The Prophecies of Merlin are real. They were written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the twelfth century, who claimed to be translating from an earlier source. Along with his hugely popular The History of the Kings of Britain, the Prophecies were in wide circulation and Edward is known to have owned copies. The Last Prophecy, as it appears in the novel, is my invention; however, Monmouth suggested that there were others written. At the end of his History, Monmouth, writing of the Saxon invasions, speaks of an angelic voice that tells the Britons they will not rule their kingdom any more until a certain time when the relics of the saints are gathered. The four relics I focus on all existed. Edward did seize the Crown of Arthur, but earlier than portrayed, during the conquest of 1282–84. Likewise, he took the Stone of Destiny from Scone, although the coronation chair that housed it at Westminster was made a few years later. When reading that passage in Monmouth’s History and looking at Edward’s actions during the invasions of Wales and Scotland – the taking of sacred and royal regalia – the two certainly seem connected. Edward was well known for his fascination with all things Arthurian. He and Queen Eleanor reburied the bones of Arthur and Guinevere in an elaborate ceremony at Glastonbury Abbey. Along with other nobles of the time, he organised popular Round Table jousts and had his own Round Table made. You can see it today in Winchester Castle. The Knights of the Dragon are fictitious, but the members are real.
Robert’s experiences in Wales are pure fiction, although he is thought to have spent some time at Edward’s court during this period and it seems he may have become close with a number of young English nobles. His father and an uncle had fought for Edward in the 1282–84 conquest of Wales and owed military service for their English lands, so I didn’t feel it too large a leap to place Robert in Edward’s army. The 1295 uprising and campaign are mostly based in fact, although Madog’s brother Dafydd and the execution are fictional.
Many smaller details have been tweaked or altered, either for ease of reading or to suit fictional elements of plot and character. For instance, William Douglas’s first wife was the sister of James Stewart, but by the time we meet him he was married to an Englishwoman. Likewise, Robert’s father married again after Marjorie of Carrick died. The Setons aren’t thought to have been related despite sharing the same name, but it made more sense to portray them as such. John Comyn the Younger and other Scottish nobles did serve Edward in France, but not until after 1296. Humphrey de Bohun’s father didn’t die at Falkirk, but soon after. For those who wish to gain more insight into the period, please consult the bibliography.
Robert the Bruce’s story is complex, not simply due to the vagaries of history. There is none of the black-and-whiteness of Wallace about him. He is grey; a changeable, often intangible figure, flitting from one side to the other during the Wars of Independence, disappearing at points into the mists of obscurity before reappearing, suddenly and vividly, to shift the direction of the whole struggle. It was never going to be an easy tale to tell. But in its complexity, in Robert’s – some might say – perfidiousness lie the real essence and beauty of his story: the remarkableness of human frailty and human strength, the capacity to change, to falter, to adapt, and for one man, against all odds, to steer the course of his own destiny, and with it that of a nation.
Robyn Young
Brighton
May 2010
CHARACTER LIST
(* Indicates fictitious characters, relationships or groups)
*ADAM: Gascon commander
ADAM: cousin of William Wallace
*AFFRAIG: wise woman from Turnberry
ALEXANDER II: King of Scotland (1214 – 49), named Robert’s grandfather as his heir, but later had a son who succeeded him as Alexander III
ALEXANDER III: King of Scotland (1249–86), brother-in-law of Edward I by his first marriage; his wife and children died before him, forcing him to name his granddaughter, Margaret, as his heir
ALEXANDER BRUCE: brother of Robert
ALEXANDER MACDONALD: son and heir of Angus Mór MacDonald
ALEXANDER MENTEITH: son and heir of Walter Stewart, Earl of Menteith
ALEXANDER SETON: lord from East Lothian and *cousin of Christopher Seton
ANGUS MÓR MACDONALD: Lord of Islay
ANGUS OG MACDONALD: youngest son of Angus Mór MacDonald
*ANDREW BOYD: one of Robert’s vassals in Carrick
ANDREW MORAY: led the rebellion in the north of Scotland against Edward I in 1297
ANTHONY BEK: Bishop of Durham
AYMER DE VALENCE: son and heir of William de Valence, cousin of Edward I and a *Knight of the Dragon
*BRIGID: niece of Affraig
CHRISTIAN BRUCE: sister of Robert, married Gartnait of Mar
CHRISTOPHER SETON: son of an English knight from Yorkshire and *cousin of Alexander Seton
*DAFYDD: brother of Madog ap Llywelyn
DAVID OF ATHOLL: son of John, Earl of Atholl
DERVORGUILLA BALLIOL: mother of John Balliol
