Elizabeth de Burgh
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- For her grand-niece see Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster.
Elizabeth de Burgh (c. 1289 – 27 October 1327) was the second wife of Robert I of Scotland (Robert the Bruce).
She was born in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland as the daughter of the powerful Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and his wife Margarite de Burgh (d. 1304). Her father was a close friend of King Edward I of England.
Elizabeth probably met Robert the Bruce at the English court, and they married in 1302 at Writtle, near Chelmsford, Essex, England. Robert and Elizabeth were crowned as King and Queen of Scots at Scone on 27 March 1306. This coronation took place in defiance of the English claims of suzerainty over Scotland, and the new King sent Elizabeth, with other family members, to Kildrummy Castle for safety under the protection of his brother Nigel (sometimes known as Niall).
After the defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Methven on 19 June 1306, the English laid siege to the castle containing the royal party. The siege finally succeeded when the English bribed a blacksmith with "all the gold he could carry" to set fire to the corn store. The victors hanged, drew and quartered Nigel Bruce, along with all the men from the castle. However, the royal ladies under the escort of the Earl of Atholl had already fled. They were taken from the sanctuary of St. Duthac at Tain by the Earl of Ross, a supporter of the Comyns, and dispatched to King Edward. He imprisoned Bruce's sister Mary and Isabel, Countess of Buchan in wooden cages erected on the walls of Berwick and Roxburgh castles, and they sent Bruce's 10-year-old daughter Marjorie Bruce to the nunnery at Walton. Elizabeth was held under severe conditions of house arrest in England. The Earl of Atholl was hanged and his head displayed on London Bridge. [1]
She was imprisoned for 8 years, from 1306 to 1314, by the English, from October 1306 to July 1308 at Burstwick-in-Holderness, Yorkshire and then transferred to Bisham Manor, Berkshire until March 1312. From there, she was moved to Windsor Castle until October 1312, Shaftesbury Abbey, Dorset until March 1313, Barking Abbey, Essex until March 1314, and Rochester Castle, Kent until June 1314. After the Battle of Bannockburn, she was moved to York while prisoner exchange talks took place. At York, she had an audience with King Edward II of England. Finally, in November 1314, she was moved to Carlisle just before the exchange and her return to Scotland.
She is quoted as having said "Alas, we are but king and queen of the May!" [2] as though they did not have real or lasting power.
Elizabeth gave birth to two sons and two daughters: John, Matilda, Margaret, and David (the future king David II of Scotland). Elizabeth died on 27 October 1327 at Cullen Castle, Banffshire and is buried in Dunfermline. King Robert, her husband, died 18 months later.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Scott, Ronald McNair, Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots, p 87
- ^ Lang, Andrew, "A history of Scotland from the Roman Occupation"
[edit] External links
| Scottish royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Yolande de Dreux |
Queen consort of Scotland 1306 - 1327 |
Succeeded by Joan of The Tower |
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