Robert III of Scotland
Robert III | |
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King of Scots | |
Reign | 19 April 1390 – 4 April 1406 |
Coronation | 14 August 1390 |
Predecessor | Robert II |
Successor | James I |
Regents | See list
|
Born | John Stewart c. 1337 |
Died | 4 April 1406 (aged 68–69) Rothesay Castle, Isle of Bute, Scotland |
Burial | |
Spouse | |
Issue more... |
|
Stewart | |
Father | Robert II of Scotland |
Mother | Elizabeth Mure |
Events
|
Robert III (c. 1337 – 4 April 1406), born John Stewart, was
John joined his father and other magnates in a rebellion against his great-uncle
In 1390, Robert II died and Carrick ascended the throne as Robert III but without authority to rule directly. Fife continued as Lieutenant until February 1393 when power was returned to the king jointly with his son
Early life
John Stewart was born around the year 1337 to
On 31 May the Steward resigned the earldom of Atholl to John, who by this time was already married to
On 22 February 1371, David II (who was preparing to marry the Earl of March's sister, Agnes Dunbar) unexpectedly died, presumably to the relief of both John and his father.[21] Robert was crowned at Scone Abbey on 27 March 1371 and before this date had given John—now styled Steward of Scotland—the ancestral lands surrounding the Firth of Clyde.[22] How the succession was to take place was first entailed by Robert I when female heirs were excluded; David II attempted unsuccessfully on several occasions to have the council change the succession procedure.[22] Robert II quickly moved to ensure the succession of John when the general council attending his coronation officially named Carrick as heir—in 1373 the Stewart succession was further strengthened when parliament passed entails defining how each of the king's sons could inherit the crown.[23] After the coronation John Dunbar who had received the Lordship of Fife from David II now resigned the title so that the king's second son, Robert, Earl of Monteith could receive the Earldom of Fife—Dunbar was compensated with the provision of the earldom of Moray.[24]
A son,
Guardianship—and its collapse
Robert II's policy of building up Stewart domination in Scotland through the advancement of his sons saw the emergence of Carrick as the pre-eminent Stewart magnate south of the Forth-Clyde line, just as his younger brother Alexander, Earl of Buchan, Lord of Badenoch and Ross had become in the north.[25]
... considering that there are, and have been now for a considerable time, great and numerous defects in the governing of the kingdom by reason of the king's disposition, both by reason of age and for other reasons, and the infirmity of the lord his firstborn son ... have amicably chosen Sir [Robert Stewart], earl of Fife, second-born son of the king, and brother german of the same lord the firstborn son, [as] guardian of the kingdom under the king, ... for putting into effect justice and keeping the law internally, and for the defence of the kingdom with the king's force, as set out before, against those attempting to rise up as enemies.
—Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, 1 December 1388, Edinburgh. http://www.rps.ac.uk/
Before 1384 persistent objections regarding Robert II's application of the law were brought to the council's attention. Some of these grievances maintained that the King had acted unlawfully by deliberately disregarding charges regarding his personal conduct.[26] Buchan's use of cateran supporters drew criticism from Northern nobles and prelates and demonstrated Robert II's inability or reluctance to control his son.[27] The king's failure to take a leading role in prosecuting the war with England and Buchan's abuse of royal power in the north was the backdrop to the general council meeting at Holyrood Abbey in November 1384, where the decision was taken to sideline the king and provide the ruling powers to Carrick as Guardian of Scotland.[28][29][30]
Within weeks Carrick's actions signalled changes in the direction of crown strategy where the Carrick–Douglas affinity was, by far, the largest group to benefit from crown patronage.[26] On 13 March 1385 it emerged that an unauthorised payment of £700 in bullion, a huge amount, had been taken by the guardian from the customs of Edinburgh. It transpired that Fife, also Chamberlain of Scotland, had been struggling to check Carrick's misuse of the Crown finances during 1384–5.[31]
In April 1385, the general council sharply condemned Buchan's behaviour
There was general approval of Fife's intention to properly resolve the situation of lawlessness in the north and in particular the activities of Buchan his younger brother.
