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Changing his tune: Robert Bruce, Ireland, and the Papacy

Changing his tune: Robert Bruce, Ireland, and the Papacy

Paper by Fiona Watson

Given in Edinburgh by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland on November 9, 2023

Abstract: Robert Bruce had been on a mission for over a decade by 1318, intent on forcing a peace treaty out of England acknowledging Scottish independence and his own rights as king. After Bannockburn, ever more extravagant military options were pursued to try to force the issue, a priority that required avoiding direct engagement with Pope John XXII who was determined to stop the violence. The death of Bruce’s heir, his brother Edward, in Ireland in October 1318 changed all that.

Fiona Watson is a freelance writer and historian specialising in the wars between Scotland and England. Click here to visit her website.

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Click here to learn more about the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland

Top Image: Statue of Robert the Bruce (1929) in front of the gates at Edinburgh Castle. © Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons

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