Robert the Bruce: King of the Scots

by Michael Penman

Overview

Robert the Bruce (1274–1329) famously defeated the English at Bannockburn and became the hero king responsible for Scottish independence. In this fascinating new biography of the renowned warrior, Michael Penman focuses on Robert’s kingship in the fifteen years that followed his triumphant victory and establishes Robert as not only a great military leader but a great monarch.

Robert faced a slow and often troubled process of legitimating his authority, restoring government, rewarding his supporters, accommodating former enemies, and controlling the various regions of his kingdom, none of which was achieved overnight. Penman investigates Robert’s resettlement of lands and offices, the development of Scotland’s parliaments, his handling of plots to overthrow him, his relations with his family and allies, his piety and court ethos, and his conscious development of an image of kingship through the use of ceremony and symbol. In doing so, Penman repositions Robert within the context of wider European political change, religion, culture, and national identity as well as recurrent crises of famine and disease.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300240313
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	08/28/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	456
Sales rank:	591,999
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Michael Penman is senior lecturer in history at the University of Stirling.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Maps vi

Genealogical Tables viii

A Note about Distances, Money and Bibliography x

Introduction: Re-opening the 'Book on Bruce' 1

Part 1 To be King

1 Body and Soul: Formative Years, 1274-92 13

2 Conflict: Earl of Carrick, 1293-99 38

3 Dead End: Vacillation, 1300-6 64

4 You Can't Get Away with Murder: King Robert, 1306-10 92

5 The Harder they Fall: Victory in Scotland, 1310-14 118

Part 2 After Bannockburn

6 The Desperate Hours: War and Famine, 1314-17 149

7 Dark Victory: the Price for Berwick, 1317-19 177

8 Dark Passage: in Search of Respite, 1319-22 209

9 To Have and Have Not: King of Scotland, 1322-26 235

10 Dead Reckoning: Peace and Piety, 1326-28 266

11 Beat the Devil: Preparing for the End, 1328-29 296

Conclusion: Bruce Kingship and the Legacy of Scotland's Wars, c.1286-c.1329 309

Appendix: Councils and Parliaments of Robert I, 1306-29 332

Abbreviations 334

Notes 337

Acknowledgements 406

Index 408

Editorial Reviews

‘His biography, well researched, fresh and distinctive, knocks off the top perch G.W.S. Barrow’s Robert the Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland, published in 1965.’—Katie Stevenson, London Review of Books
‘Penman’s book is first-class history: detailed, closely argued and ringing with the authority of one steeped in the period . . .Penman’s scholarship is commendable, his style clear, his contribution to this field a truly original and quietly groundbreaking addition to the known facts of Robert the Bruce. It is essential reading as midsummer draws near – and long after.’ —Rosemary Goring, The Herald

'Robert Bruce’s piety is one of the fascinating themes that characterise Michael Penman’s full and definitive account of the king’s life and reign. A magesterial study.'—Michael Prestwich, author of Edward I

From the Publisher

08/11/2014
In this meticulous biography, University of Stirling historian Penman uses extant records to trace the life of Robert the Bruce (1274–1329), one of the most romantic characters in Scottish history. Penman explores the paradox of cold-blooded ambition mixed with a devout faith; Robert had only a tenuous claim to the throne of Scotland and his political skill in uniting or quelling various rival factions is explained in detail. The Scots' victory against the English at Bannockburn is treated as another step in Robert's campaign to establish his crown, as he fought both the English king and rival claimants to the throne. William Wallace is also shown in a more historically-accurate light. Penman goes beyond war and politics, taking into account natural events such as crop failure and a pestilence that decimated cattle herds. His thorough research makes this an excellent reference; the same attention to detail, however, can make it difficult to keep track of the various families and generations. Nevertheless, Penman's book is a welcome scholarly treatment of Robert the Bruce, the man who kept Scotland independent and founded the Stewart dynasty. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

‘His biography, well researched, fresh and distinctive, knocks off the top perch G.W.S. Barrow’s Robert the Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland, published in 1965.’—Katie Stevenson, London Review of Books

London Review of Books - Katie Stevenson

‘Penman’s book is first-class history: detailed, closely argued and ringing with the authority of one steeped in the period . . .Penman’s scholarship is commendable, his style clear, his contribution to this field a truly original and quietly groundbreaking addition to the known facts of Robert the Bruce. It is essential reading as midsummer draws near – and long after.’ —Rosemary Goring, The Herald

The Herald - Rosemary Goring

'Robert Bruce’s piety is one of the fascinating themes that characterise Michael Penman’s full and definitive account of the king’s life and reign. A magesterial study.'—Michael Prestwich, author of Edward I

Michael Prestwich

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