Stone of Destiny: The story of the greatest theft in Scottish history thenational.scot - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenational.scot Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Hamish MacPherson
David II died with no heir, leaving Robert II, and then Robert III (shown right) to take the throne WE are shortly approaching the 650th anniversary of the start of the Royal House of Stewart, which ruled Scotland for 343 years – with the last 111 of those years reigning as the Stuart monarchs of England, too. Robert Stewart, the seventh hereditary High Steward of Scotland, became the second King of Scots of that name on February 22, 1371, following the sudden death of his uncle, David II, son of Robert the Bruce. He was already 55 and had four legitimate sons, unlike David II who had no heir. The sons of Robert were John, Earl of Carrick, the future King Robert III; Walter, Lord of Fife; Robert, later Duke of Albany; and Alexander, Earl of Buchan. As I explained a fortnight ago, all four had been illegitimate in the eyes of the church, which did not recognise the marriage of their father and El
Robert II of Scotland
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Robert II of Scotland ruled as king from 1371 to 1390 CE. Born Robert Stewart, he succeeded the heirless David II of Scotland (r. 1329-1371 CE) and so founded the royal house of Stewart. Dividing Scottish estates between his many offspring, Robert redrew the political map of his kingdom and effectively replaced half of the nobility with his family and allies, a process often called the Stewartisation of Scotland. Although a more capable leader in his youth than medieval historians liked to portray him, Robert s reign did witness a decline in the wealth of the Crown and the creation of bitter rivalries amongst the great baronial families which would cause no end of problems for his successor, his son Robert III of Scotland (r. 1390-1406 CE).