John Barbour (1) (–1395)

Considered as poetry, this "free translation in verse" is very feeble, but it is a reasonably accurate translation of the meaning of the most important source for the life of Robert (the) Bruce, the Scottish king who maintained Scottish independence from England by defeating Edward II at Bannockburn. As the introduction admits, it has a strong pro-Bruce bias (to the extent of leaving out William Wallace altogether, since he was loyal to John Balliol) and some other details may be more legend than fact, but overall it s the best source we have for Bruce's career.… (mehr)

Who was Robert the Bruce and how did he become King of Scotland?

“A! Fredome is a noble thing”… words written in 1375 but still ring true. After Wallace’s death, Scotland needed to unify and they were able to do that behind Robert the Bruce in 1306 during the First War of Scottish Independence. John Barbour wrote the epic poem not long after, and would be considered a contemporary of the time. He writes about Bruce’s coronation, being in retreat from King Edward ‘The Hammer of the Scots’, fighting back against King Edward II to his kingship over a free nation. The story is also about James “The Black” Douglass, his right hand man through it all.

It contains a historical introduction for those not familiar with the details and events leading up to 1306. The book itself consists of the original Middle Scots on one side with the English translation on the opposite page. It also contains ‘The Declaration of Arbroath’ written in 1320, asking the Pope in Avignon to acknowledge their independence. Overall this is a great presentation of the work and would highly recommend!… (mehr)