Robert de Brus, Lord of Annandale (around 1220)

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Seal of Robert de Brus from 1291

Robert de Brus, Lord of Annandale (also Robert V de Brus or Robert de Bruce , called Robert the Noble ) (* around 1220, † March 31, 1295 in Lochmaben Castle ) was an English - Scottish magnate . He was a candidate for the Scottish throne .

origin

Robert de Brus came from the originally Anglo-Norman family Brus . He was a son of his father of the same name Robert IV de Brus and his wife Isabel († 1251). When his father died before 1233 he was still a minor. His guardian became Peter de Brus from Skelton , a distant relative of the older line of the Brus family. This also took over the administration of his English possessions. In 1237, Robert de Brus was probably still a minor when he and other Scottish barons swore to keep the Treaty of York . He had come of age by June 1242 at the latest. His mother Isabel was the second daughter and thus a co-heir of Earl David of Huntingdon . After her death in 1251 he inherited extensive estates in Essex and Garioch in Aberdeenshire in 1252 .

Role as magnate with possessions in England and Scotland

After the death of Alexander II in 1249, Brus refused to support the powerful Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, and apparently tolerated Alan Durward , the Justiciar of Scotia , initially continuing to run the government. Although he became the adviser to the young Scottish King Alexander III. counted and proved itself in 1255 with the fall of Walter Comyn and his supporters by Durward, but in fact Brus was mainly active in England and less in Scotland. The attempt of the English king Henry III. in September 1255, to influence Scottish politics, also moved him to appoint Brus Sheriff of Cumberland on August 22nd . Brus succeeded John de Balliol , who had previously served as the king's representative in Scotland, but incurred the king's wrath. After the crisis in Scotland was resolved, Brus was released as sheriff on October 28th. In 1257 the English king sent him to Scotland as ambassador. It is possible that he was a member of the Council of the Scottish King in 1258 in this capacity. Although Brus was a brother-in-law of the Earl of Gloucester , who from 1258 was one of the leaders of the aristocratic opposition to the English king, there is no evidence that Brus was actively involved in the power struggle between the barons and the king. Presumably he stayed in Scotland until 1262 before returning to England. In October and December 1263 he testified to documents of the English king. After that he must have withdrawn to Hartness or Scotland until, during the War of the Barons, he belonged to an army of northern English and Scottish barons that came to the aid of the English king. However, the royal party was defeated in May 1264 at the Battle of Lewes by the forces of the aristocratic opposition. Brus was captured and released by his son Robert VI de Brus . Despite the defeat, Brus was apparently able to develop a good relationship with the English heir to the throne Edward during the campaign . After the royal party had decisively defeated the aristocratic opposition at the Battle of Evesham in August 1265, Brus was one of the barons who enriched themselves from the property of the defeated rebels. He occupied holdings from Walter de Fauconberg and John de Melsa . In the next few years he was still in the service of Heinrich III. From 1267 to 1268 he was in command of Carlisle Castle , and in 1269 he traveled to Scotland on behalf of the king. Apparently he took part in one of the Scottish King Alexander III in March 1270. attended the convened meeting in Scone which settled a dispute over the rights of the parishes in Annandale. A letter from the king about this meeting is exceptionally in French, the native language of Brus, so that Brus could have written the letter. In 1270 the sons of Brus intend to take part in the crusade of the English heir to the throne Edward , but it is not clear whether they took part in the crusade. There is evidence that his eldest son stayed in England or Scotland, whereupon Brus, despite his advanced age, joined the crusade of Edmund , brother of the heir to the throne , in 1271 . On his return from Palestine, Brus visited Clairvaux . There he made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Malachias to lift the curse that the saint had pronounced on his ancestor Robert II de Brus .

The ruins of Turnberry Castle. Photograph from 2010. Numerous Scottish nobles gathered in the castle in 1286, probably to support the succession of Brus to the throne.

Contender for the Scottish throne

Role in the controversy for the throne after the death of Alexander III.

In 1278, Brus' son Robert was part of the retinue of Alexander III when he traveled to Tewkesbury . Probably because of the advanced age of Robert V de Brus, his son accompanied the king on this trip. Still, Brus had not retired from politics. From 1283 to 1285 he again served as Sheriff of Cumberland. In 1284 he was one of the Scottish magnates who, after the death of Alexander , the only son of Alexander III. swore to recognize his granddaughter Margarete , the so-called Maid of Norway , as heir to the throne. After the death of Alexander III. In March 1286, however, the Scottish succession to the throne was unclear because Queen Yolande was pregnant. In September 1286 numerous followers of Brus met in his castle Turnberry , where they decided to support two Irish magnates, the Earl of Ulster and the Lord of Thomond in Ireland. This is considered proof that Brus already saw himself as a potential heir to the throne at this point in time. After Yolande had either a miscarriage or a stillborn child in November, Brus saw himself as a descendant of David of Huntingdon as a candidate for the throne. He occupied a number of royal castles in south-west Scotland, but apparently received less support than he had hoped. The Guardians of Scotland therefore managed by the spring of 1287 that the Maid of Norway was generally recognized as the heir to the throne. This enabled peace to be restored in the empire.