Reign
In diebus illis non erat lex in Scocia sed quilibet potencior minorem oppressit et totum regnum fuit unum latrocinium. Homicidia depredaciones et incendia et cetera maleficia remanserunt inpunita et justicia utlegata extra regni terminos exulavit.
In those days there was no law in Scotland, but the strong oppressed the weak, and the whole kingdom was one den of thieves. Homicides, robberies, fire-raisings, and other misdeeds remained unpunished, and justice seemed banished beyond the kingdom's bounds.
—The Chartularium Episcopatus Moraviensis written at Elgin Cathedral for the year 1398[40][41]
In May 1390 parliament granted John permission to change his regnal name to Robert, probably in part to maintain the link back to Robert I but also to disassociate himself from King
Rothesay's lieutenancy
In 1392, Robert III strengthened the position of his son David, now Earl of Carrick, when he endowed him with a large annuity that allowed the young prince to build up his household and affinity, and then in 1393 regained his right to direct rule when the general council decided that Fife's lieutenancy should end and that Carrick, now of age, should assist his father.
The king was increasingly blamed for his failure to pacify the Gaelic areas in the west and north. The general council held in Perth in April 1398 criticised the king's governance, and empowered his brother Robert and his son David—now respectively the Dukes of Albany and Rothesay—to lead an army against
The kin of the border earls took advantage of the confusion in England after the deposition of
Albany's lieutenancy
Following Rothesay's death, and with the restoration of the lieutenancy to Albany and the Scottish defeat at the battle of Humbleton, Robert III experienced almost total exclusion from political authority and was limited to his lands in the west.[53] By late 1404 Robert, with the aid of his close councilors Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, Sir David Fleming and Henry Wardlaw, had succeeded in re-establishing himself and intervened in favour of Alexander Stewart, the Earl of Buchan's illegitimate son, who was in dispute with Albany over the earldom of Mar.[54] Robert III again exhibited his new resolve when in December 1404 he created a new regality in the Stewartry[55] for his sole remaining son and heir, James, now Earl of Carrick—an act designed to prevent these lands falling into Albany's hands.[56]
By 28 October 1405, Robert III had returned to Dundonald Castle in Ayrshire. With the king's health failing, it was decided in the winter of 1405–6 to send the young prince to France out of the reach of Albany.[57] Despite this, the manner of James's flight from Scotland was unplanned. In February 1406, James together with Orkney and Fleming, at the head of a large group of followers left the safety of Bishop Wardlaw's protection in St Andrews and journeyed through the hostile Douglas territories of east Lothian—an act probably designed to demonstrate James's royal endorsement of his custodians, but also a move by his custodians to further their own interests in the traditional Douglas heartlands.[58] Events went seriously wrong for James and he had to escape to the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth along with the Earl of Orkney after his escorts were attacked by James Douglas of Balvenie, and which resulted in Sir David Fleming's death.[59] Their confinement on the rock was to last for over a month before a ship from Danzig, en route for France, picked them up.[60] On 22 March 1406, the ship was taken by English pirates off Flamborough Head, who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III had moved to Rothesay Castle where, after hearing of his son's captivity, he died on 4 April 1406, and was buried in Paisley Abbey, which had been founded by the Stewarts.[61]
Family and issue
King Robert III married Anabella Drummond, the daughter of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall and Mary Montifex, daughter of Sir William Montifex, in c.1366/7. They had seven children:[62]
- David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (b. 24 Oct 1378- d. 26 Mar 1402), who was betrothed to Elizabeth Dunbar but later married Lady Marjory Douglas, the daughter of Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas and Joanna de Moravia of Strathearn.
- James I Stewart (b. Dec 1394 – d. 21 Feb 1437), King of Scots.
- Robert Stewart (died young)
- Margaret Stewart (died between 1450 and 1456), married Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas, the son of Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas and Joanna de Moravia of Strathearn.
