn and quartered, then beheaded. As
a warning to all others, the ruthless King Edward
I sent the body parts of William Wallace to
Berwick, Stirling, Perth and Newcastle to be
put on display. His head was impaled on a spike
on London Bridge.
William Wallace inspired
many men in his time, with his courage and brilliant
military tactics. Robert the Bruce was inspired
by him as well.
Bruce knew that if he
was to realise his claim on the Scottish throne,
he had to eliminate his biggest problem in order
to clear the path for him to rule. The problem
was John 'the Red' Comyn, the nephew of the
exiled Balliol. Comyn was powerful, he had influence
and many powerful allies and friends. Robert
The Bruce must come to an agreement with Comyn,
in the shape of a proposal which outlined Bruce's
plan to become king. Under Bruce's plan, Bruce
would give his lands to Comyn, in return for
his support in making Bruce king. A meeting
was set for 10th of February 1306, at Greyfriars,
Dumfries. Comyn agreed to come and listen to
Bruce's proposal.
When Comyn heard Bruce's
proposal, he was enraged. So enraged in fact,
that a heated argument was ignited between himself
and Bruce. This filled Bruce with anger, and
in the heat of the moment he reached for his
dagger and thrust it into John Comyn, killing
him on the spot. Sir Robert Comyn, John's uncle,
rushed to defend his nephew and was killed by
Bruce's followers. With that killing, Robert
the Bruce had placed himself in a vulnerable
position, and changed the history of Scotland.
In his temper he had killed a well-respected
noble, and worse still, killed him in a church.
He knew that he was now under threat from Comyn's
kinsmen, as well as being an outlaw for the
murder. Nevertheless, on the 25th of March,
1306, a mere six weeks after the killing, Robert
the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland in Scone
palace.
Things were only to turn
from bad to worse for King Robert the Bruce,
including being outlawed by Edward I, hunted
under Edward’s command by the brother-in-law
of Comyn, Aymer de Valence, defeated by him
in a battle at Methven, and nearly being captured
at Tyndrum by more of Comyn's kinsmen.
He sent his family to
Kildrummy Castle in Aberdeenshire for safety,
but by September, his wife and daughter were
in prison and his brother Neil was hung, Bruce
then travelled from Kintyre to the island of
Rathlin, just off the Irish coast. His movements
are unknown after that until his return to Scotland
in February 1307.
After returning to Scotland
in February 1307, Bruce was aware of his position
and the strength of the English army, coupled
with the followers and kinsmen of Comyn. He
knew that the only way to succeed was to conduct
a guerilla war, with the intention of frightening
and demoralizing the forces allied against him.
However, several important victories followed
for Bruce. He defeated John Mowbray's forces
in Glen Trool, Galloway, by ambush. More important
still, he defeated Aymer de Valence at Loudon
Hill near Kilmarnock, even though he was greatly
outnumbered, and then the Earl of Gloucester
shortly afterwards. It must have seemed as though
things just couldn't have gone better for Bruce,
but they were about to take a significant turn.
The news that Bruce, as well as many others,
had been hoping for finally came to pass - King
Edward I - the 'Hammer of the Scots' - was dead.
Realtionated Links:
Stirling
Castle / Arbroath
Declaration / Arbroath
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