Cultural depictions of Robert the Bruce

King Robert I of Scotland, also known as Robert the Bruce has been depicted in literature and popular culture many times. This list includes some examples.

Aircraft

The airline British Caledonian, named a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (G-BHDI) after Robert the Bruce.^[1]

Art

1876: Statue by Andrew Currie on the esplanade at Stirling Castle.
1929: Statue by Thomas J. Clapperton at the entrance of the gatehouse, Edinburgh Castle.
1964: Statue by Charles d’Orville Pilkington Jackson at the Battle of Bannockburn Monument at Bannockburn.
1966: Replica of the statue by Charles d’Orville Pilkington Jackson on 14 Avenue NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.^[2]
2001: Statue of Bruce and Bernard de Linton by David Annand at Arbroath, Angus.
2010: Statue by Andrew Brown at Annan Town Hall, Annan, Dumfries and Galloway.^[3]
2011: Statue by Alan Beattie Herriot on Broad Street, outside Marischal College, Aberdeen.

Banknotes

From 1981 to 1989, Robert the Bruce was portrayed on £1 notes issued by the Clydesdale Bank, one of the three Scottish banks with right to issue banknotes. He was shown on the obverse crowned in battle dress, surrounded by thistles, and on the reverse in full battle armour in a scene from the Battle of Bannockburn.^[4] When the Clydesdale Bank discontinued £1 banknotes, Robert The Bruce's portrait was moved onto the bank's £20 banknote in 1990 and it has remained there to date.^[5]

Beer

Three Floyds Brewing, from the US-state of Indiana, makes a "mahogany-colored, malty ale with hints of chocolate and caramel" called Robert the Bruce Scottish Ale, according to medievalist and beer drinker Dr. Alex Kaufman.^[6]

Books

1865: In George MacDonald's novel Alec Forbes of Howglen, the character Annie Anderson is raised by her stingy relative Robert Bruce. Though he is no relation to this great figure of Scottish history, MacDonald's Robert Bruce constantly refers to the story of "his ancestor and the spider," even when it is totally irrelevant to the conversation at the moment.
1876: In Louisa May Alcott's novel Rose in Bloom, the main character Rose mentions that her family, the Campbells, are rather proud of being descended from Robert the Bruce.
1887: In Nellie Bly's Ten Days in a Mad-House she references the Bruce's night of watching the spider and her own attempts in staying awake.
1906: In Freedom's Cause by G. A. Henty, Robert the Bruce is the Scottish king.
1969 - 1971: Scottish author Nigel Tranter wrote a trilogy, considered largely accurate, based on the life of King Robert: The Steps to the Empty Throne, The Path of the Hero King and The Price of the King's Peace. This has been published in one volume as The Bruce Trilogy.
1998: The revolt of Robert the Bruce is the topic of Mollie Hunter's book The King's Swift Rider, written from the point of view of a bold young Scot and future monk who joins the rebellion as a noncombatant.
1998 - 2001: Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris wrote a fantasy fiction series (The Temple and the Stone and The Temple and the Crown) linking Robert the Bruce with the Knights Templar.
2002 - 2006: Chronicles of the reign of Robert the Bruce (or Robert de Brus) are published in a series titled Rebel King, Hammer of the Scots (2002); Rebel King, The Har'ships (2004); and Rebel King, Bannok Burn (2006). Two more volumes are planned.
2009: The third volume of Jack Whyte's Templar Trilogy, Order in Chaos, is largely set in Scotland during the rise of The Bruce. It winds up its story just after the battle at Bannockburn. It covers a lot of the challenges and politics of that era.
2010: Robert the Bruce is the protagonist in English novelist Robyn Young's Insurrection trilogy, starting the novel Insurrection.
2010 - 2012: Romance writer Monica McCarty wrote a series of books (the Highland Guard Novels) about Robert the Bruce's legendary secret Islemen guard and Bruce's guerilla warfare tactics. Though Bruce is a minor character, his battles and the events surrounding his war against England are catalogued.
2012: Robert the Bruce and his brother Edward Bruce appear as characters in Irish writer Tim Hodkinson's novel, Lions of the Grail set during their invasion of Ireland.

Comics

1939: The names "Robert the Bruce" and "Mad Anthony Wayne" are the inspiration for "Bruce Wayne", the name for the civilian identity of DC Comics superhero Batman.
1987: In the Marvel comic New Mutants in fleeing the villain Magus, they flee to the time and place of Robert the Bruce.
2014: Portrayed in an independently produced comic written by Colin Maxwell and illustrated by Michael Philp.

Films

1948: In the live-action Disney movie So Dear to My Heart, a cartoon sequence portrays Robert the Bruce's legendary encounter with the determined spider, as well as his subsequent victory. The sequence animates part of a song called 'stick-to-it-ivity' which is sung to teach the main character about the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity.
1995: In Braveheart, Robert the Bruce is portrayed by Scottish actor Angus Macfadyen. The film shows Robert taking the field at Falkirk, per Fordun's chronicle, as part of the English army; in fact, he never betrayed William Wallace (despite having changed sides). Wallace is also alleged to have been a complete supporter of Robert the Bruce, but Wallace was a supporter of the House of Balliol's claim to the throne which Bruce opposed.
1996: The Bruce, Robert the Bruce was portrayed by Sandy Welch.
2018: Outlaw King, a Scottish historical action drama film starring Chris Pine.
2019: Robert the Bruce, a Scottish historical drama depicting his time in the wilderness. King Robert the Bruce is played again by Angus MacFadyen, reprising his role from Braveheart.^[7]