DONALD OF MAR: Earl of Mar, Robert’s father-in-law by the marriage of his daughter
DUNGAL MACDOUALL: *son of the steward of Buittle, becomes captain of the army of Galloway
EDMUND: Earl of Lancaster, younger brother of Edward I
EDWARD I: King of England (1272–1307)
EDWARD OF CAERNARFON: son and heir of Edward I
EDWARD BRUCE: brother of Robert
EGIDIA DE BURGH: sister of Richard de Burgh, married James Stewart
ELEANOR BALLIOL: sister of John Balliol, married John Comyn II
ELEANOR OF CASTILE: first wife of Edward I, and Queen of England
ELIZABETH (BESS): daughter of Edward I
ERIC II: King of Norway, father of Margaret, the Maid of Norway
*EVA OF MAR: daughter of Donald, Earl of Mar
FLORENCE: Count of Holland
GARTNAIT OF MAR: son and heir of Donald, Earl of Mar, married Christian Bruce
GILBERT DE CLARE: Earl of Gloucester
GILBERT DE LA HAY: Lord of Erroll
GRAY: friend of William Wallace
GUY DE BEAUCHAMP: son and heir of the Earl of Warwick, and a *Knight of the Dragon
*HELENA: daughter of the Earl of Warwick
HENRY III: King of England (1216–72)
HENRY PERCY: Lord of Alnwick, grandson of John de Warenne, and a *Knight of the Dragon
HESILRIG: English Sheriff of Lanark
HUGH DE CRESSINGHAM: English royal clerk, later Treasurer of Scotland
HUMPHREY DE BOHUN: Earl of Hereford and Essex, and Constable of England
HUMPHREY DE BOHUN: son and heir of the Earl of Hereford and Essex, and a *Knight of the Dragon
ISABEL BRUCE: sister of Robert, marries Eric II and becomes Queen of Norway
ISOBEL OF MAR: daughter of Donald, Earl of Mar, and Robert’s first wife
JAMES DOUGLAS: son and heir of William Douglas, and nephew of James Stewart
JAMES STEWART: High Steward of Scotland
JOAN DE VALENCE: sister of Aymer de Valence and cousin of Edward I, married John Comyn the Younger
JOHN OF ATHOLL: Earl of Atholl and Sheriff of Aberdeen, married a daughter of Donald, Earl of Mar, making him Robert’s brother-in-law
JOHN BALLIOL I: Lord of Barnard Castle, fought for Henry III at the Battle of Lewes
JOHN BALLIOL II: son of John Balliol of Barnard Castle, Lord of Galloway and brother-in-law of John Comyn of Badenoch, became King of Scotland (1292–96)
JOHN COMYN I: fought for Henry III at the Battle of Lewes
JOHN COMYN II: Lord of Badenoch and Justiciar of Galloway, brother-in-law of John Balliol and head of the Red Comyns
JOHN COMYN III (the Younger): son and heir of John Comyn II and Eleanor Balliol, married Joan de Valence
JOHN STEWART: brother of James Stewart
JOHN DE WARENNE: Earl of Surrey
*JUDITH: wet nurse to Robert’s daughter
*KATHERINE: maid to
Robert’s wife
LLYWELYN AP GRUFFUDD: Prince of Wales, killed during the 1282–84 conquest
MADOG AP LLYWELYN: leader of an uprising against Edward I in Wales
MALCOLM: Earl of Lennox
MARGARET: half-sister of Robert from his mother’s first marriage
MARGARET (THE MAID OF NORWAY): granddaughter and heir of Alexander III, she was named Queen of Scotland after his death, but died on the voyage from Norway
MARGUERITE OF FRANCE: sister of Philippe IV, second wife of Edward I and Queen of England
MARJORIE BRUCE: daughter of Robert and Isobel of Mar
MARJORIE OF CARRICK: Countess of Carrick, Robert’s mother
MARY BRUCE: sister of Robert
MATILDA BRUCE: sister of Robert
NAVRE: Bishop of Bergen
NEIL CAMPBELL: a knight from Lochawe
NIALL BRUCE: brother of Robert
*NES: squire to Robert
PATRICK OF DUNBAR: Earl of Dunbar
PHILIPPE IV: King of France (1286–1314)
RALPH DE MONTHERMER: royal knight and a *Knight of the Dragon
RICHARD: Earl of Cornwall
RICHARD DE BURGH: Earl of Ulster and a lieutenant of Edward I
ROBERT BRUCE V: Lord of Annandale and grandfather of Robert, competed for the throne
ROBERT BRUCE VI: Earl of Carrick and father of Robert, he resigned the earldom to his son, and became Lord of Annandale on his father’s death
ROBERT BRUCE VII: son and heir of the Earl of Carrick
ROBERT CLIFFORD: royal knight and a *Knight of the Dragon
ROBERT WINCHELSEA: Archbishop of Canterbury
ROBERT WISHART: Bishop of Glasgow
SIMON DE MONTFORT: Earl of Leicester, led a rebellion against Henry III
THOMAS BRUCE: brother of Robert
THOMAS OF LANCASTER: son and heir of Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, nephew of Edward I, and a *Knight of the Dragon
*WALTER: knight of Carrick, Robert’s banner-bearer
WALTER STEWART: Earl of Menteith
WILLIAM COMYN: fought for Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Lewes, head of the Comyns of Kilbride
WILLIAM DOUGLAS: Lord of Douglas, father of James
WILLIAM LAMBERTON: Bishop of St Andrews
WILLIAM ORMESBY: English Justiciar of Scotland
WILLIAM DE VALENCE: Earl of Pembroke, half-uncle of Edward I, and father of Aymer
WILLIAM WALLACE: leader of the Scottish rebellion against Edward I in 1297
YOLANDE OF DREUX: second wife of Alexander III and Queen of Scotland
*YOTHRE: instructor to Robert
GLOSSARY
AILETTES: (meaning little wings): worn on the shoulders and painted with the knight’s coat of arms, usually made of flat pieces of wood or leather.
