View source for Clan Bruce(EoGB)

{{Infobox clan
| image badge = Clan member crest badge - Clan Bruce.svg
| clan name = Clan Bruce
| chiefs crest = A lion stantan Azure armed and langued Gules
| chiefs motto = ''Fuimus'' (We have been)
| chiefs slogan = 
| region = [[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlands]]
| district = [[Fife]]
| origins = Norman
| gaelic names = ''Clann Brùs''
| image arms = Coats of Arms of the Bruce family (Earl of Elgin).svg
| plant badge = 
| pipe music = 
| chiefs name = [[The Rt. Hon Sir Albus Stuart-Windsor]]
| chiefs title = The [[Chief]]
| chiefs gaelic title = 
| seat = [[TBD]]
| historic seat = [[Lochmaben Castle]]<br />[[Clackmannan Tower]]
| septs = Airth, Brews, Brix, Bruwes, Bruss, Bruc, Bruys, Brues, Brice, Bryce, Bruce, Bruice, Bruis, Bruze, Broce, Brois, Broiss, Brose, Broise, Brouss, Brus, Bruse, Carlyle, Carlysle, Cowden,<ref name=Cowden>{{cite book |title=The Baronage of Angus and Mearns: Comprising the Genealogy of Three Hundred and Sixty Families, Curious Anecdotes, Descriptions of Clan Tartans, Badges, Slogans, Armory, and Seats, Ancient Sculptures, etc. Being a Guide to the Tourist and Heraldic Artist |last=Peter |first=David MacGregor |year=1856 |publisher=Oliver & Boyd, Tweedale Court |location=Edinburgh, Scotland |page=265 "The family of Cowden is a cadet of that of Bruce of Airth"}}</ref> Crosbie, Crosby, de Bruce, de Brus, de Brix, Leggat, Randolph, Stenhouse
| branches = [[Earl of Elgin|Bruce of Elgin]] (chiefs)<br />[[Lord of Annandale|Bruce of Annandale]] (historic chiefs)<br />[[Earl of Kincardine|Bruce of Kincardine]] See also:[[Bruce baronets]]<br />[[Bruce (Russian nobility)|Counts Bruce]] of the Russian Empire
| Tartan = [[File:Bruce tartan (Vestiarium Scoticum).png | thumb|220x124px | right]]
| Allied clans = [[Clan Campbell]] <br />[[Clan Carruthers]]
| Rival clans = [[Clan Cumming|Clan Comyn]]<br />[[Clan MacDougall]]<br />[[Clan Lamont]]
}}

'''Clan Bruce''' ({{lang-gd|Brùs}}) is a [[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlands]] Scottish clan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotclans.com/scottish-clans/clan-bruce/|title = Clan Bruce}}</ref> It was a [[Royal House]] in the 14th century, producing two kings of Scotland ([[Robert the Bruce]] and [[David II of Scotland]]), and a disputed [[High King of Ireland]], [[Edward Bruce]].

==Origins==
The surname ''[[Bruce (surname)|Bruce]]'' comes from the Flemish ''de Bruce'', derived from the lands now called [[Bruges]] in [[Belgium]].<ref>[[Maurits Gysseling]], ''Toponymisch woordenboek van België, Nederland, Luxemburg, Noord-Frankrijk en West-Duitsland (vóór 1226)'', Brussel 1960, p. 195.</ref>
For other the surname comes from the French ''de Brus'' or ''de Bruis'', derived from the lands now called ''[[Brix, Manche|Brix]]'', [[Normandy]], [[France]].<ref name=Duncan>{{cite book |author=A. A. M. Duncan |title=de Brus, Robert (I), Lord of Annandale (d. 1142) |work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-861411-1}}</ref> There is no evidence to support a claim that a member of the family, 'Robert de Brix', served under [[William the Conqueror]] during the [[Norman Conquest of England]].<ref name=Cownie>{{cite book |author=Emma Cownie |title=Brus , Robert de (supp. d. 1094) |work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-861411-1}}</ref> This notion is now believed to have originated in unreliable lists, derived from the later Middle Ages, of people who supposedly fought at the [[Battle of Hastings]].<ref name=Cownie/>