- Mary Stewart, married 1st George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus; married 2nd Sir James Kennedy the Younger and gave birth to Gilbert Kennedy, 1st Lord Kennedy; betrothed to Sir William Cunningham; married 3rd to Sir William Graham of Kincardine; married 4th Sir William Edmonstone of Culloden and 1st of Duntreath (ancestors of the Edmonstone baronets)
- Egidia Stewart, died unmarried.
- Elizabeth Stewart, married James Douglas, 1st Lord Dalkeith, son of Sir James Douglas and Agnes Dunbar.
He also had at least two older illegitimate children:
- John Stewart of Ardgowan and Blackhall, (b. 1364 – d. 1412) who was an ancestor to the Shaw-Stewart baronets.
- James Stewart of Kilbride
Historiography
Abbot Walter Bower reported that Robert III described himself as "the worst of kings and the most miserable of men". Gordon Donaldson in his general history Scottish Kings (1967) agrees and writes of the first two Stewart kings "that a famous dynasty, which was to produce so many men of remarkable ability ... made a somewhat pedestrian beginning". He immediately qualifies this statement with "it is true that the sources, both record and narrative, are scanty". He goes further and explains "admittedly, no attempt has yet been made to bring the resources of modern historical research to bear on Robert II and Robert III ... but it is beyond the bounds of probability that even if this is done either of them will emerge as a man who did much positively to shape Scottish history."[63] When Robert III re-established his personal rule in 1393, Donaldson characterises it as a period of anarchy, and of a king who couldn't control his brothers Albany and Buchan, nor his son Rothesay.[64]
Ranald Nicholson agrees with Donaldson in his Scotland: The Later Middle Ages (1974), and describes Robert III as a failure, like his father, because he wasn't dominant. Nicholson's opinion was that in his period as Lieutenant in the 1380s, Robert (John, Earl of Carrick) was incapable of dealing with the breakdown of law and order, citing the number of legal cases. The lameness of Carrick after being kicked by a horse was explained by Nicholson as the excuse needed to have him replaced by his brother Robert, Earl of Fife as the king's lieutenant.[65] Nicholson writes, "nothing much was to be hoped for in the heir apparent", and goes on to blame Robert III for the destruction of Forres and Elgin, despite the lieutenancy of Fife at the time.
Andrew Barrell in his book Medieval Scotland (2000) puts forward that the first two Stewart kings, "had difficulty in asserting themselves, partly because their dynasty was new to kingship and needed to establish itself".[66] Robert III's period of personal rule from 1393 was "disastrous" according to Barrell, and was exemplified by the king's failure to re-take the royal fortress of Dumbarton.[67] Barrell's final assessment of Robert III was of a man crippled in body and incapable or averse to personally confronting Albany but sought to do so through promoting the status of his sons, and even then he failed.[68]
Alexander Grant in Independence and Nationhood (1984) found Robert III to be "probably Scotland's least impressive king". Grant puts this into perspective and writes that it is notable that Robert III's reign could have been worse compared to the turmoil and violence experienced in England and France when ruled by weak kings. Even on Robert's death, Scotland didn't descend into open civil war but was restricted to positioning among the royal family and its magnate groupings.[69] Grant, in The New Cambridge Medieval History, explains that the 13th-century Scottish kings ruled with the endorsement of practically all the political classes but that none of the 14th-century kings, from Robert I to Robert III, did so and retained loyalty by the use of patronage. The benefits of this were outweighed by the disadvantages—alienated lands reduced crown income, endowments had the same effect, the estates granted to nobles and church often in regality led to a loss of royal attendance within these territories and contributed to a diminishment of authority.[70]
Michael Lynch suggests that the earlier 20th-century historians made hasty evaluations of both Robert II and Robert III when they characterised them as "pathetically weak personalities" and their reigns as "nineteen years of senility and sixteen of infirmity". Lynch also makes the point that the complaints made in the later chronicles of lawlessness and disturbance in the country were mainly confined to the north with the king's brother Alexander, Lord of Badenoch and Earl of Buchan at its root. The death of John, Lord of the Isles heralded a state of dissension between the lordship and the crown that was to last for two generations and which even Robert III's successor James I was unable to deal with properly.[71] Lynch states that much of the troubles during Robert III's reign derived from the sharp deterioration of the royal revenues. The unruliness of northern Scotland was the result of competing factions within the royal family—Lynch suggests that the weakness in kingship before 1406 "can be exaggerated", citing Buchan's enforced appearance at Robert III's council to answer for his incendiary attack on Elgin and its cathedral, and Albany's obtainment of a submission from the lord of the Isles.[72]
