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Revision as of 21:33, 8 October 2005 by 84.226.36.4 (talk) (+de)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Edward Bruce (c. 1275 - October 14, 1318) was High King of Ireland and Earl of Carrick. He was the younger brother of Robert I of Scotland, and supported his brother in the struggle for the crown of Scotland, then pursued a claim in Ireland.
Early Life
Edward was a son of Robert de Brus, Lord of Annandale and Marjorie of Carrick, 3rd Countess of Carrick. His date of birth is unknown, but as the second of five brothers it was probably not long after his older brother was born in 1274.
Edward fought alongside Robert throughout his struggle for the Scottish throne, including his desperate period on the run and as a guerilla. The three younger Bruce brothers Nigel, Thomas, and Alexander were all captured and executed by the English during this period, but Edward survived. He played an important role capturing and slighting English-held castles in south-west Scotland, and he was a commander at the Battle of Bannockburn on June 23-June 24, 1314.
Some time between 1309 and 1313, Edward was created Earl of Carrick, a title previously held by his maternal grandfather Neil of Carrick, 2nd Earl of Carrick , his mother and his elder brother.
Fathering an illegitimate son
A liaison with Isabella, daughter of John of Strathbogie, 9th Earl of Atholl, produced an illegitimate son, Alexander Bruce, who would later inherit his father's earldom. Edward deserted her to marry Isabella of Ross, which began bad blood between himself and David of Strathbogie, 10th Earl of Atholl, the brother of the wronged Isabella. In 1314, on the eve of Bannockburn, David took revenge by attacking the Scottish supply depot at Cambuskenneth Abbey.
High King of Ireland
Historical Background
By the early 14th century, Ireland had not had a High King since Ruaidri mac Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair who had been deposed by the Norman invasion in 1186. The country was divided between the Irish clans, Norman barons and English lords who all ruled parts of Ireland.
In 1258 many of the clans had attempted to unite under one High King again and elected Brian O'Neill to this position, however most of the clans would not support him and he was defeated by the Normans at the battle of Downpatrick in 1260.
Invitation to the throne
Realizing that unity was the only way to win Ireland's independence back, Donal O'Neill and most of the other Irish lords agreed to put their own personal differences aside and invited the younger brother of Robert I of Scotland to become King of Ireland in 1315. Thus opposing Lord of Ireland Edward II of England.
Robert the Bruce loved the idea and believed that an independent Ireland would be of great aid to Scotland. He personally envisioned "a grand Gaelic alliance against England", between Scotland and Ireland since both countries had not only a common heritage and ethnicity, but also a common enemy (the English). On May 25, 1315 Edward the Bruce and thousands of formerly unemployed Scottish soldiers landed in Ireland, they were quickly joined by large numbers of Irish infantry from all of the country's major clans.
On May 1, 1316 Edward was crowned King of Ireland at Dundalk. In September his brother Robert Bruce arrived with Scottish reinforcements to help him.
Famine
At first the Irish/Scottish alliance seemed unstoppable as they won battle after battle, in less than a year they had most of Ireland in their control. However by the beginning of 1317 famine had stricken most of the country making it difficult for King Edward to provide food to most of his men. Shortly later Robert the Bruce returned to Scotland and management of his own kingdom, but promised more aid and more volunteers to help his brother. For almost a year the Anglo-Norman barons did little to retake any land since the famine made it difficult for either side to provide food to soldiers in the field.
Marriage
Edward obtained a dispensation for a marriage to Isabella of Ross, daughter of William MacTaggart, 3rd Earl of Ross, on June 1, 1317. Their marriage may or may not have taken place before Edward's death; in any case, they had no children.
Death at the Battle Faughart
Then in the late summer of 1318, John de Birmmingham with his army began a march against Edward the Bruce. On 24 October, 1318, the Irish army was badly defeated at the Battle of Faughart by de Birmmingham's forces. Edward himself was killed and Ireland was again left leaderless.
Historical aftermath
This was the penultimate attempt by all of Ireland's royal clans to reunite the country under one High King. In 1595 the leader of the northern branch O'Neill clan (the whole O'Neill or "Ui Niall" having previously been Ireland's principal royal family for nearly 700 years), Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone began a rebellion against Elizabeth I of England which was initially successful. However after many early victories the Irish were defeated shortly before the Queen's death in 1603.
The failure of that rebellion, combined with other factors, resulted in the Flight of the Earls in 1607, to Spain. All subsequent nationalist leaders favoured Irish independence as a republic, not revival of old pseudo-federal 'High Kingship.'
Sources
Barrow, GWS. Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland, 1976.
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