The Children of Adam and Eve

He was liberator of Scotland. He was originally named Robert de Bruce,
and to distinguish him from his father and grandfather, who had the same
name, he is often referred to as Robert de Bruce VIII. He is also called
Robert the Bruce. As earl of Carrick he paid homage to King Edward I of
England, who, in 1296, defeated King John de Baliol and thereafter refused
to acknowledge another king of Scotland. Bruce later abandoned Edward's
cause and joined other Scottish leaders in taking up arms for the
independence of his country. In 1299, the year after the Scottish patriot
Sir William Wallace was defeated by Edward at Falkirk, Bruce, then still
in favor with Edward, was made one of the four regents who ruled the
kingdom in the name of Baliol. In 1305 he was one of those consulted in
the decision to make Scotland a province of England. In 1306 he met an old
enemy, the Scottish patriot John Comyn (died 1306), who was the nephew of
Baliol; a quarrel occurred, and Bruce stabbed Comyn. Bruce proclaimed his
right to the throne, and on March 27, 1306, he was crowned king at Scone.

Bruce was deposed, However, in 1307 by Edward's army and forced to flee to
the highlands and then to the little island of Rathlin on the coast of
Antrim (now in Northern Ireland). In his absence all his estates were
confiscated, and he and his followers were excommunicated. He continued to
recruit followers, However, and in less than two years he wrested nearly
all of Scotland from the English. Bruce again defeated the English in 1314
in the Battle of Bannockburn (see Bannockburn, Battle of), twice invaded
England, and in 1323 concluded with King Edward II of England a truce for
13 years. After the accession of King Edward III in 1327, war again Broke
out, and the Scots won again. In 1328 they secured a treaty recognizing
the independence of Scotland and the right of Bruce to the throne.

In his later years Bruce was stricken with leprosy and lived in seclusion
at CardRoss Castle, on the northern shore of the Firth of Clyde, where he
died. He was succeeded by his son, David II. Bruce's nephew, Robert II,
who succeeded David, was the first king of the Stuart house of English and
Scottish royalty. He also had 2 daughters with Elizabeth.