In Stephen Boardman's The Early Stewart Kings, the younger Robert, then John, Earl of Carrick, is shown to be an energetic ambitious man and fully engaged in the running of the country, at the centre of Anglo-Scottish diplomacy, and who became the pre-eminent magnate in Scotland and whose political importance south of the Forth would eclipse that of his father's.[73] Boardman describes how in 1384 he callously engineered the council to remove his father from power and to place it in his hands.[74] Many of the problems of Robert III's rule, Boardman argues, stemmed from the death of his brother-in-law and close ally James, Earl of Douglas at Otterburn in 1388, when his deliberately constructed and powerful affinity south of the Forth crumbled. That same year Carrick lost the lieutenancy to his brother Robert Earl of Fife, that was, Boardman suggests, a blow to the future king's standing and one from which he would not fully recover.[75] According to Boardman, when Robert became king in 1390 he was the victim of his father's style of government characterised by Robert II's creation of his sons, sons-in-law, and other major territorial nobles as powerful magnates to whom he delegated extensive authority. As a result, Robert III's brothers refused to act simply as liegemen to the king. Robert III, already weakened by the council when he ascended the throne, was in the end completely subordinated to the magnate power of Albany and Douglas.[76]
Fictional portrayals
Robert III has been depicted in historical novels. They include:[78]
- Archibald the Grim, Earl of Douglas stands out among the secondary characters.[79]
- The Lords of Misrule (1976) by Nigel Tranter. Covers events from c. 1388 to 1390. Depicting the last years of Robert II of Scotland and the rise of Robert III to the throne. As the elderly king has grown "feeble, weary and half-blind", his sons, daughters and other nobles campaign for power. An ungoverned Scotland is ravaged by their conflicts. Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany and Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan are prominently featured.[80]
- A Folly of Princes (1977) by Nigel Tranter. Covers events from c. 1390 to 1402. Robert III turns out to be a weak king. His son David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, and brother Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany rival each other for political power in his court. But the struggle attracts the attention of Richard II and Henry IV, leading to English involvement.[81]
- The Captive Crown (1977) by Nigel Tranter. Covers events from 1402 to 1411. It depicts the last few years in the reign of Robert III, the captivity of James I of Scotland at the hands of Henry IV and the events back in Scotland. Concluding with the Battle of Harlaw.[82]
Family tree
Some of the most powerful Scots of Robert III's time were his close relatives.
Robert I, King of Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
David II, King of Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert II, King of Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert III, King of Scotland | Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany | Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Murdoch Stewart | Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
- Scottish monarchs' family tree
References
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 17–19
- ^ Nicholson, Scotland: The later middle Ages, p. 185
- ^ Nicholson, Scotland: The later middle Ages, p. 189
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 151–2
- ^ Nicholson, Scotland: The later middle Ages, pp. 203–4
- ^ Penman, Kings and Queens of Scotland, p. 131
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 214–5
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 235–6
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, p. 244
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 291–2
- ^ Lynch, Scotland: A new History, p. 141
- ^ Weir, Britain's Royal Family, p. 228
- ^ Weir, Britain's Royal Family, pp. 210–211
- ^ Weir, Britain's Royal Family, p. 216–25
- ^ Penman, Kings and Queens of Scotland, p. 128
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 16–18
- ^ Penman, Kings and Queens of Scotland, p. 120
- ^ a b Boardman, Annabella, ODNB
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, p. 22
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 23–4
- ^ Penman, Kings and Queens of Scotland, p. 130
- ^ a b c d e f Boardman, Robert III, ODNB
- ^ Barrell, Medieval Scotland, pp. 141–2
- ^ Grant in Jones et al., The New Cambridge Medieval History, p. 360
- ^ Barrell, Medieval Scotland, p. 140–2
- ^ a b Boardman, Early Stewart Kings,p. 130
- ^ For an account of the background to Buchan's activities in the north of Scotland and the context in which he operated see Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pages 83–9
- ^ "Records of the Parliaments of Scotland". www.rps.ac.uk.
