Bruce and 'le droite'

On 16 February 1302 Edward I issued a pardon to Robert de Bruce. Coincidentally or not, this was the expiry date for the arrival of French agents in Scotland. Via his own treaty, Philip the Fair was supposed to send his officers to take custody of lands in Scotland conquered by Edward the previous autumn.

In the event, not a single Frenchman set foot on Scottish soil. Edward, who had carried on stocking his garrisons in Scotland, was left free to secure his gains. These consisted of lands and castles in SW Scotland.

As for Bruce, he had freely entered into a pact with Longshanks, just like his father and grandfather before him. The terms of this agreement centred upon Edward's promise to help Bruce pursue his 'right', if and when John Balliol returned to Scotland.

The precise meaning of the 'right' (le droit) is uncertain. It was obviously a cause of anxiety to Bruce, and he and Edward discussed the matter with remarkable frankness. If anything occured to threaten Bruce's right - whatever it was - the king swore to uphold the Bruce cause.

The 'right' probably did not refer to Bruce's claim to the throne. Edward had long since abandoned his experiment with puppet kings in Scotland, and was unlikely to reverse his policy for Bruce's sake alone. Instead the right almost certainly referred to his claim to the earldom of Carrick, and expectant right to his father's estates in Scotland and England.

Attached is a pic of some guy dressed as Bruce. I'm running out of relevant Brucey pics, so might have to dress up myself soon. Look out for that.