Both the English and Scots lines of the Brus/Bruce family demonstrably descend from [[Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale]] who came to England in 1106.<ref name="Clans1">{{cite book |title=The Scottish Clans and Their Tartans |last=Grant |first=James |year=1886 |publisher=W. & A. K. Johnston Limited |location=Edinburgh, Scotland |page=2 }}</ref><ref name="Blakely-Ch1">{{cite book |title=The Brus family in England and Scotland, 1100–1295 |url=https://archive.org/details/brusfamilyenglan00blak |url-access=limited |last=Blakely |first=Ruth Margaret |chapter=Robert de Brus I:Founder of the Family|year=2005 |publisher=Boydell Press |location=Woodbridge, UK |isbn=978-1-84383-152-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/brusfamilyenglan00blak/page/n22 8]–27 }}</ref> Robert de Brus was a companion-in-arms of Prince David, later [[David I of Scotland]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce">{{cite book |last1=Way |first1=George of Plean |last2=Squire |first2=Romilly of Rubislaw |author-link2=Romilly Squire of Rubislaw |author-link1=George Way of Plean |year=1994 |title=Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia |location=[[Glasgow]] |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] (for the [[Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs]]) |isbn=0-00-470547-5 |pages=82–83}}</ref> In 1124 he followed David north to reclaim his kingdom.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> When a civil war broke out in England between [[Empress Matilda]] and her cousin, [[Stephen, King of England|Stephen]], David I of Scotland led a force into England.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> However de Brus did not follow David and instead joined the English and at the [[Battle of the Standard]] in 1138 he took prisoner his own son, who was now Lord of the lands of Annandale.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale died on 11 May 1141 and was buried at Gysburn.<ref name="Clans1"/>

==Foundation of the royal line==
{{main|Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale}}
The foundation for the Bruce royal claim came in 1219 when Robert Bruce, 4th Lord of Annandale married [[Isobel of Huntingdon]], daughter of [[David of Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon]] and niece of [[William the Lion]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> The union brought both great wealth, with the addition of lands in both England and Scotland.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> Their son, [[Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale]], known as 'the competitor' was sometime [[Tanistry|Tanist]] (a particularly Gaelic type of heir) to the throne. On the death of [[Alexander III of Scotland]] both Bruce and [[John of Scotland|John Balliol]] claimed succession. [[Margaret of Scotland (Maid of Norway)|Margaret]], Alexander's infant granddaughter was named as heir, however, she died in 1290 travelling to Scotland to claim her throne. Soon after the death of young queen Margaret, fearing civil war between the Bruce and Balliol families and their supporters, the [[Guardians of Scotland]] asked the kingdom's southern neighbour, [[Edward I of England]] to arbitrate among the claimants in order to avoid civil war. Edward I saw this as the opportunity he had long been waiting for to conquer Scotland{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} as he had conquered [[Wales]] and rule over all the [[British Isles]]. In 1292 Edward chose Balliol who swore allegiance to the English monarch. It was not long, however, before Balliol rebelled against Edward, eventually leading to John's defeat and forced abdication after the [[Battle of Dunbar (1296)|Battle of Dunbar]] in 1296.<ref name="Clans1"/>

==Ascent to the throne==
[[File:Robert I and Isabella of Mar, Seton Armorial.jpg|thumb|right|225px|[[Robert the Bruce]] and [[Isabella of Mar]]]]
{{main|Robert the Bruce}}
{{main|Wars of Scottish Independence}} 
With the abdication of John Balliol, Scotland was effectively without a monarch. [[Robert the Bruce]] swore allegiance to Edward at [[Berwick-upon-Tweed]] but breached this oath when he joined the Scottish revolt the following year. In the summer of 1297 he again swore allegiance to Edward in what is known as the [[Capitulation of Irvine]]. Bruce appears to have sided with the Scots during the [[Battle of Stirling Bridge]] but when Edward returned victorious to England after the [[Battle of Falkirk (1298)|Battle of Falkirk]], Bruce's lands of [[Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway|Annandale]] and [[Carrick, Scotland|Carrick]] were exempted from the lordships and lands which Edward assigned to his followers. Bruce, it seems, was seen as a man whose allegiance might still be won.