- ^ Grant in Jones et al., New Cambridge History, pp. 360–1
- ^ Oram, et al., Kings & Queens, p. 126
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 135–6
- ^ Lynch, Scotland: A New History, p. 139
- ^ a b Boardman, Early Stewart Kings,p. 135
- ^ a b c Grant in Jones, et al., New Cambridge History p. 361
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 139 & 142
- ^ a b Grant in Tuck & Goodman, War and Border Societies, p. 51
- ^ "Records of the Parliaments of Scotland". www.rps.ac.uk.
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, p. 171
- ^ The date of Robert II's death and the disputed date for Robert II's burial and the reasons for the delay in Robert III's coronation are explained by Dauvit Broun in Brown & Tanner, History of Scottish Parliament pp. 112–6
- ^ Dunbar, A Revised Chronology of Scottish History, p. 174
- ^ Innes, C. Registum Moravienses, p. 382
- ^ Barrell, Medieval Scotland, p. 146
- ^ a b Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 173–5
- ^ Boardman,Early Stewart Kings, pp. 195–6
- ^ Penman, Kings & Queens of Scotland, p. 131
- ^ Grant in Jones et al., New Cambridge Medieval History, p. 361
- ^ Boardman,Early Stewart Kings, p. 226
- ^ Sadler, Border Fury, p. 296
- ^ Boardman, David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, ODNB
- ^ Grant in Jones et al., The New Cambridge Medieval History, p. 362
- ^ Barrell, Medieval Scotland. p. 149
- ^ Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, 14 May 1402, Edinburgh. http://www.rps.ac.uk/
- ^ Boardman,Early Stewart Kings, p. 255
- ^ Boardman,Early Stewart Kings, p. 281
- ^ For an understanding of the designation of baronies and earldoms into regalities and their powers during the reign of Robert III, see Alexander Grant, Franchises North of the Border, pp.193–199 in Michael Prestwick (Ed), Liberties and Identities in the Medieval British Isles
- ^ Boardman,Early Stewart Kings, pp. 281–2
- ^ Boardman,Early Stewart Kings, p. 291
- ^ Boardman,Early Stewart Kings, pp. 293–4
- ^ Brown, James I, ODNB
- ^ Boardman,Early Stewart Kings, p. 293
- ^ Penman, Kings and Queens of Scotland, p. 134
- ^ Weir, Britain's Royal Family, p. 229–31
- ^ Donaldson, Scottish Kings, p. 38
- ^ Donaldson, Scottish Kings, p. 41
- ^ Nicholson, Scotland: The Later Middle Ages, p. 199
- ^ Barrell, Medieval Scotland, p. 137
- ^ Barrell, Medieval Scotland, p. 147
- ^ Barrell, Medieval Scotland, pp. 150–1
- ^ Grant, Independence and Nationhood, p. 184
- ^ Grant, New Cambridge Medieval History, p. 367
- ^ Lynch, Medieval Scotland, p. 140
- ^ Lynch, Medieval Scotland, p. 142
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, p. 55
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, p. 304
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, p. 305
- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, p. 308
- ^ "King Robert III – National Portrait Gallery". npg.org.uk.
- ^ a b Brewer (2004), p. 301
- ^ Nield (1968), p. 48
- ^ "lords of Misrule synopsis". cunninghamh.tripod.com.
- ^ "A Folly of Princes synopsis". cunninghamh.tripod.com.
- ^ "The Captive Crown synopsis". cunninghamh.tripod.com.