AKETON: see gambeson.
BRAIES: undergarments worn by men.
CHAUSSES: mail stockings.
COIF: a tight-fitting cloth cap worn by men and women, it could also be made of mail and worn by soldiers under or instead of a helm.
CROWN OF ARTHUR: a coronet worn by the princes of Gwynedd, most notably Llywelyn ap Gruffudd who styled himself Prince of Wales. Edward I seized the crown along with other important Welsh relics during the 1282–84 conquest and sent it to Westminster Abbey.
CURTANA: also known as the Sword of Mercy because of its symbolically broken tip, it was thought to have belonged to St Edward the Confessor and became part of the English royal regalia used in coronations.
DESTRIER: a warhorse.
DIRK: Scots for dagger.
FALCHION: a short sword with a curved edge.
FOSSE: a ditch or moat.
GAMBESON: a padded coat worn by soldiers, usually made of quilted cloth, stuffed with felt or straw.
GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH: thought to have been a Welshman or Breton by birth, Monmouth resided in Oxford during the twelfth century, where he was possibly a canon of St George’s College. Later, he became Bishop of St Asaph. He wrote three known works during his life, the most famous being The History of the Kings of Britain of which the Prophecies of Merlin became part, followed by The Life of Merlin. Despite mixing established British history with romantic fiction, Monmouth presented his writings as fact and many readers of his works took them as such, accepting King Arthur and Merlin as historical figures. Monmouth’s works, although criticised by some of his contemporaries, were hugely popular during the medieval period and from his The History of the Kings of Britain sprang the immense canon of Arthurian literature that graced Europe over the following centuries. Chrétien de Troyes, Malory, Shakespeare and Tennyson were all influenced by his work.
HAUBERGEON: a shirt of mail, usually shorter than the hauberk.
HAUBERK: a shirt or coat of mail with long sleeves.
HOBBY: a type of riding horse, usually small and swift.
HUKE: a hooded cloak.
JUSTICIAR: a chief justice official. In Scotland there were three justiciars during the period: those of Galloway, Lothian and Scotia.
LISTS: the enclosure where a tournament or joust takes place.
MAGNATE: a high-ranking noble.
MOTTE: a castle or keep built on a mound, often surrounded by a bailey.
PALFREY: a light horse used for everyday riding.
PRIMOGENITURE: the right of the first-born to inherit.
PROPHECIES OF MERLIN: written by Geoffrey of Monmouth during the twelfth century. Originally composed as a separate volume, the Prophecies were later incorporated into his The History of the Kings of Britain. According to Monmouth he was translating the work into Latin from an older text. Monmouth has been credited as being the creator of Merlin, but it is now believed he derived this enigmatic figure from earlier Welsh sources.
QUARREL: an arrow for a crossbow.
QUINTAIN: a target used by soldiers to practise skill at arms, usually in the form of a wooden post with a shield attached to a movable beam that can be struck by the lance.
ROUNCY: a type of riding horse.
SCHILTROM: a defensive ring, usually composed of spearmen.
SIEGE ENGINES: any machine used to attack fortifications during sieges, such as mangonels, trebuchets and perriers.
SOLAR: an upper, usually private room.
STONE OF DESTINY: also called the Stone of Scone, it was the ancient seat used in Scottish coronations. Thought to have been brought to Scone in the ninth century by Scotland’s king, Kenneth mac Alpin, its origins are unknown. It was seized by Edward I during the 1296 invasion and taken to Westminster Abbey where it was set in a specially designed throne and became part of the English coronation ceremony. It remained there until 1950 when four students stole it and returned it to Scotland. It was later sent back to England, before being officially presented to Edinburgh Castle in 1996, where it remains on display. It will be returned to Westminster for future coronations.
SURCOAT: a long sleeveless garment usually worn over armour.
VASSAL: a retainer subject to a feudal superior, who holds land in return for homage and services.
VENTAIL: a flap of mail that can be pulled up and secured to protect the lower half of the face during combat.
SUCCESSION TO THE SCOTTISH THRONE
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