Robert the Bruce was born on July 11, 1274. His mother was Marjorie of Carrick and it was from her that he inherited the Gaelic Earldom of Carrick. His father, Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale, was related to the ancient royal line of Scotland. Robert succeeded his father as Earl of Carrick and pledged allegiance to the English king Edward I, in 1296. He supported Edward in his battle with John de Balliol’s rebellion against the English authority. However, after the ensuing battle, Robert the Bruce turned against Edward and fought to free Scotland from English rule. In 1306, Robert the Bruce had himself crowned King of Scotland as Robert I. This action aroused the anger of the English and Robert was forced to flee for his life. There is one story that after his family was incarcerated, he hid in a cave where he watched a spider trying to swing from one ceiling to another. After six failed attempts, the spider finally succeeded. At this time Robert the Bruce had lost six battles against the English. The success of the spider’s seventh attempt inspired him to continue the struggle for an independent Scotland.
In 1307, Robert the Bruce returned to his ancestral home in Carrick. By this time, Edward II was king and he was very inept, allowing Robert to capture and demolish all the Scottish castles that were in the hands of the English. It was not until 1314, though, that he attempted to meet the English on the battlefield. At the Battle of Bannockburn, he delivered a sound defeat to the English making this battle one of the greatest victories in Scottish history. The war continued until a truce was signed in 1323. However, Robert the Bruce was very angry that the English did not recognize him as the King of Scotland. He renewed the fighting in 1327 and at the Northampton Treaty of 1328, the English were forced to recognize Scotland’s independence under Robert the Bruce as Robert I. He died the following year and his son David succeeded him to the throne of Scotland.
Robert the Bruce is buried at Dunfermline Abbey. However, the body is missing its heart as according to his wishes, Sir James Douglas took it with him when he went to fight in the Crusades. It was recovered and returned to Scotland, where it was buried at Melrose Abbey in Roxburghshire.