Sources
- Barrell, Andrew D. M. (2000), Medieval Scotland, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-58602-X
- Boardman, S. I. (September 2004). "Annabella". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8063. Retrieved 20 February 2009. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Boardman, Stephen (2007), The Early Stewart Kings: Robert II and Robert III, 1371–1406, The Stewart Dynasty in Scotland Series, Edinburgh: John Donald, an imprint of Birlinn Ltd, ISBN 978-1-904607-68-7
- Boardman, S. I. (May 2006). "Robert II". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/23713. Retrieved 19 October 2008. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Boardman, S. I. (2004). "Robert III". required.)
- Boardman, Stephen (2007), "The Gaelic World and the Early Stewart Court", in Broun, Dauvit; MacGregor, Martin (eds.), Mìorun Mòr nan Gall, 'The Great Ill-Will of the Lowlander'? Lowland Perceptions of the Highlands, Medieval and Modern (1st ed.), the Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies, University of Glasgow, OCLC 540108870
- ISBN 978-1-4102-1335-8
- Brown, Keith M.; Tanner, Roland (2008), The History of the Scottish Parliament: Parliament and Politics In Scotland 1235–1560, vol. 1, Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-0-7486-1485-1
- Brown, Michael (2004), The Wars of Scotland, 1214–1371, Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 0-7486-1238-6
- Brown, M. H. (2004). "James I". required.)
- Burns, Charles, ed. (1976), Calendar of Papal Letters to Scotland of Clement VII of Avignon, 1378–1394, Scottish History Society, ISBN 978-0-9500260-8-4
- Dunbar, Archibald H. (1899), Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History, Edinburgh: David Douglas
- Duncan, A. A. M. (2004). "Murray , Sir Andrew, of Bothwell (1298–1338)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19590. Retrieved 23 October 2008. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Grant, Alexander (1992), "The Otterburn War from the Scottish Point of View", in Goodman, Anthony; Tuck, Anthony (eds.), War and Border Societies in the Middle Ages, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-08021-5
- Grant, Alexander (1984), Independence and Nationhood, Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd, ISBN 0-7131-6309-7
- Grant, Alexander (2000), "Fourteenth-century Scotland", in Jones, Michael; et al. (eds.), The New Cambridge Medieval History: C. 1300-C1415, Woodbridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-36290-3
- Innes, Cosmo (1837), Registrum Episcapus Moraviensis, Edinburgh: Ballantyne Club
- Paul, James Balfour, ed. (1904), The Scots Peerage, vol. I, Edinburgh: David Douglas
- Grant, Alexander (2008), "Franchises North of the Border", in Prestwich, Michael (ed.), Liberties and Identities in the Medieval British Isles, Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, ISBN 978-1-84383-374-1
- Nield, Jonathan (1968), A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales, Ayer Publishing, ISBN 978-0-8337-2509-7
- Penman, Michael (2001), "The House Divided: Bruce vs Balliol, 1290–1371", in Oram, Richard (ed.), The Kings & Queens of Scotland, Stroud, Gloustershire: Tempus Publishing Ltd, ISBN 0-7524-1991-9
- Rogers, Clifford J. (1999), The Wars of Edward III: Sources and Interpretations, Boydell & Brewer, ISBN 0-85115-646-0
- Sadler, John (2006), Border Fury: England and Scotland at War 1296–1568, Longman, ISBN 1-4058-4022-6
- University of St Andrews, Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, retrieved 25 February 2009
- Webster, Bruce (2004). "David II". required.)
- Webster, Bruce (2004). "Balliol, Edward (b. in or after 1281, d. 1364)". required.)
- Webster, Bruce (1998), "Scotland without a King, 1329–1341", in Grant, Alexander; Stringer, Keith (eds.), Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 0-7486-1110-X
- Weir, Alison (2008), Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy, London: Vintage Books, ISBN 9780099539735
External links
- Robert III at the official website of the British monarchy
- Portraits of Robert III of Scotland at the National Portrait Gallery, London