The Scottish Wars of Independence Continued from Page Four With Wallace now a decoration for London Bridge, Edward turned his hand to the governance of his new lands. Various acts were passed for the effective government of Scotland. None of them had any effect for, within six months of Wallace's execution, there was rebellion again in Scotland. The man behind that rebellion was Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, and now Lord of Annandale. The death of Bruce's father had left him the claim to the throne, a claim he now determined to take on forcibly. To put Robert Bruce into perspective, we should look at him in detail. The Bruce family had ties both north and south of the border. The Abbey of Guisborough in Northumberland was a Bruce foundation. Bruce "the competitor" was involved a great deal with the English Court and held extensive lands in England. He acted as a justiciar for Edward in the north of England. His son also was involved in the English Court and was keeper of Carlisle Castle for a while. The young Robert Bruce was brought up at Edward's court and had extensive knowledge of it and he was also a favorite of Edward. He was, however, also an angry young man feeling that his family had been deprived the crown of Scotland. In the early years of the rebellion, Bruce was in many ways hamstrung by both a desire to fight for Scotland, and also well aware that the fight was being carried out in the name of Balliol. He, along with most Scottish nobles, changed sides on more than one occasion depending upon how the wind blew. By early 1306, however, things had changed. He was now the head of his family and therefore did not have any ties to prevent him claiming the throne for himself. In addition, he was faced with a crisis. While in London, news reached him that John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, had let Edward know of a plot that Bruce was hatching to claim the throne. Bruce received a few minutes warning and fled to Scotland. At Greyfriars Kirk in Dumfries, Bruce met Comyn, argued with him and then killed him at the alter. This act changed things dramatically for he was left with no option but to claim the throne as quickly as possible, and then deal with the Comyn wrath as King. He rushed to Scone, passing by Glasgow to be absolved for the sacrilegious murder of Comyn. He was hurriedly crowned at Scone and shortly after, defeated by a small English force at Methven, outside Perth. Sending his wife and sister north, Bruce fled West with the remains of his small army. He was defeated again by Lame John MacDougall at Dal Righ in Argyll, and fled to the Isles. Next | Back Links: Famous Scot: Alexander III on GOTC Famous Scot: Robert the Bruce on GOTC Robert the Bruce's Heart on GOTC Robert the Bruce Murders John Comyn on GOTC Famous Scot: William Wallace on GOTC Sword of William Wallace on GOTC Death of William Wallace on GOTC