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Robert the Bruce: Champion of a Nation
Robert the Bruce is a man of both history and legend. In his lifetime he secured Scottish independence in the face of English imperial aggression then under the leadership of Edward I and then Edward II. He was the victor of Bannockburn, a self-made king against the odds, and is marked in history as a champion of the Scottish nation. And yet the life and career of Bruce is not always so straightforward. Stephen Spinks seeks to examine this most enigmatic of kings beyond the myths and legends to reveal him both in the context of his time, his people and in his actions.Stephen shows that Bruce was a complex man, confronted by hardships and difficult and often dangerous decisions. He was never born to rule and yet his kingship resounds even today. As the murderer of John Comyn, a rival for the Scottish crown, he sent shockwaves across Europe and received the condemnation of kings and popes. He battled against a divided Scotland to secure his rule, invaded Ireland with his brother Edward, and systematically fought a guerrilla war against the English and won. He was at times a desperate man. Yet he also cultivated the symbols of kingship, was pious and cared and fought deeply for his fiercely held rights and beliefs. Bruce not only unified his kingdom and secured its independence, but forged a far-reaching legacy that, even now, lives on.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 9, 2025
This is a well researched account of the life of Robert the Bruce, the King of Scots. It’s the writing by Stephen Spinks, however, that often becomes disinteresting. Spinks has a way of name dropping to the point of annoyance. He lists out everyone as Sir [first name] [last name], [title] of [location]. He seems to include everyone present at a battles, at historical document signings, and kingly gatherings. The repeated litanies bog down the writing and bulk up the book.
Another minor criticism rests with Spinks’ fast and loose treatment of William Wallace. Based on what I have recently read about Wallace, the evidence of him being married is extremely vague. It literally consists of a stanza in a poem written 150 years after Wallace’s death by a Scottish poet known as Blind Harry. Yet, Spinks presents Wallace as unquestionably married to support the mostly legendary vengeance-themed killing of a local English sheriff. Spinks also implies that the execution of Wallace was an factor in motivating Bruce to rebel against England. At the time of Wallace’s death, however, Bruce had already declared Wallace to be an outlaw deserving of such punishment. Both of these representations served to slightly darken my confidence in Spinks’ dedication to the truth.
Putting these issues aside, this is a comprehensive biography of Robert the Bruce. By the end I was amazed at just how great he was. Bruce was not only relentless in his goal of restoring Scotland to independence, he was also a master at achieving success. He embodied military prowess, intelligent leadership, and political awareness in various combinations that worked when he needed them to. The facts surrounding his acts and actions all combine to paint Robert I as a leader of integrity and honor. Some 700 years later, we are sorely missing those qualities in our present-day leadership here in the US.
Another minor criticism rests with Spinks’ fast and loose treatment of William Wallace. Based on what I have recently read about Wallace, the evidence of him being married is extremely vague. It literally consists of a stanza in a poem written 150 years after Wallace’s death by a Scottish poet known as Blind Harry. Yet, Spinks presents Wallace as unquestionably married to support the mostly legendary vengeance-themed killing of a local English sheriff. Spinks also implies that the execution of Wallace was an factor in motivating Bruce to rebel against England. At the time of Wallace’s death, however, Bruce had already declared Wallace to be an outlaw deserving of such punishment. Both of these representations served to slightly darken my confidence in Spinks’ dedication to the truth.
Putting these issues aside, this is a comprehensive biography of Robert the Bruce. By the end I was amazed at just how great he was. Bruce was not only relentless in his goal of restoring Scotland to independence, he was also a master at achieving success. He embodied military prowess, intelligent leadership, and political awareness in various combinations that worked when he needed them to. The facts surrounding his acts and actions all combine to paint Robert I as a leader of integrity and honor. Some 700 years later, we are sorely missing those qualities in our present-day leadership here in the US.
April 22, 2024
King Robert I, better known as Robert the Bruce, was a deeply enigmatic figure, more legend than history.
Complex and multi-layered, Robert was not born to be king. Instead, he took the crown for his own through the murder of one John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, an action that shook many across Europe and sent condemnation his way.
He was known to great loss and great suffering, the age old tale of watching the spider rebuild its web as he sought refuge brought parallels with his sense of endurance and grim determination.
Robert was a man that united a country during a deadly period of division through a series of dramatic events. He secured the Scottish Independence against the threat of English imperial rule while under the kingships of both Edward I and Edward II. The celebrated victor of Bannockburn, Robert gained the status of the underdog, a Scottish national hero, and earned this reputation that has held firm for 700 years.
Stephen Spinks aims to strip back the wealth of legend surrounding this almost mythological figure. There is balance to the research conducted here on Robert's actions - the good and the bad - from his conflicting loyalties during his early life, the fateful decision to murder John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch which led to the road of coronation, but also the intense bravery and strategic brilliance behind the warfare that led to Scottish Independence.
Spinks utilises both Scottish and English primary sources in his research, which I found invaluable in creating as unbiased a profile as possible to the true figure of this great man.
In what should be essential reading for Scottish history, this book's forensic-like analysis on the decision making of Robert the Bruce may be utterly refreshing to some, or slightly dry in the narrative to others, however there can be no denying that the abundance of information on hand will be leaving readers with a new perspective on the Champion of Scotland.
As ever, my greatest thanks are extended to the fantastic @philipjdean1989 and the @amberleypublishing team.
Complex and multi-layered, Robert was not born to be king. Instead, he took the crown for his own through the murder of one John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, an action that shook many across Europe and sent condemnation his way.
He was known to great loss and great suffering, the age old tale of watching the spider rebuild its web as he sought refuge brought parallels with his sense of endurance and grim determination.
