Behind the legendary figure of Robert Bruce is a man who led his nation to a famous victory over the English at Bannockburn and overcame great odds to win power for himself in Scotland, by defeating his rivals.

A superbly illustrated journey through the tumultuous landscape and fascinating events of the notorious life of Robert the Bruce Exploring Robert the Bruce's "kingdom" from the North of England to the Scottish Highlands, this gorgeously illustrated tome illuminates the little-known facts about this Scottish legend. For more than 600 years, Robert the Bruce has had a unique place in Scottish history. Yet behind the legendary hero-king is a complex--and in many ways more fascinating--picture. He was a man who not only led his nation to a famous victory over the English at Bannockburn, but who overcame great odds to win power for himself in Scotland and fulfill his family's long-held ambition for political power. This book, illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs, takes the reader on Bruce's journey--from his birth in southwest Scotland to his kingship and triumph at Bannockburn. Here are the sites and settings associated with Robert the Bruce and those he fought, perfect for any visitor to Scotland or the North of England wanting to learn more about the myth and the man.

Experience the abundant history of Britain firsthand with this scenic, thorough, and altogether superlative guide.

In the footsteps of Robert Bruce

"This unusual book, published to honor Warren Bell Hamilton, comprises a diverse, cross-disciplinary collection of bold new ideas in Earth and planetary science. This volume is a rich resource for researchers at all levels looking for interesting, unusual, and off-beat ideas to investigate or set as student projects"--

1314. Joan Comyn swore allegiance to Robert the Bruce after the English tortured her mother. Now she uses her beauty to ferret out secrets and has become the most wanted spy in England. Alex Seton once stood with Bruce, but now fights for England and is determined to uncover "the ghost's" identity.

Forgotten by history, this clash of kings is given new life as Harry Pearson explores the epic Battle of Byland, shedding light on a pivotal moment in the Wars for Scottish Independence. The battle of Byland, on 14 October 1322, was a crucial battle in the Wars of Scottish Independence. This absorbing study from Harry Pearson sheds new light on one of the most overlooked battles in British history. The area of the North York Moors National Park contains some of the most dramatic and scenic landscapes in the North of England, and none more so than the section of the Cleveland Way, which clings to the edge of the escarpment that marks the western boundary of the Hambleton Hills. On a clear day, the entire Vale of Mowbray can be seen. When visiting the area today it is hard to imagine thousands of English and Scottish troops engaged in bitter conflict there. At first light on the morning of October 14th in 1322, the armies of two kings confronted each other over this same ground. The soldiers of King Edward II of England looked down from the heights at a force of several thousand men led by King Robert I 'the Bruce' of Scotland, as they deployed below Sutton Bank in the area around Gormire Lake, with thousands more approaching from the direction of Northallerton to the north-west. Although a daunting sight for the English defenders, they no doubt had confidence in the strength of their seemingly impregnable position. The early morning air would have been thick with the call of shouted orders and war cries and the clamour of the readying of weapons, armor and harness as the Scots drew up into battle-formation, ready to attack up the steep, narrow, and heavily defended pass. Complete with fresh research and over 100 images and maps, this new edition of Clash of Crowns tells the story of the ensuing battle, the dramatic circumstances which brought it about and the impact of the outcome on the history of the British Isles.

“Informed and informative . . . a meticulous example of outstanding scholarship, and an inherently fascinating read.” —Midwest Book Review Edward II is famously one of England’s most unsuccessful kings, as utterly different from his warlike father Edward I as any man possibly could be, and the first English king to suffer the fate of deposition. Highly unconventional, even eccentric, he was an intriguing personality, and his reign of nineteen and a half years, from 1307 to 1327, was a turbulent period of endless conflict and the king’s infatuation with his male favorites, which ended when his own queen led an invasion of his kingdom. Following in the Footsteps of Edward II presents a new take on this most unconventional and puzzling of kings, from the magnificent Caernarfon Castle where he was born in 1284 shortly after his father conquered North Wales, to his favorite residences at King’s Langley in Hertfordshire and Westminster, to the castle of Berkeley in Gloucestershire where he supposedly met his brutal death in September 1327, to Gloucester Cathedral, where his tomb and alabaster effigy still exist and are among the greatest glories surviving from medieval England.