Robert the Bruce: Pocket Giants

by Fiona Watson

From disastrous beginnings after he took the throne of Scotland, having murdered a powerful rival, Robert I became a military leader of consummate genius. Throwing away the rulebook of medieval warfare, which favoured the mounted knight, he remodelled the Scottish army as a disciplined, audacious band of brothers capable of surprising castles, raiding and extracting blackmail as far south as Yorkshire and even defeating a mighty English army in pitched battle. Ruthless, charismatic, indomitable and lucky, the 'Bruce' is a towering example of an underdog capable of turning disadvantage into advantage and winning the day through talent and sheer determination. The English turned the lessons they learnt from him to good effect in their Hundred Years War against France.

Genres: History

57 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2014

About the author

Fiona Watson is a Scottish historian, author and broadcaster. A former senior lecturer at the University of Stirling, she fronted a ten-part BBC television history of Scotland in 2001 and has made numerous radio programmes, including a series on The Enlightenment and another using original sources to highlight the experience of war across the ages entitled Voices from the Front. She is currently a presenter of Making History on BBC Radio 4. Her books include Under the Hammer:Edward I and Scotland, 1286-1307 (1997), Scotland: A History 8000 BC - AD 2000 (2001) and Macbeth: A True Story (2010).