Elizabeth de Burgh

This article is about Elizabeth de Burgh, wife of the Scottish King Robert the Bruce. For her sister-in-law Elizabeth de Burgh, the wife of her brother John, see Elizabeth de Clare , for her granddaughter Elizabeth de Burgh see Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster

Robert the Bruce and Elizabeth de Burgh

Lady Elizabeth de Burgh (* 1289 ; † October 26, 1327 in Cullen Castle ) was the second wife of the Scottish King Robert I ( Robert the Bruce ) of Scotland. Although her husband was one of the most famous Scottish kings, little is known about her; as with most women of the Middle Ages , historical records about them are sparse. In any case, she got involved in the political disputes between the English and Scots during the reign of her husband. In 1306 she was taken prisoner by the English, where she remained for eight years. When she returned to Scotland, she gave birth to the heir apparent to her husband, who became King of Scotland in 1329 as David II .

Origin and marriage

Elizabeth de Burgh, who was probably born in Down or Antrim , Ireland , was the second daughter and tenth child of Richard Og de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and his wife Margaret. Her father was a powerful Anglo-Irish magnate and a close friend of King Edward I of England. Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth's marriage with 28-year-old Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, presumably came about through the mediation of the English king. Robert Bruce had been one of the leaders of the Scottish War of Independence , but in February 1302 he had changed sides and submitted to the King of England. Elizabeth's father was heavily in debt and was reluctant to support the war in Scotland. The English king probably hoped that the Earl of Ulster would now provide more knights and money for the war. The wedding presumably took place in Canterbury in 1302 .

Queen of Scotland

Probably after long preparation, Robert Bruce rebelled against the English rule in Scotland from February 1306 and thus continued the Scottish War of Independence. On March 27, 1306 he was crowned King of Scots in Scone . This coronation probably corresponded more to the Western European model and not to the traditional enthronement of the previous Scottish kings. Presumably the young Elizabeth was also made queen. However, due to the impending conflict with England, the coronation took place hastily and partly improvised. Elizabeth is said to have corrected her husband that they would play king and queen like children. As early as June 1306, Robert Bruce's army suffered a heavy defeat in the Battle of Methven . According to reports in English chronicles, even Elizabeth is said to have mocked her husband as Kinge Hobbe of Summer .

Captivity in England

Elizabeth accompanied the king, however, along with other women from the Bruce family, when he fled to the Highlands with the remains of his army . Finally Bruce tried to flee to the West Scottish islands with only a few loyal followers . He sent Elizabeth, his about ten-year-old daughter from his first marriage, Marjorie , and his sisters Mary and Christina to northern Scotland under the protection of his brother Neil and the Earl of Atholl . Presumably the group should try to reach the Orkneys , which are under Norwegian suzerainty . There they would have been under the protection of the Norwegian queen widow Isabella , a sister of Robert Bruce. First they reached Kildrummy Castle . When an English army approached, Neil Bruce and most of the other companions stayed behind in the castle. The Earl of Atholl fled further north with the women. When the group reached Tain , they were captured by the Earl of Ross after seeking sanctuary at the shrine of Saint Duthac . The Earl of Ross handed the prisoners over to the English king. This also had the women severely punished. Unlike Mary Bruce and the Countess of Buchan , Elizabeth was not caged, but had to live in the isolation of an English monastery. After the death of Edward I, she was allowed to live in modest circumstances on the Burstwick estate in Holderness with two servants from 1308 . The new English King Edward II later sent them to Bisham Abbey in Berkshire . In March 1312 Elizabeth was brought to the Tower of London , where she was probably allowed to live in better conditions with two maidservants and four servants.

Release and return to Scotland

In June 1314, the English army led by Edward II suffered a heavy defeat in the Battle of Bannockburn against the Scots under Robert I. After the battle, the Earl of Hereford was captured in Scotland. The Scottish king managed to have his family exchanged for the high-ranking prisoner. On October 2, 1314, Elizabeth was sent to Carlisle on the Scottish border. Whether the exchange took place shortly afterwards or not until mid-February 1315 is a matter of dispute. It was not until April 1315 that she met her husband again in St Andrews after more than eight years .

children

Robert I had secured his rule with the victory at Bannockburn, but since he had not yet had a son as heir, Scotland was threatened with a new succession crisis after his death like after 1286 . Elizabeth was pregnant several times over the next several years. After at least two girls, she became the mother of twin sons in March 1324, of which only the presumably younger son, who later became King David II, survived:

• Margaret (* between 1315 and 1322; † between March 30, 1346 and November 9, 1347), ⚭ William Sutherland, 5th Earl of Sutherland
• Matilda (* between 1315 and 1323; † July 30, 1353), ⚭ Thomas Isaac
• John (March 5, 1324 - May 1326)
• David (March 5, 1324 - February 22, 1371), King of Scotland from 1329

Death and burial

Elizabeth died in Cullen, Northern Scotland, in October 1327 . Why she stayed there separately from her husband is unknown. The king made a foundation there in 1328 for the salvation of her soul. She was buried in the chancel of Dunfermline Abbey , the traditional burial place of the Scottish kings and queens. The abbey church now also became the burial place of the Bruce family. Robert I died about a year and a half after Elizabeth and was buried next to his wife.

literature

• GWS Barrow : Elizabeth de Burgh . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB). Volume 18, Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , pp. 78 f.

Web links

• Lady Elizabeth de Burgh, on thepeerage.com , accessed July 26, 2015.
• Elizabeth de Burgh, Queen of Scots , in: David Nash Ford's Royal Berkshire History

Remarks

1. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 66.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} G. WS Barrow: Elizabeth de Burgh . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB), Volume 18 (2004), p. 78.
3. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 72.
4. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 97.
5. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 98.
6. ^ ^{A b} Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 230.
7. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 100.
8. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, pp. 227-228.
9. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 103.
10. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 151.
11. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 330.
12. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 158.
13. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 159.
14. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , pp. 139.
15. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 191.
16. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 232.
17. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 411.
18. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 191.
19. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 268.
20. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 285.
21. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 296.
22. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 305.

predecessor	Office	Successor
Yolande de Dreux	Queen Consort of Scotland 1306–1327	Joan of England