Music

Robert Burns set his poem Scots Wha Hae, the words of which were originally stated to be taken from Bruce's address to his troops at the Battle of Bannockburn, to an old Scots tune, Hey Tuttie Tatie.^[8] As a military march, Marche des soldats de Robert Bruce, this tune is part of the repertoire of the French military.^[8]^[9]
14th century: A military song entitled "La marche des soldats de Robert Bruce" (march of the soldiers of Robert Bruce) is still played in France nowadays, for instance during the Bastille Day military parade.
1847: Robert Bruce, a pasticcio opera by Gioacchino Rossini
1968: The Corries song "Flower of Scotland" is a tribute to Robert Bruce. It has become a de facto Scottish national anthem used at international sport events.
1996: The German power metal band Grave Digger included a song called "The Bruce" on their album Tunes of War, a concept album about the Scottish struggles for independence from England.

Video games

Robert the Bruce leads Scotland in Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Rise and Fall expansion, released on February 8, 2018.^[10]

References

^ "McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 aircraft". Airliners.net. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
^ White, Ryan (29 June 2014). "Calgary's statue of Robert the Bruce re-dedicated on 700th anniversary of Battle of Bannockburn". Calgary. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^ "Robert the Bruce statue in place after 130-year delay". BBC. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
^ "Clydesdale 1 Pound obverse, 1982". Ron Wise's Banknoteworld. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2008.; "Clydesdale 1 Pound reverse, 1982". Ron Wise's Banknoteworld. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
^ "Current Banknotes : Clydesdale Bank". The Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
^ Kaufman, Alex (2011). "Robert de Bruce and William Wallace". In Matheson, Lister M. (ed.). Icons of the Middle Ages: Rulers, Writers, Rebels, and Saints. Vol. 1. Greenwood. pp. 107–42.
^ "Robert the Bruce review – rousing return of the king of the Scots". the Guardian. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Academy of Créteil "ÉDUCATION À LA DÉFENSE - Musique militaire française". Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^ "CIVILIZATION VI: RISE AND FALL – ROBERT THE BRUCE LEADS SCOTLAND". civilization.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.

[1] "McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 aircraft". Airliners.net. Retrieved 20 October 2008.

[2] White, Ryan (29 June 2014). "Calgary's statue of Robert the Bruce re-dedicated on 700th anniversary of Battle of Bannockburn". Calgary. Retrieved 1 June 2021.

[3] "Robert the Bruce statue in place after 130-year delay". BBC. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2022.

[4] "Clydesdale 1 Pound obverse, 1982". Ron Wise's Banknoteworld. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2008.; "Clydesdale 1 Pound reverse, 1982". Ron Wise's Banknoteworld. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2008.

[5] "Current Banknotes : Clydesdale Bank". The Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers. Retrieved 20 October 2008.

[kaufman-6] Kaufman, Alex (2011). "Robert de Bruce and William Wallace". In Matheson, Lister M. (ed.). Icons of the Middle Ages: Rulers, Writers, Rebels, and Saints. Vol. 1. Greenwood. pp. 107–42.

[7] "Robert the Bruce review – rousing return of the king of the Scots". the Guardian. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2021.

[algomadistrict.ca-8] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[9] Academy of Créteil "ÉDUCATION À LA DÉFENSE - Musique militaire française". Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.

[10] "CIVILIZATION VI: RISE AND FALL – ROBERT THE BRUCE LEADS SCOTLAND". civilization.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.

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v t e Cultural depictions of English and British monarchs
Kingdom of the English 886–1066	Alfred the Great Edward the Elder Æthelflæd Ælfweard Athelstan the Glorious¹ Edmund the Magnificent¹ Eadred¹ Eadwig the Fair¹ Edgar the Peaceable¹ Edward the Martyr Æthelred the Unready Sweyn Forkbeard Edmund Ironside Cnut¹ Harold Harefoot Harthacnut Edward the Confessor Harold Godwinson Edgar the Ætheling
Kingdom of England 1066–1649	William I William II Henry I Stephen Matilda Henry II² Henry the Young King Richard I John² Henry III² Edward I² Edward II² Edward III² Richard II² Henry IV² Henry V² Henry VI² Edward IV² Edward V² Richard III² Henry VII² Henry VIII² Edward VI² Jane² Mary I² with Philip² Elizabeth I ² James I³ Charles I³
Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland 1653–1659	Oliver Cromwell⁴ Richard Cromwell⁴
Kingdom of England 1660–1707	Charles II³ James II³ William III and Mary II³ Anne³
Kingdom of Scotland 843–1707 (traditional)	Kenneth I MacAlpin Donald I Constantine I (II) Áed Giric Eochaid Donald II Constantine II (III) Malcolm I Indulf Dub Cuilén Amlaíb Kenneth II Constantine III (IV) Kenneth III Malcolm II Duncan I Macbeth Lulach Malcolm III Canmore Donald III Duncan II Donald III Edgar Alexander I David I Malcolm IV William I the Lion Alexander II Alexander III Margaret John Robert I David II Robert II Robert III James I James II James III James IV James V Mary I James VI ⁵ Charles I⁵ Charles II⁵ James VII⁵ Mary II⁵ William III⁵ Anne⁵
British monarchs after the Acts of Union 1707	Anne George I George II George III George IV William IV Victoria Edward VII George V Edward VIII George VI Elizabeth II Charles III
¹Overlord of Britain. ²Also ruler of Ireland. ³Also ruler of Scotland and Ireland. ⁴Lord Protector. ⁵Also ruler of England and Ireland. Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.