Robert III of Scotland

Robert III
Groat of 1390 bearing a crowned facing effigy of Robert III on the obverse
King of Scots
Reign19 April 1390 – 4 April 1406
Coronation14 August 1390
PredecessorRobert II
SuccessorJames I
Regents
See list
BornJohn Stewart
c. 1337
Died4 April 1406 (aged 68–69)
Rothesay Castle, Isle of Bute, Scotland
Burial
Paisley Abbey
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1367; died 1401)​
Issue
more...
HouseStewart
FatherRobert II of Scotland
MotherElizabeth Mure
Events
  • 1363
    During the early months along with his father and others, he was part of an abortive insurrection against David II[1]
  • 1371
    27 March, Robert II crowned at Scone Abbey [2]
  • 1384
    November, Carrick engineered his appointment as guardian of the kingdom sidelining the King [3]
  • 1388
    1 December, Carrick lost guardianship to his younger brother Robert, Earl of Fife [4]
  • 1390

    19 April, Robert II died at Dundonald Castle

    14 August, Carrick crowned as Robert III but without power and Fife retains guardianship[5]
  • 1393
    Ruling powers restored to the King with his elder son David undertaking a more influential role[6]
  • 1399
    January, David (now Duke of Rothesay) appointed Lieutenant of Scotland to rule for three years but under supervision of a group led by Fife (now Duke of Albany)[7]
  • 1401
    Probably late in the year, arrested by Albany[8]
  • 1402
    25–27 March, Rothesay dies in custody but parliament exonerates Albany[9]
  • 1405-6
    Sometime during that winter the King had decided to send his remaining son, James, to France for safe-keeping[10]
  • 1406

    22 March, James's ship bound for France was intercepted by the English and the prince began his eighteen-year captivity

    4 April, the ailing King Robert died after learning of his son's fate[11]

Robert III (c. 1337 – 4 April 1406), born John Stewart, was King of Scots from 1390 to his death in 1406. He was also High Steward of Scotland from 1371 to 1390 and held the titles of Earl of Atholl (1367–1390) and Earl of Carrick (1368–1390) before ascending the throne at about the age of 53 years. He was the eldest son of King Robert II and Elizabeth Mure and was legitimized by the second marriage of his parents and by papal dispensation in 1349.

John joined his father and other magnates in a rebellion against his great-uncle David II early in 1363 but submitted to him soon afterwards. He was married to Anabella Drummond by 1367. In 1368 David created him Earl of Carrick. His father became king in 1371 after the unexpected death of the childless King David II. In the succeeding years, Carrick was influential in the governance of the kingdom but became progressively more impatient at his father's longevity. In 1384 Carrick was appointed the king's lieutenant after swaying the general council to remove Robert II from direct rule. Carrick's administration saw a renewal of the conflict with England. In 1388 the Scots defeated the English at the Battle of Otterburn where the Scots' commander, James, Earl of Douglas, was killed. By this time Carrick had been badly injured from a horse kick, however, it was the loss of his powerful ally, Douglas, that saw a turnaround in magnate support in favour of his younger brother Robert, Earl of Fife, to whom the council transferred the lieutenancy in December 1388.

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 David. At a council in 1399 owing to the king's "sickness of his person", David, now Duke of Rothesay, became Lieutenant under the supervision of a special parliamentary group dominated by Fife, now styled Duke of Albany. After this, Robert III withdrew to his lands in the west and for a time played little or no part in affairs of state. He was powerless to interfere when a dispute between Albany and Rothesay arose in 1401, leading to Rothesay's imprisonment and death in March 1402. The general council absolved Albany from blame and reappointed him as Lieutenant. The only impediment now remaining to an Albany Stewart monarchy was the king's only surviving son, James, Earl of Carrick. After a clash with Albany's Douglas allies in 1406, the 11-year-old James tried to escape to France. The vessel was intercepted and James became the prisoner of Henry IV of England. Robert III died shortly after learning of his heir's imprisonment.

  1. ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 17–19
  2. ^ Nicholson, Scotland: The later middle Ages, p. 185
  3. ^ Nicholson, Scotland: The later middle Ages, p. 189
  4. ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 151–152
  5. ^ Nicholson, Scotland: The later middle Ages, pp. 203–204
  6. ^ Penman, Kings and Queens of Scotland, p. 131
  7. ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 214–215
  8. ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 235–236
  9. ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, p. 244
  10. ^ Boardman, Early Stewart Kings, pp. 291–292
  11. ^ Lynch, Scotland: A new History, p. 141