Latest / The Story of Scotland: Clans, Crowns, and the Fight for Identity — Fexingo History / Robert the Bruce's Guerilla War: Scotland's King in Hiding
Transcript
- Luna: So we've talked about the Declaration of Arbroath, Flodden, Mary Queen of Scots — but I feel like we haven't really covered Robert the Bruce's early years as king. Lucas: You're right, and honestly that's one of the most dramatic stretches of Scottish history. Because after Bruce had John Comyn murdered in Dumfries in 1306 and got himself crowned at Scone, everything fell apart almost immediately. The English army under Aymer de Valence crushed him at the Battle of Methven in June 1306. Lucas: Bruce escaped with maybe a few hundred men, but his wife, his daughter, his sisters, and a lot of his supporters were captured. The English executed his brother Neil Bruce and a bunch of others — drawn, hanged, beheaded. It was brutal. Luna: So he went from crowned king to fugitive in a matter of weeks? Lucas: Exactly. After Methven, Bruce was a fugitive king with no army, no stronghold, and a price on his head. He spent the winter of 1306-07 in the western Highlands and islands, basically hiding out and trying to survive. His movements aren't fully documented — we rely on John Barbour's epic poem 'The Brus', written about 70 years later, which mixes historical fact with a lot of poetic embellishment. Lucas: According to Barbour, Bruce and his small band — maybe sixty men — were chased by the MacDougalls of Lorn, who were loyal to the Comyns because Bruce had killed their kinsman. There's a famous account of a skirmish at the Pass of Brander, near the Falls of Cruachan, where the MacDougalls rolled boulders down on Bruce's men. Luna: The Pass of Brander — that's in Argyll, right? Lucas: Yes, near Loch Awe. It's a narrow gorge, perfect for an ambush. Bruce apparently escaped but lost a lot of men. Barbour says he then fled to the island of Rathlin, off the coast of Northern Ireland, where he spent the winter. Historians debate whether he actually went to Rathlin or to the island of Rachan, near Bute — both are possible. Lucas: And this brings us to the famous spider story. You've probably heard it — the king, in a cave on Rathlin, watching a spider swing from a silk thread, trying six times to reach a beam before succeeding on the seventh. Bruce supposedly took heart and resolved to try again. Luna: That story is in every schoolbook, but is there any truth to it? Lucas: Almost certainly not. It first appears in Sir Walter Scott's 'Tales of a Grandfather' in 1828, more than 500 years after Bruce's time. Barbour never mentions it. The earliest version comes from a 16th-century Scottish history, but even that is probably a moral fable. Still, the idea of Bruce persevering through terrible odds is historically accurate. Lucas: In early 1307, Bruce returned to the Scottish mainland. He landed at Turnberry in Carrick — his own earldom — and began a guerilla campaign. He avoided pitched battles, hit English supply lines, ambushed patrols, and won over local clans. His first real victory was at the Battle of Glen Trool in April 1307, where his men rolled boulders down on the English. Luna: Wait — he used boulders too, just like the MacDougalls did to him? Lucas: Exactly. He learned from his enemies. Then in May 1307, he defeated Aymer de Valence again at the Battle of Loudoun Hill, using a narrow defile to neutralize the English cavalry. That was a turning point. From then on, Bruce slowly but steadily took back Scotland, castle by castle. Lucas: And you know, it's interesting to think about what kept him going. There's a line in Barbour where Bruce says — and I'm paraphrasing — 'I will never give up this kingdom, for I have a right to it.' He genuinely believed he was the rightful king, and he had a core of loyal supporters who risked everything for him. Luna: Which brings up a question — Bruce had to rely on certain clans. The MacDonalds of Islay supported him, but the MacDougalls opposed him. Was it purely about the Comyn feud, or were there other factors? Lucas: It was partly about the Comyns, but also about local power. The MacDougalls were allied with the Comyns through marriage, and they saw Bruce as a threat to their influence in Argyll. The MacDonalds, on the other hand, had their own rivalries with the MacDougalls and saw Bruce as a chance to gain royal favor. So the Wars of Independence were also a Scottish civil war. Lucas: You know, this idea of Bruce as a fugitive king — it reminds me of something we've talked about before. This show is completely ad-free, and that only works because of listeners who support it directly. If you've been enjoying these deep dives into Scottish history, you can keep them coming by visiting buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure — just if you want to help us stay independent. Luna: Yeah, I think that's a big part of why these conversations feel so natural. There's no commercial break interrupting the flow. Lucas: Exactly. So back to Bruce — by 1308 he was strong enough to take on the MacDougalls directly. He defeated them at the Battle of the Pass of Brander — the same place where they had ambushed him two years earlier. He then captured Dunstaffnage Castle, the MacDougall stronghold. By 1309, he controlled most of Scotland north of the Forth. Luna: So in about three years, he went from hiding in a cave to controlling a kingdom. That's an incredible turnaround. Lucas: It really is. And it's worth remembering that not all of it was glorious. Bruce had his brother Edward and his friend James Douglas — the 'Black Douglas' — wage a brutal campaign in the Borders, burning towns and farms to deny supplies to the English. He also 'harried' Buchan, the heart of Comyn power, in 1308, destroying crops and killing livestock. It was total war. Lucas: But by 1314, Bruce had taken every major Scottish castle except Stirling. And when the English king Edward II came north to relieve Stirling Castle, Bruce met him at Bannockburn. And we know how that turned out. Luna: So the spider story might not be true, but the real story is still pretty remarkable. Lucas: Yes. Bruce's guerrilla war is a textbook example of how a determined leader with a small force can defeat a larger, more conventional army. It's a story of resilience, strategy, and a bit of ruthlessness. Lucas: Thinking about Bruce's story, it makes you wonder — what would have happened if he had given up after Methven? Scotland's entire history might have been different. No Bannockburn, no Declaration of Arbroath, maybe no separate Scottish identity. Luna: So in a way, that spider legend, even if it's made up, captures something true about the man. Lucas: Exactly. It's a metaphor for his perseverance. And that's what history often gives us — not just facts, but stories that help us understand the people behind the events.