Renewed claim to the throne after the death of the Maid of Norway

The next two years passed with no progress in the succession to the throne. During this time, no royal castles were given to Brus or his supporters for administration. In 1289, however, instead of the Guardian James Stewart, he was one of the four Scottish ambassadors who negotiated a marriage between the Maid of Norway and the English heir to the throne, Edward . In October 1290, numerous Scottish magnates were gathered in Scone to greet the Maid of Norway on her arrival in Scotland. When instead the news arrived that the Maid of Norway had died during the crossing, Brus, supported by the Earl of Atholl , decided to forcibly resolve the question of succession to the throne. A civil war could still be prevented through negotiations. The Scottish magnates now agreed to transfer the decision to the English King Edward I as to who is the rightful Scottish heir to the throne . During this politically troubled time, Brus wrote a letter to the English king in December 1290. In this he complained about the supporters of his rival John Balliol . He claimed that seven Scottish earls would support his claim to the throne. However, with Mar and Duncan, 9th Earl of Fife, only two of the seven Earls could be named by name, of which Fife was a toddler. It is therefore doubtful who the real originator was. Brus even urged the English king to come to Scotland to claim the supremacy that Richard I would have carelessly and illegally sold to the Scottish King William I in 1189 . If Edward I had achieved supremacy over Scotland, he should then enforce Brus' legitimate claim to the throne. It was probably no coincidence that Edward I actually claimed suzerainty when he moved to the Scottish border in May 1291. Brus, but also the heir to the throne, Count Florens of Holland and the English Baron John Hastings , immediately recognized this claim.

Role in the Great Cause

Ultimately, Balliol and Brus were the only ones among the thirteen aspirants to the throne who had serious claims. A meeting of 100 judges was to decide on their claims and those of the other candidates. Like Balliol, Brus was allowed to send forty representatives to this meeting to decide on the so-called Great Cause . The remaining twenty representatives were named by the English king, who also presided. While Balliol claimed the throne as a descendant of the eldest daughter of David of Huntingdon according to the primogeniture , Brus explained that the succession of a monarchy would be different from the succession of land ownership. Therefore, as the grandson of David of Huntingdon, he would be closer to the crown since Balliol was just a great grandson. In addition, he was the son of a daughter of the king's brother, while Balliol was the son of a daughter of a daughter, so the male line of succession would have to be valued higher than the double female at Balliol. Balliol's mother Dervorguilla would have no right to transfer her inheritance claim to her son, while Brus would have a privilege as a man. The evidence in this complex succession dispute is only fragmentary, but it shows that there was considerable manipulation and interference in the dispute. Among other things, it was claimed that Alexander II , when he was still childless around 1238, is said to have appointed Brus as heir. The Scottish barons are said to have testified and recognized this, but the document has mysteriously disappeared. Count Florens also referred mainly to missing documents, although he was probably inspired by Brus. In fact, on June 14, 1292, Brus concluded an agreement with Florens according to which, if one of them became king, they would make extensive donations of land from the crown property to the other . With this arrangement and other means, Brus tried to prevent Balliol's succession to the throne. He was probably also the driving force when King Erik of Norway was the son-in-law of the late Alexander III. made a claim to the throne. Supported by legal scholars from Paris, Brus claimed in July 1292 that in the event of Balliol succession to the throne, Scotland should be regarded as a barony. In this case, the crown estate would be divided among the three partial heirs of David of Huntingdon, Balliol, Brus and Hastings. According to this line of argument, the monarchy would be treated in the same way as land ownership in the event of inheritance, thereby contradicting his earlier line of argument. However, on November 6, 1292, the assembly decided that Balliol was the rightful heir to the throne. Together with Hastings, Brus had seven days to appeal this decision. Thereafter, on November 17th, the English king confirmed Balliol's succession to the throne. Brus had previously transferred his claim to the throne to his son Robert de Brus, Earl of Carrick on November 7th . He transferred the Earldom Carrick to his son Robert Bruce on November 9th , possibly so that he did not own a crown property in Scotland and thus did not have to pay homage to Balliol.

Even if Balliol legally had the stronger claim to the throne, Brus was apparently firmly convinced that he was the rightful heir to the throne. He claimed the throne according to the political possibilities and not according to the law of the time. As a magnate whose possessions were mainly in Scotland, he was supported by the Earls of Dunbar, Lennox , Atholl and Mar, the Stewart and other powerful families. Balliol, on the other hand, was primarily a baron from England, who in Scotland was supported primarily by the powerful Comyns . Like Balliol, Brus employed good lawyers. By recognizing the supremacy of the English king, he had tried to win this over for himself. Eduard I actually preferred Brus at first, but in the end he decided differently.

Last years and death

After Balliol was installed as king, Brus no longer played a political role. He died at Lochmaben Castle , which presumably had been considerably expanded under him. He was buried next to his father in Gisborough Priory on April 17, 1295 .

The ruins of Lochmaben Castle, photograph from 2008. Robert de Brus had the castle expanded and died there too.

Marriages and offspring

Brus had married Isabel , daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Gloucester , in May 1240 . Despite her descent from one of the richest families in England, her dowry was only one good. With her he had at least two sons:

After his wife died in 1264 or a little later, Brus married Christina († 1305) in a second marriage between 1270 and May 1275 . She was the daughter and heiress of Sir William of Ireby , a knight from Cumberland. The marriage remained childless. Apparently this marriage met with rejection from several relatives and also from his son. After his death, his son Robert tried to deny his stepmother Christina the Wittum she was entitled to because he considered the marriage to be illegal.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ DER Watt: The minority of Alexander III of Scotland . In: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society , Vol. 21 (1971), p. 8.
  2. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 148.
  3. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, pp. 60-62.
  4. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, pp. 57-58.
  5. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 65.
  6. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 58.
  7. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 56.
  8. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 69.
  9. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 35n.
personal data
SURNAME de Brus, Robert, Lord of Annandale
ALTERNATIVE NAMES de Brus, Robert V; de Bruce, Robert; Robert the Noble
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English-Scottish magnate
DATE OF BIRTH around 1220
DATE OF DEATH March 31, 1295
Place of death Lochmaben Castle