Royal Profile: David II of Scotland

David II, the second and last monarch of the House of Bruce

     On this day in 1324, David II of Scotland was born at Dumfermline Palace in Fife as the only surviving son of Robert I of Scotland (the Bruce) and his second wife, Elizabeth de Burgh.

     Not much is known about David Bruce's early life, except that his mother died when he was three years old, and that he was married to the English princess, Joan - the youngest daughter of Edward II - on July 17, 1328. This marriage was one of the terms of the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton, in which England guaranteed Scotland's independence.

     Nearly a year later at the age of five, David succeeded to the Scottish throne upon the death of his father as David II, and he and Joan were formally crowned King and Queen of Scots on November 24, 1331.

     As a minor, David could not rule on his own, and so a series of Guardians were appointed to govern Scotland in his name, including his nephew, Robert Stewart, High Steward of Scotland (who was eight years his senior). The English took advantage of the situation, and backed the claim of Edward Balliol, the son of John Balliol, who was the Scottish king best remembered for his weakness and incompetence against Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The younger Balliol invaded Scotland in 1332 and overthrew King David, who was restored to the throne within a year. But following the Scottish defeat by Edward III of England (David's brother-in-law) at the battle of Halidon Hill, the King fled with Queen Joan to France, where they were received by Philip VI.

     In 1341, Robert Stewart and other nobles gained the upper hand in Scotland and it was deemed safe for David to return. He reached his majority the following year and for the first time, was able to take personal possession of his kingdom. However in 1346, he invaded England in support of his French allies (as part of the Auld Alliance), was captured at the Battle of Neville's Cross, and for the next eleven years, was a prisoner of Edward III at several locations, including the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. The King was allowed to return home only after the Scottish Parliament agreed to pay a ransom of 100,000 marks (10,000 per year) to England, under the terms of the Treaty of Berwick.

     The ransom proved to be difficult to pay, even with high rates of taxation, so King David attempted to keep the peace with King Edward by pushing for a Plantagenet (English) heir to Scottish throne, but the Scottish nobility - his nephew and heir Robert Stewart among them - rejected such proposals. Even so, he mistrusted Stewart, and having had no children via the deceased (in 1362) Queen Joan, he remarried to Margaret Dummond, but this union also failed to produce an heir to the throne.

     And so it was that when King David died in 1371, he was succeeded by Stewart as Robert II of Scotland.

     David II had reigned for 41 years, making him the 10th longest-reigning monarch in British history. His main legacy was the strengthening of the Scottish Crown and the reform of the government, which helped to bolster the royal finances and his kingship. This program of consolidating power and the making of Scotland into a modern nation-state was further progressed by Robert II and his successors of the House of Stewart.

     King David is an 18th great-uncle of the reigning monarch, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.