Robert was a man that united a country during a deadly period of division through a series of dramatic events. He secured the Scottish Independence against the threat of English imperial rule while under the kingships of both Edward I and Edward II. The celebrated victor of Bannockburn, Robert gained the status of the underdog, a Scottish national hero, and earned this reputation that has held firm for 700 years.
Stephen Spinks aims to strip back the wealth of legend surrounding this almost mythological figure. There is balance to the research conducted here on Robert's actions - the good and the bad - from his conflicting loyalties during his early life, the fateful decision to murder John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch which led to the road of coronation, but also the intense bravery and strategic brilliance behind the warfare that led to Scottish Independence.
Spinks utilises both Scottish and English primary sources in his research, which I found invaluable in creating as unbiased a profile as possible to the true figure of this great man.
In what should be essential reading for Scottish history, this book's forensic-like analysis on the decision making of Robert the Bruce may be utterly refreshing to some, or slightly dry in the narrative to others, however there can be no denying that the abundance of information on hand will be leaving readers with a new perspective on the Champion of Scotland.
As ever, my greatest thanks are extended to the fantastic @philipjdean1989 and the @amberleypublishing team.
January 22, 2020
For most people in England, and not a few in Scotland, the name Robert the Bruce will evoke vague memories of Bannockburn, some even vaguer recollections of a story about a spider attempting to spin her web and, for those of a certain age, attempts to unpick the historical from the completely made up in the portrayal of Robert in Braveheart (no, he did not betray William Wallace and he probably did not fight against him). So the publication of this new biography of Robert by Stephen Spinks is a welcome chance to bring the man who ensured Scotland’s independence for 400 years out from the shadows of forgetting and Hollywood mythmaking.
Spinks has written a classic narrative history of Robert’s life, beginning with a necessary preamble into the historical situation leading up to his birth - during which the relations between Scottish and English crowns had been most amicable - and taking in the disaster that struck the Scottish succession in 1286 when Alexander III died, falling from a cliff, his sons having predeceased him, leaving as heir his three-year-old granddaughter, Margaret, the Maid of Norway. The crisis metastasized when Margaret herself died, aged seven, on her way back to Scotland. Into this vacuum, the Scots overmighty neighbour, Edward I, King of England, began to assert his own claim to be overlord of the Scots. This claim, which in Edward’s mind rapidly became his right, was based on Geoffrey of Monmouth’s medieval bestseller, the History of the Kings of Britain - a work of supposed history in which Geoffrey enthusiastically filled gaps with the products of his fertile imagination - that found the origin of the Scottish and English crowns in the sons of a refugee Trojan prince, Brutus. Edward based his claim on the wearer of the Scottish crown owing allegiance to the wearer of the English crown on account of the latter being descended from the eldest son of Brutus. Edward, one of the most formidable warriors of his time, set about claiming his birthright, inititiating the wars for Scottish independence that would continue for all of Robert’s adult life.
It was a vivid time of double crossing, battles and personalities who resound down the centuries and Spinks does an excellent job of bringing them all to life, from Edward’s bulldozer tenacity to Robert’s youthful ruthlessness and his maturing into a soldier, king and statesman of genius. By setting the scene carefully, Spinks makes the many changes of allegiance understandable within the context of the times, before leading up to the climactic Battle of Bannockburn, when Robert, seizing an opportunity gifted by new intelligence, switched from his preferred guerrilla tactics to a sudden, unexpected and devastating defeat for the English, now marching under the banner of Edward’s less gifted but still determined son, Edward II. The war did not end with Bannockburn, and Spinks maintains the narrative as he tells of Robert’s long, and eventually successful, struggle to have his claim as King of Scots recognised by the English and Christendom in general. Highly recommended.
Spinks has written a classic narrative history of Robert’s life, beginning with a necessary preamble into the historical situation leading up to his birth - during which the relations between Scottish and English crowns had been most amicable - and taking in the disaster that struck the Scottish succession in 1286 when Alexander III died, falling from a cliff, his sons having predeceased him, leaving as heir his three-year-old granddaughter, Margaret, the Maid of Norway. The crisis metastasized when Margaret herself died, aged seven, on her way back to Scotland. Into this vacuum, the Scots overmighty neighbour, Edward I, King of England, began to assert his own claim to be overlord of the Scots. This claim, which in Edward’s mind rapidly became his right, was based on Geoffrey of Monmouth’s medieval bestseller, the History of the Kings of Britain - a work of supposed history in which Geoffrey enthusiastically filled gaps with the products of his fertile imagination - that found the origin of the Scottish and English crowns in the sons of a refugee Trojan prince, Brutus. Edward based his claim on the wearer of the Scottish crown owing allegiance to the wearer of the English crown on account of the latter being descended from the eldest son of Brutus. Edward, one of the most formidable warriors of his time, set about claiming his birthright, inititiating the wars for Scottish independence that would continue for all of Robert’s adult life.
It was a vivid time of double crossing, battles and personalities who resound down the centuries and Spinks does an excellent job of bringing them all to life, from Edward’s bulldozer tenacity to Robert’s youthful ruthlessness and his maturing into a soldier, king and statesman of genius. By setting the scene carefully, Spinks makes the many changes of allegiance understandable within the context of the times, before leading up to the climactic Battle of Bannockburn, when Robert, seizing an opportunity gifted by new intelligence, switched from his preferred guerrilla tactics to a sudden, unexpected and devastating defeat for the English, now marching under the banner of Edward’s less gifted but still determined son, Edward II. The war did not end with Bannockburn, and Spinks maintains the narrative as he tells of Robert’s long, and eventually successful, struggle to have his claim as King of Scots recognised by the English and Christendom in general. Highly recommended.
March 24, 2024
Book club book...some parts were dry! But the history was good.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews