David II of Scotland
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| David II | |
| King of Scots | |
 Posthumous drawing of David II by Sylvester Harding (published in 1797) —[1] There is absolutely no evidence that suggests he actually looked like this. |
|
| Reign | 7 June 1329 – 22 February 1371 |
|---|---|
| Full name | David Bruce |
| Middle English | Davy the Bruys |
| Norman | David de Brus |
| Gaelic | Daibhidh a Briuis |
| Titles | Earl of Carrick |
| Born | 5 March 1324 |
| Birthplace | Dunfermline |
| Died | February 22, 1371 (aged 46) |
| Place of death | Dundonald |
| Buried | Holyrood Abbey |
| Predecessor | Robert I |
| Successor | Robert II |
| Consort | i) Joan of England ii) Margaret Drummond |
| Dynasty | Bruce |
| Father | Robert I |
| Mother | Elizabeth de Burgh |
Daibhidh a Briuis (Modern Gaelic: Dàibhidh Bruis),[2] anglicised as David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371), was King of Scotland between 7 June 1329 and 22 February 1371.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
David II was the elder and only surviving son of Robert I of Scotland and his second wife, Elizabeth de Burgh. He was born on 5 March 1324 at Dunfermline Palace, Fife. His mother died in 1327.[3] In accordance with the Treaty of Northampton's terms, David was married on 17 July 1328 to Joan of the Tower, daughter of Edward II of England and Isabella of France, at Berwick-upon-Tweed. They had no issue.[4]
[edit] Reign
David became king of Scotland upon the death of his father on 7 June 1329, aged 5 years, 3 months, and 3 days. David and his Queen were crowned at Scone on November 24, 1331.[5]
Sir Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, by the Act of Settlement of 1318, became Guardian of Scotland until his death on July 20, 1332. He was replaced as Guardian by Donald, Earl of Mar, by an assemblage of the magnates of Scotland, at Perth, August 2, 1332. However, Mar fell at the Battle of Dupplin Moor ten days later, following which Sir Andrew Moray of Bothwell, who had married (her third husband) Christian, sister of King Robert I, was chosen as the new Guardian. He was taken prisoner by the English at Roxburgh in April 1333. He was thence replaced as Guardian by Sir Archibald Douglas, 'Tyneman', who fell at Halidon Hill that July.[6]
Following the Scots' defeat at Dupplin, Edward Balliol was crowned King of the Scots by the English and his adherents, at Scone, September 24, 1332. However, by December he had fled to England.[7]
Owing to the victory of Edward III of England and his protégé, Edward Balliol, at the Battle of Halidon Hill in July 1333, David and his Queen were sent for safety into France, reaching Boulogne on May 14, 1334,[8] and being received very graciously by the French king, Philip VI. Little is known about the life of the Scottish king in France, except that Château-Gaillard was given to him for a residence, and that he was present at the bloodless meeting of the English and French armies in October 1339 at Vironfosse, now known as Buironfosse, in the Arrondissement of Vervins.
Meanwhile his representatives had obtained the upper hand in Scotland, and David was thus enabled to return to his kingdom, landing at Inverbervie in Kincardineshire on June 2, 1341, when he took the reins of government into his own hands.
In 1346 under the terms of the Auld Alliance, he invaded England in the interests of France, but was defeated and taken prisoner by John Coupeland at the Battle of Neville's Cross on October 17, 1346,[9] and remained in England for eleven years, living principally in London, at Odiham Castle in Hampshire and Windsor Castle in Berkshire. His imprisonment was not a rigorous one, and negotiations for his release were soon begun.
Eventually, on October 3, 1357, after several interruptions, a treaty was signed at Berwick-upon-Tweed by which the Scottish estates undertook to pay 100,000 marks as a ransom for their king. This was ratified by parliament at Scone on November 6, 1357.
David returned at once to Scotland; but owing to the poverty of the kingdom it was found impossible to raise the ransom. A few instalments were paid, but the king sought to get rid of the liability by offering to make Edward III, or one of his sons, his successor in Scotland. In 1364 the Scottish parliament indignantly rejected a proposal to make Lionel, Duke of Clarence, the next king; but David negotiated secretly with Edward III over this matter, after he had suppressed a rising of some of his unruly nobles.
He remarried about February 20, 1364, Margaret Drummond, widow of Sir John Logie, Knt., and daughter of Sir Malcolm Drummond, Knt. He divorced her about March 20, 1370. They had no issue.[10][11] Margaret, however, travelled to Avignon and made a successful appeal to the Pope to reverse the sentence of divorce which had been pronounced against her in Scotland. She was still alive in January 1375.[12]
[edit] Death
David II died in Edinburgh Castle on February 22, 1371 and was buried in Holyrood Abbey.[13][14] At the time of his death, he was planning to marry his mistress, Agnes Dunbar (daughter of Agnes Dunbar, 4th Countess of Moray). He left no children and was succeeded by his nephew, Robert II. He was the last male of the House of Bruce.
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait.asp?mkey=mw123890
- ^ Daibhidh a Briuis is the Classical Gaelic form.
- ^ Richardson, Douglas, Plantagenet Ancestry, Baltimore, Md., 2004, p. 23, ISBN 0-8063-1750-7
- ^ Richardson (2004) p. 23
- ^ Dunbar, Sir Archibald H., Scottish Kings — A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005 – 1625, Edinburgh, 1899, pp. 146–7
- ^ Dunbar (1899) pp. 147–9
- ^ Dunbar (1899) pp. 148–9
- ^ Dunbar (1899) p. 150
- ^ Dunbar (1899) p. 152
- ^ Dunbar (1899) p. 154
- ^ Richardson (2004) p. 23
- ^ Dunbar (1899) p. 156.
- ^ Dunbar (1899) p. 154
- ^ Richardson (2004) p. 23
[edit] References
- David Nash Ford (2004). Royal Berkshire History: David II, King of Scots (1324-1371).
- John of Fordun (1871–72). Chronica gentis Scotorum, edited by W. F. Skene. Edinburgh.
- John Hill Burton. (1905). History of Scotland, vol. ii. Edinburgh.
- Andrew Lang. (1900). History of Scotland, vol. i. Edinburgh.
- Andrew of Wyntoun. (1872–79). The orygynale cronykil of Scotland, edited by D. Laing Edinburgh.
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
[edit] Further reading
- Michael Brown. (2004). The Wars of Scotland, 1214–1371. The New Edinburgh History of Scotland, volume 4. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
- Ranald Nicholson. (1975)., Scotland. The Later Middle Ages. Edinburgh: Mercat Press.
- Michael Penman. (2003). David II, 1329–71: The Bruce Dynasty in Scotland. East Linton: Tuckwell Press.
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David II of Scotland
Born: 1324 Died: 1371 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert |
King of Scots 7 June 1329–22 February 1371 |
Succeeded by Robert II |
| Scottish royalty | ||
| Preceded by Robert Stewart |
Heir of Scotland as heir apparent 5 March 1324–7 June 1329 |
Succeeded by Robert Stewart |
