Robert Bruce: Our Most Valiant Prince, King and Lord

by Colm McNamee

Commemorating the seven hundredth anniversary of the enthronement of Robert I of Scotland, this book is intended as an everyman's guide to Scotland's famous hero king. The life of Bruce is one of the greatest comeback stories in history. Heir and magnate, shrewd politician, briefly 'king of summer' and then a desperate fugitive who nevertheless returned from exile to recover the kingdom he claimed, Bruce became a gifted military leader and a wise statesman, a leader with vision and energy. Colm McNamee combines the most up to date scholarship on this crucial figure in the history of the British Isles with lucid explanation of the medieval context, so that readers of all backgrounds can appreciate Bruce's enormous contribution to the historical impact not just on Scotland, but on England and Ireland too. It is designed to encourage popular reassessment of Bruce as politician, warrior, monarch and savior of Scottish identity from extinction at the hands of the Edwardian superstate. Peeling back the layers of misconception and propaganda, the author paints an accurate, sympathetic but balanced portrait of a much beloved national hero who has fallen out of fashion of late for no good reason.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Scotland, Medieval, Medieval History

Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

Colm McNamee works for the Northern Ireland Assembly. He studied at Queen's University, Belfast, and Worcester College Oxford, and has a DPhil in Medieval History.

Reviews

[Bev Mynott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. This is an historical rather than fictional account of Robert the Bruce's life and achievements, but it is not a dry read at all - it is fast-paced, clearly well researched, and constantly provides analysis of facts and situations to give you an excellent understanding of why Robert Bruce behaved as he did. There is also a brief outline of what happened following Bruce's death, and an appraisal of Bruce's achievements and his place in history.
All in all, this is an excellent book, and one that I would highly recommend. I am also reading Robert Bruce, King of Scots by Ronald McNair Scott, so it will be interesting to compare these two books.

[David Santiuste · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent account of the life and times of Robert the Bruce, primarily aimed at general readers. McNamee writes in a simple yet elegant style that is very engaging, and he has a rare gift for explaining complex information in a way that is easy to understand. Moreover, although the author modestly introduces his work as a ‘distillation of secondary sources’, the book is evidently based on deep thought and extensive research. I would recommend this book to anybody with an interest in medieval Scottish history.

[Brian Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the man who led a guerilla campaign in the Scottish lowlands and Northern England, Robert Bruce seized the circumstances offered him and dared to win himself a crown and Scotland an independent kingdom. He is most famous as the victor at the battle of Bannockburn, and McNamee's book fills in the gaps of Scottish-English warfare for the first two decades of the Fourteenth Century.

The Bruce family were aspirants for the Scottish crown, but were continually "runners up" to the Balliol and Comyn families, both of whom were more adept at buying the favor of the English monarch, who just happened to be the same one who stripped those independent rights away from them: Edward I. Known as the "Longshanks" for his above average height, Edward was a ruthless conqueror of the British isles, subduing the Welsh utterly to their regret and then as "the hammer of the Scots". He installed Balliol on the Scottish throne with full intent to use him as a vassal, and the Bruce family then fell into line, paying obeisance and fealty to the English crown.

Then William Wallace was captured and executed with extraordinary cruelty even by their standards, and it turned the Scots against the English crown. With England occupied elsewhere, Robert murdered his main rival Comyn (McNamee explores the two possible explanations of fully planned murder to a more spontaneous heated argument that ended in slaughter - either way, the deed was done) and Bruce then seized the reigns of resistance. Before he could fully respond with force, Edward I died, and his son Edward II was far less effective at suppressing the Scots. His utter humiliation by Robert at Bannockburn was one of the key factors in his deposition as king a few years later, and Robert took to the hills. Nearly captured and killed on a number of occasions, Robert waged a campaign of razing castles throughout Scotland and Northern England which terrorized his neighbors. Distracted by foreign wars, Edward II inevitably was forced to offer favorable terms to Scotland for advantages in war with his own wife and her lover, and Bruce was duly recognized as Robert I of Scotland.

This brief summary doesn't take away from the narrative here; McNamee covers the full details of Scottish politics in this time frame. Sometimes the eye glazes at all of the unfamiliar names, but the complications of negotiating kingship is established. If one wants to read about Robert Bruce, this is surely the best recent biography and doesn't skimp on the brutality and treachery of that age. Robert is treated fairly but with warts and all, but that sometimes lends even more admiration from the reader because the time itself lived by loose rules of honor. Robert must have been a man of incredible will to achieve what his father and grandfather failed to do, and certainly he was very opportunistic. An important and overlooked monarch of the Middle Ages.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm interested in the Middle Ages but the constant violence of the politics of the time chronicled in a book like this gets pretty tiresome. Having said that this is a well-written and absorbing book.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Heavy going but all the info is there which is what I wanted. And best of all, title is Robert Bruce, not Robert THE Bruce, which drives me mad. Please ignore all the Mel Gibson brave heart stuff, that's not real history, just complete fiction.

[Hannah Ouston · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely faultless guide through the lives and wars of Robert Bruce, enhanced with maps and genealogies to further understanding. The author clearly loves and is knowledgable about his subject and the history itself is a fascinating insight in Scottish nationalism and identity.

[Scott Serrato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally read this book in one go on my 5 hour return flight from London to the US. I cannot recommend it more for a better understanding of Scottish history in the late 13th and early 14th centuries especially vis a vis England.

[Jani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tiresome historical facts that go on forever.

[George Foord · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about Robert the Bruce although some parts are rather dull but mostly good

[Emma]

I really tried with this book. Learnt a lot with the chapters I did read, but couldn’t complete it. I have read non fiction before but found this a bit dry.

[John Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very detailed account of Robert Bruce in his quest for Scottish independence from England and his desire to be declared the rightful King of Scotland.

[Veronica Alt · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it can be thick and slow at times, Colm McNamee knows what he is talking about. This is an exhaustive look at the Bruce that doesn't gloss over any shortcomings. I love this history, but it could have been less boring (at times)

[Dave Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good account.

[Christopher Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

[Joshua Friesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. More a general overview but still concise and a jolly good story woven through.