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“Weak in law, strong in opportunism.” How far do you agree with this comment of the candidature of Robert Bruce, Lord of Annandale in the Great Cause 1291-1292?

Late in 1290, following the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, (granddaughter of Alexander III, himself killed in an accident in 1286) a new period of ‘perplexity’ began in the Kingdom of Scotland. The Maid, who had been accepted by the Magnates (on paper at least) as the heir to the throne of Scotland, had left the Kingdom she had never seen on the brink of a power struggle between two rival factions for the crown- the Bruce and Balliol families. In a bid to avoid Civil War, Edward I was accepted to judge the competitors and choose a King. Although 14 claims were submitted, only four ever stood any real chance of success- the claims of Balliol (the favourite), Bruce (also strongly backed), Count Florence of Holland and John de Hastings. This essay argues that Balliol’s claim of primogeniture was legally far superior and the foundation of the Bruce claim was nothing more than opportunism.

All four candidates for the throne were legitimately descended through Henry of Northumbe...

Posted by: Rebecca Wyant

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