Editing Robert III of Scotland (section)

== Reign ==
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| quote   = ''In diebus illis non erat lex in Scocia sed quilibet potencior minorem oppressit et totum regnum fuit unum latrocinium. Homicidia depredaciones et incendia et cetera maleficia remanserunt inpunita et justicia utlegata extra regni terminos exulavit. ''
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In those days there was no law in Scotland, but the strong oppressed the weak, and the whole kingdom was one den of thieves. Homicides, robberies, fire-raisings, and other misdeeds remained unpunished, and justice seemed banished beyond the kingdom's bounds.
| source  = — The ''Chartularium Episcopatus Moraviensis'' written at [[Elgin Cathedral]] for the year 1398<ref>Dunbar, ''A Revised Chronology of Scottish History'', p. 174</ref><ref>Innes, C. ''Registum Moravienses'', p. 382</ref>
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In May 1390 parliament granted John permission to change his regnal name to Robert, probably in part to maintain the link back to Robert I but also to disassociate himself from King [[John Balliol]].<ref>Barrell, ''Medieval Scotland'', p. 146</ref> The four-month delay in the crowning of Robert III can be seen as a period when Fife and his affinity sought to ensure their future positions, and which also saw Buchan's opportunistic attack on [[Elgin Cathedral]], settling an old score with the [[Bishop of Moray]], and possibly also a protest at Fife's reappointment as the king's lieutenant.<ref name="BoardmanEarly">Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', pp. 173–175</ref>

=== Rothesay's lieutenancy ===
In 1392, Robert III strengthened the position of his son David, now Earl of Carrick, when he endowed him with a large annuity that allowed the young prince to build up his household and affinity, and then in 1393 regained his right to direct rule when the general council decided that Fife's lieutenancy should end and that Carrick, now of age, should assist his father.<ref>Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', pp. 195–196</ref> This independence of action was demonstrated in 1395–1396, when he responded to Carrick's unauthorised marriage to Elizabeth Dunbar, daughter of [[George I, Earl of March|George]], [[Earl of March]], by ensuring its annulment.<ref name="Boardman, Robert III, ODNB"/> The king appears to have also taken over the conduct of foreign affairs, preserving the peace with Richard II and managing to increase the power of the [[Red Douglas]] Earl of Angus in the southeast of the country as a counterbalance to Fife's [[James Douglas, Lord of Douglas|Black Douglas]] ally. He further showed his authority when in an attempt to reduce inter-clan feuding and lawlessness, he arranged and oversaw a gladiatorial limited combat between the clans of Kay and Quhele ([[Clan Chattan]]) in [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]] on 28 April 1396.<ref>Penman, ''Kings & Queens of Scotland'', p. 131</ref> Carrick progressively acted independently of his father taking control of the Stewart lands in the south-west, while maintaining his links with the Drummonds of his mother, and all at a time when Fife's influence in central Scotland remained strong.<ref>Grant in Jones et al., ''New Cambridge Medieval History'', p. 361</ref>

[[File:Falkland Palace.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Falkland Palace built close to the site of Falkland Castle]]

The king was increasingly blamed for his failure to pacify the [[Gaels|Gaelic areas]] in the west and north. The general council held in [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]] in April 1398 criticised the king's governance, and empowered his brother Robert and his son David — now respectively the Dukes of Albany and Rothesay — to lead an army against [[Donald, Lord of the Isles]], and his brothers.<ref name="Boardman, Robert III, ODNB"/> In November 1398, an influential group of magnates and prelates met at [[Falkland Castle]] that included Albany, Rothesay, Archibald, Earl of Douglas, Albany's son Murdoch, justiciar North of the Forth along with the bishops Walter of St Andrews and Gilbert of Aberdeen — the outcome of this meeting manifested itself at the council meeting held in January 1399 when the king was forced to surrender power to Rothesay for three years.<ref name="BoardmanEarly" />

