Editing Robert II of Scotland (section)

=== Renewed war for independence ===
{{main|Second War of Scottish Independence}}
[[File:Dumbarton Castle - geograph.org.uk - 501609.jpg|275px|thumb|right|[[Dumbarton Castle]] on Dumbarton Rock where Robert Stewart and King David took refuge in 1333]]

The first war of independence began in the reign of King [[John Balliol]].<ref>Watson, ''Power of the Past'', p. 29</ref> His short reign was bedevilled by [[Edward I]]'s insistence on his overlordship of Scotland. The Scottish leadership concluded that only war could release the country from the English king's continued weakening of Balliol's sovereignty and so finalised a treaty of reciprocal assistance with France in October 1295.<ref name="Watson">Watson, ''Independence, Wars of''</ref> The Scots forayed into England in March 1296 — this incursion together with the French treaty angered the English king and provoked an invasion of Scotland taking [[Berwick-upon-Tweed|Berwick]] on 30 March before defeating the Scots army at [[Battle of Dunbar (1296)|Dunbar]] on 27 April.<ref name="Oram, p99">Oram, et al., ''Kings & Queens'', p. 99</ref> John Balliol submitted to Edward and resigned the throne to him before being sent to London as a prisoner. Despite this, resistance to the English led by [[William Wallace]] and [[Andrew Moray]] had emerged in the name of King John Balliol.<ref name="Oram, p99"/> On their deaths, [[Robert the Bruce]] continued to resist the English and eventually succeeded in defeating the forces of [[Edward II of England]] and gained the Scottish throne for himself.<ref name="Watson"/>

David Bruce, aged five, became king on 7 June 1329 after the death of his father Robert. Walter the Steward had died earlier on 9 April 1327,<ref>[[Alison Weir|Weir, Alison]], ''Britain's Royal Families'', p. 214</ref> and the orphaned eleven-year-old Robert was placed under the guardianship of his uncle, Sir James Stewart of Durrisdeer,<ref name="Boardman, ESK p.3"/> who along with [[Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray|Thomas Randolph]], Earl of Moray, and William Lindsey, [[Archdeacon of St Andrews]] were appointed as joint guardians of the kingdom.<ref name="Boardman ODNB">Boardman, ''Robert II'', ODNB</ref> David's accession kindled the second independence war which threatened Robert's position as heir.<ref name="Boardman, ESK p.4">Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', p. 4</ref> In 1332 [[Edward Balliol]], son of the deposed John Balliol, spearheaded an attack on the Bruce sovereignty with the tacit support of King [[Edward III of England]] and the explicit endorsement of "the disinherited".<ref>"The disinherited" — those nobles or their descendants who had fought for the English but had not entered into Robert I's peace and had their property confiscated and distributed to the Bruce supporters.</ref> Edward Balliol's forces delivered heavy defeats on the Bruce supporters at [[Battle of Dupplin Moor|Dupplin Moor]] on 11 August 1332 and again at [[Battle of Halidon Hill|Halidon Hill]] on 19 July 1333, at which the 17-year-old Robert participated.<ref name="Boardman ODNB"/> Robert's estates were overrun by Balliol, who granted them to [[David III Strathbogie|David Strathbogie, titular earl of Atholl]], but Robert evaded capture and gained protection at [[Dumbarton Castle]] where King David was also taking refuge.<ref name="Boardman, ESK p.4"/> Very few other strongholds remained in Scottish hands in the winter of 1333 — only the castles of [[Kildrummy Castle|Kildrummy]] (held by [[Christina Bruce]], elder sister of Robert I and wife of [[Andrew Murray (soldier)|Andrew Murray of Bothwell]]), [[Lochleven Castle|Loch Leven]], [[Loch Doon]], and [[Urquhart Castle|Urquhart]] held out against Balliol forces.<ref>Grant & Stringer, ''Medieval Scotland'', p. 227</ref>

[[File:Dairsie Castle.jpg|thumb|left|280px|[[Dairsie Castle]] where the 1335 Parliament was held]]

In May 1334, the situation looked dire for the house of Bruce and David II gained safety in France.<ref name="Boardman, ESK p.4"/> Robert set about winning back his lands in the west of Scotland.<ref name="Boardman ODNB"/> Strathbogie came over to the Bruce interest after disagreements with his fellow "disinherited" but his fierce opposition to Randolph came to a head at a Parliament held at [[Dairsie Castle]] in early 1335 when Strathbogie received the support of Robert.<ref>Grant & Stringer, ''Medieval Scotland'' pp. 225–226</ref> Strathbogie once again changed sides submitting to the English king in August and was made Warden of Scotland. Robert likely submitted to Edward in September 1335 relinquishing the guardianship by early December.<ref>Boardman, ''Early Stewart Kings'', p. 6</ref>

The Bruce resistance to Balliol may have been verging on collapse in 1335 but a turn-round in its fortunes began with the appearance of Sir Andrew Moray of Bothwell as a potent war leader at the [[Battle of Culblean]].<ref>Grant & Stringer, ''Medieval Scotland'' p. 231</ref> Moray had been captured in 1332, ransomed himself in 1334, and immediately sped north to lay siege to [[Dundarg Castle]] in Buchan held by Sir [[Henry de Beaumont]], with the castle falling on 23 December 1334.<ref>Duncan, ''Andrew Murray'', ODNB</ref> Moray was appointed guardian at [[Dunfermline]] during the winter of 1335–1336 while besieging [[Cupar Castle]] in Fife. He died at his castle in [[Avoch]] in 1338 and Robert resumed the guardianship.<ref>Grant & Stringer, ''Medieval Scotland'' p. 233</ref> Murray's campaign put an end to any chance of Edward III having full lasting control over the south of Scotland and Edward's failure in the six-month siege of [[Dunbar Castle]] confirmed this.<ref>Brown, ''The Wars of Scotland, 1214–1371'', pp. 241-242</ref> Balliol lost many of his major supporters to the Bruce side and the main English garrisons began to fall to the Scots — Cupar in the spring or summer of 1339, [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]] taken by the combined armies of Sir [[William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale]], Robert Stewart and Maurice Murray of Drumsargard in June 1339.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Penman |first1=Michael |title=David II |date=2004 |publisher=Tuckwell Press Ltd. |location=East Linton, Scotland |page=59}}</ref> [[Edinburgh]] was taken by stratagem by William Douglas of Liddesdale in April 1341.<ref>Grant & Stringer, ''Medieval Scotland'' p. 234</ref>

John Randolph was released from English custody in a prisoner exchange in 1341 and visited David II in [[Normandy]] before returning to Scotland. Just as Randolph was a favourite of the king, David II mistrusted Robert Stewart with his powerful positions of heir presumptive and guardian of Scotland.<ref>Brown, ''The Wars of Scotland, 1214–1371'', p. 244</ref> At the beginning of June 1341, the kingdom appeared sufficiently stable to allow the king to return to a land where his nobles while fighting for the Bruce cause, had considerably increased their own power bases.<ref>Brown, ''The Wars of Scotland, 1214–1371'', pp. 241-243</ref> On 17 October 1346, Robert accompanied David into battle at [[Battle of Neville's Cross|Neville's Cross]], where many Scottish nobles including Randolph, died — David II was wounded and captured while Robert and Patrick, [[earl of March]] had apparently fled the field.<ref name="Boardman ODNB"/>
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