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- Robert III redirects here. Robert Curthose of Normandy is also sometimes known as Robert III or Robert II.
Robert III (c. 1340 – 4 April 1406), King of Scotland (reigned 1390 - 1406)
[edit] Biography
He was the eldest son of King Robert II by his mistress, Elizabeth Mure, became legitimised with the formal marriage of his parents about 1349. They had previously married in 1336, but some had criticised that ceremony as uncanonical.
In 1368 his granduncle King David II of Scotland created him Earl of Carrick, and he took some part in the government of the kingdom until about 1387, when a kick from a horse disabled him. Probably in consequence of this accident his brother Robert, Earl of Fife, and not the crown prince himself, became guardian of the kingdom in 1389; but the latter succeeded to the throne on his father's death in May 1390.
At this time he changed his baptismal name of John - unpopular owing to its connection with John de Baliol; he also wished to avoid being called John II, as recognition of Balliol's kingship would weaken the Bruce title to the throne - for that of Robert, and became crowned at Scone in August 1390 as King Robert III. Although he probably attended several parliaments, the new king was seen only nominally as the ruler of Scotland, the real power remaining in the hands of his brother, the Earl of Fife.
In 1399, however, owing to the king's "sickness of the body", his elder son, David, Duke of Rothesay, gained appointment as lieutenant of the kingdom; but there followed an English invasion of Scotland, serious differences between Rothesay and his uncle, Robert, now Duke of Albany, and finally in March 1402 Rothesay's mysterious death at Falkland Palace.
Robert III began to fear for the fate of his only surviving son, young James. In February 1406 he had James taken in secrecy to Dirleton Castle to wait for a ship to transport him to France. Robert of Fife sent a large force after Crown Prince James and when a battle was fought nearby, James was put in a rowing boat and ferried to the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth. The 11-year-old heir to the throne and his guardians were left for a month on the tiny, windswept, rocky island among the boiling seas, before a ship arrived trying to bring James to France. Robert of Fife informed the English King, who arranged the ship's interception. Thus James became a prisoner of the King of England for 18 years. When Robert III heard of his son's capture, he became even more depressed and allegedly died from grief over the capture of James. Robert asked to be buried under a dunghill with the epitaph: Here lies the worst of Kings and the most miserable of men. He was interred at Paisley instead of Scone, the traditional burial ground of the Scottish kings, as he did not consider himself worthy of the honour.
[edit] Marriage and issue
In 1367, Robert III married Anabella Drummond, daughter of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall and Mary Montifex.
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Children of Robert III of Scotland |
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Children of Robert III and Annabella Drummond
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David, Duke of Rothesay · Robert, died in infancy · James, Steward of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay and King of Scots · Margaret, married to Archibald, Earl of Douglas and Duke of Touraine · Mary, married to (1) George Douglas, Earl of Angus, (2) Sir James Kennedy and (3) William, Lord of Graham · Elizabeth, married to Sir James Douglas, 1st Baron Dalkeith · Egida, married to William Douglas, Lord of Nithsdale
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Illegitimate children of Robert III
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James Stewart of Kilbride · Sir John Stewart of Auchingowan and Ardgowan
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| Information from: Boardman, Early Stewart Kings and Weir, Britain's Royal Family [1] |
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[edit] Ancestry
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Ancestors of Robert III of Scotland |
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- ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings pp. 114, 141, 149, 245, 294; Weir, Britain's Royal Family, pp. 227—229
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Contemporary rulers |
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| Papacy |
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Seated in Rome (Acknowledged in Denmark, England, Flanders, the Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, northern Italy, Ireland, Norway, Poland, and Sweden)
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Seated in Avignon (Acknowledged in Aragon, Burgundy, Castile and León, Cyprus, France, Naples, Savoy, and Scotland
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Succession offices of Robert III, King of Scots |
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