The kin of the border earls took advantage of the confusion in England after the deposition of [[Richard II]] by [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]] and harried and forayed into England causing much damage, and taking Wark Castle around 13 October 1399.<ref>Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', p. 226</ref> A far-reaching dispute between Rothesay and George Dunbar, Earl of March, occurred when Rothesay, rather than remarrying Elizabeth Dunbar as previously agreed, decided to marry Mary Douglas, daughter of the Earl of Douglas. Enraged, March wrote to Henry IV on 18 February 1400, and by July had entered Henry's service.<ref>Sadler, ''Border Fury'', p. 296</ref> In 1401, Rothesay took on a more assertive and autonomous attitude, circumventing proper procedures, unjustifiably appropriating sums from the customs of the burghs on the east coast, before provoking further animosity when he confiscated the revenues of the temporalities of the vacant [[bishopric of St Andrews]].<ref>Boardman, ''David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay'', ODNB</ref> Rothesay also confronted Albany's influence in central Scotland in conjunction with his uncle, Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan. As soon his lieutenancy expired in 1402, Rothesay was arrested and imprisoned in Albany's Falkland Castle where he died in March 1402.<ref>Grant in Jones et al., ''The New Cambridge Medieval History'', p. 362</ref> Rothesay's death probably lay with Albany and Douglas, who would have looked upon the possibility of the young prince acceding to the throne with great apprehension. They certainly fell under suspicion, but were cleared of all blame by a general council, ''"where, by divine providence and not otherwise, it is discerned that he departed from this life".''<ref>Barrell, ''Medieval Scotland'', p. 149</ref><ref>Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, 14 May 1402, Edinburgh. http://www.rps.ac.uk/</ref>

=== Albany's lieutenancy ===
[[File:The grave of Robert III, Paisley Abbey.jpg|thumb|The grave of Robert III, [[Paisley Abbey]]]]

Following Rothesay's death, and with the restoration of the lieutenancy to Albany and the Scottish defeat at the battle of Humbleton, Robert III experienced almost total exclusion from political authority and was limited to his lands in the west.<ref>Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', p. 255</ref> By late 1404 Robert, with the aid of his close councilors [[Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney|Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney]], Sir David Fleming and Henry Wardlaw, had succeeded in re-establishing himself and intervened in favour of [[Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar|Alexander Stewart]], the Earl of Buchan's illegitimate son, who was in dispute with Albany over the earldom of Mar.<ref>Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', p. 281</ref> Robert III again exhibited his new resolve when in December 1404 he created a new regality in the Stewartry<ref>For an understanding of the designation of baronies and earldoms into regalities and their powers during the reign of Robert III, see Alexander Grant, ''Franchises North of the Border'', pp. 193–199 in Michael Prestwick (Ed.), ''Liberties and Identities in the Medieval British Isles''</ref> for his sole remaining son and heir, [[James I of Scotland|James]], now Earl of Carrick — an act designed to prevent these lands falling into Albany's hands.<ref>Boardman,''Early Stewart Kings'', pp. 281–282</ref>

By 28 October 1405, Robert III had returned to Dundonald Castle in [[Ayrshire]]. With the king's health failing, it was decided in the winter of 1405–1406 to send the young prince to France out of the reach of Albany.<ref>Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', p. 291</ref> Despite this, the manner of James's flight from Scotland was unplanned. In February 1406, James together with Orkney and Fleming, at the head of a large group of followers left the safety of Bishop Wardlaw's protection in St Andrews and journeyed through the hostile Douglas territories of [[east Lothian]] — an act probably designed to demonstrate James's royal endorsement of his custodians, but also a move by his custodians to further their own interests in the traditional Douglas heartlands.<ref>Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', pp. 293–294</ref> Events went seriously wrong for James and he had to escape to the Bass Rock in the [[Firth of Forth]] along with the Earl of Orkney after his escorts were attacked by James Douglas of [[Balvenie Castle|Balvenie]], and which resulted in Sir David Fleming's death.<ref>Brown, ''James I'', ODNB</ref> Their confinement on the rock was to last for over a month before a ship from [[Danzig]], en route for France, picked them up.<ref>Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', p. 293</ref> On 22 March 1406, the ship was taken by English pirates off [[Flamborough Head]], who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III had moved to Rothesay Castle where, after hearing of his son's captivity, he died on 4 April 1406, and was buried in [[Paisley Abbey]], which had been founded by the Stewarts.<ref>Penman, ''Kings and Queens of Scotland'', p. 134</ref>