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Scott offers an excellent view into Robert's life in this short work. His background on Scotland is generally excellent and he does a good job brining several of Robert's cohorts to like -- a particular favorite of mine being Sir James Douglas, otherwise known as Black Douglas, who used clever strategy to kill out every English noble who dared take possession of his ancestral home. Other characters like King Edward and Robert's brother are also well flushed out.

The weakness of this work, likely owing to its small size at 250 pages, is that it does not offer more of these in depth character portraits. The work could also have used more background placing England and Scotland into the European milieu of the period. Particularly vexing was the relative lack of maps, confusing when you are trying to follow Robert's exploits as he moves through every small town in Scotland.

Despite these short comings, I still give this book strong recommendations for anyone looking for a good read on one of history's most brilliant diplomats and military commanders who is too often overlooked. Hopefully this work will correct the deficiency and give Robert the Bruce the appreciation he deserves, maybe even his own movie?


The Real Hero of Scotland   September 24, 2002
If you enjoyed the movie Braveheart, and would like to look more in depth in the characters and events surrounding the Scottish War of Independance, this book will not fail to intrest you. Although portrayed as a relatively minor character in that film, Robert the Bruce was military and political genious and the driving force behind Scotland's independance.


The Bruce Legacy.   September 3, 2002
Ronald McNair Scott in this work has given us a fast paced easy to read account of one of the greatest military leaders in history. Robert the Bruce is not always appreciated in America because he lacks the Hollywood image that Mel Gibson has lent to William Wallace. Wallace was no doubt a great hero of Scotland but it was Bruce who not only defeated the English but posed a very real threat to actually annex English territory.

Scott does have a tendency to state as fact that which is only theory or an educated guess but given the state of affairs in 13th and 14th century Scotland any other tact would have led to a huge and hard to read tome that would have added little to the general understanding of Bruce. By deciding to write in this style Scott brings this great hero of Scotland to life for the reader and lets us see the greatness that was Robert The Bruce.

Bruce's early decisions during the Wallace wars are explained by Scottish politics. Bruce's grandfather had laid claim to the Scottish throne but Edward I decided in favor of John Balliol, Lord of Galloway. Wallace always fought in the name of King John making it very hard for any of the Bruce faction to lend their full support to the cause. Once he established himself as King, Bruce faced the same problem from the Balliol faction. This divided state of affairs could very well have doomed Scotland had not Bruce taken action. He began with an action that seems to have haunted him for the rest of his life when he struck down the "Red" Comyn on the alter of Greyfriars church. Slowly the rest of the Balliol faction was subdued until Bruce was the unchallenged King of Scots.

Scott manages to go into some detail of Bruce's battles with the English without getting the reader lost. In fact, I was able to clearly understand what happened and as I was reading these accounts I could almost see what was going on. Scott's ability to describe events with words is his greatest asset. One feels as if he is actually there side by side with The Bruce.

This book is not the deep study of Robert The Bruce that some people may be looking for. It is however a good place for any reader to begin to understand the history of Scotland. After reading this book anyone who wishes to dig deeper will be ready for the challange. For someone who is simply after a quick and easy to understand history of Robert The Bruce I doubt you will find a better source.


One of the best biographies I've read in a long time.....   August 31, 2002
...And I've read quite a few biographies in my life! I liked this more than Catherine the Great, Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots, ... You get the idea.

If you want a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening book, that is also well-documented, you must read this book!

I moped around for a week after I finished it!

I hope you enjoy it too!