Bruce and [[John III Comyn|John Comyn]] (a rival for the throne) succeeded [[William Wallace]] as Guardians of Scotland, but their rivalry threatened the stability of the country. A meeting was arranged at [[Greyfriars, Dumfries|Greyfriars Church, Dumfries]] which was neutral ground, but Bruce stabbed Comyn through the heart,<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> and as a result was excommunicated by [[Pope Clement V]]. Nevertheless, Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland at [[Scone, Perthshire]] in 1306. However, soon after he was forced by the English to retreat into Argyll, in an attempt to reach his [[Clan Campbell]] allies.<ref name="W1">{{cite book |last1=Way |first1=George of Plean |last2=Squire |first2=Romilly of Rubislaw |author-link2=Romilly Squire of Rubislaw |author-link1=George Way of Plean |year=1994 |title=Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia |location=[[Glasgow]] |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] (for the [[Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs]]) |isbn=0-00-470547-5 |pages=216–217}}</ref> The [[Clan MacDougall]], whose chief was the uncle of John Comyn who Bruce had murdered, surprised the Bruce and defeated him in what was known as the [[Battle of Dalrigh]].<ref name="W1"/> The king escaped but left behind what was described as a magnificent example of [[Celtic knot|Celtic jewellery]], known as the ''[[Brooch of Lorn]]e'' and it became one of the Clan MacDougall's great treasures.<ref name="W1"/> Three years later Robert the Bruce led three thousand battle hardened veterans into Argyll against the MacDougalls.<ref name="W1"/> John MacDougall of Lorne set an ambush for them but in the ensuing [[Battle of the Pass of Brander]] the MacDougalls were defeated and forced to flee.<ref name="W1"/> The MacDougalls' lands were then forfeited by the king and he gave them to the Campbells for their loyalty.<ref name="W1"/> Robert the Bruce led the Scottish army at the [[Battle of Bannockburn]] in 1314 where the English were defeated.<ref name="Clans1"/>

In 1334 [[Thomas Bruce, 1st Baron of Clackmannan|Thomas Bruce]], who claimed kinship with the royal house of Bruce, organized a rising in the Kyle, along with Robert Stewart (later [[Robert II of Scotland]]) against the English.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/>

==After Robert the Bruce==
Robert the Bruce's son, [[David II of Scotland]] became king on his father's death in 1329. In 1346 under the terms of the [[Auld Alliance]] David marched south into England in the interests of France, but was defeated at the [[Battle of Neville's Cross]] and imprisoned on 17 October of that year, and remained in England for eleven years. David returned to Scotland after negotiation of a treaty and ruled there until he died in [[Edinburgh Castle]] unexpectedly in 1371 without issue. The line of succession passed to the [[House of Stuart|House of Stewart]].<ref name="Clans1"/>

Sir Edward Bruce was made commendator of [[Kinloss Abbey]], which included the [[Barony of Muirton]], and was appointed a judge in 1597.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> He was appointed a Lord of Parliament with the title of [[Lord Kinloss]] in 1601.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> Edward Bruce accompanied James VI to claim his English throne in 1603.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> As a result, he was subsequently appointed to English judicial office as [[Master of the Rolls]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> He was granted the Barony of Kinloss as Lord Bruce of Kinloss in 1608.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> In 1633 his son, Thomas, was created first [[Earl of Elgin]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> When the fourth Earl died without issue, the title passed to the descendants of Sir George Bruce of Carnock, who already held the title [[Earl of Kincardine]] and in 1747 the Earldoms were united.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/>

[[Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin]] was a diplomat and ambassador to the [[Ottoman Empire]] between 1799 and 1803. He spent much of his fortune smuggling marble sculptures from the Athens [[Parthenon]] out of the Ottoman Empire.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/> They are now commonly referred to as the [[Elgin Marbles]]. His son, [[James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin|James]], was [[Governor General]] of the [[Province of Canada]] and [[Viceroy of India]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Bruce"/>
{{Earls of Kincardine family tree}}

Today The Clan had left its Royal past behind and after a period of Dissolution, was reformed and is today one of the Few clans of the Empire.
==Clan Chief==
The current Chief, [[Albus Stuart-Windsor]], is prominent in Scottish affairs and is well know throught the region
[[File:Tartan bruce.jpg| thumb|220x124px | right | Bruce tartan]]

==Castles==
Castles that have belonged to the Clan Bruce include: 
* [[Fyvie Castle]]
* [[Airth Castle]]
* [[Muness Castle]]
* [[Thomaston Castle]]
* [[Culross Palace]]
* [[Clackmannan Tower]]
* [[Fingask Castle]]
* [[Kinross House]]
* [[Lochleven Castle]]
* [[Lochmaben Castle]]
* [[Turnberry Castle]]

==See also==
* [[Scottish Clan]]
* [[Earl of Elgin]]
* [[Earl of Kincardine]]
* [[Robert the Bruce]]
* [[Edward Bruce]]
* [[David II of Scotland|David Bruce]]
* [[Lord of Annandale]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_c95jpY_joAC&pg=PA8 | title=The Brus family in England and Scotland, 1100–1295 | first=Ruth Margaret | last=Blakely | publisher=Boydell Press | year=2005 | isbn=978-1-84383-152-5}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|Clan Bruce|||||name=*[[Royal House]]*}}
{{s-bef|before=[[House of Balliol]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Dynasty|Ruling House]] of the [[Kingdom of Scotland]]|years=1306–1371}}
{{s-aft|after=[[House of Stewart]]}}
{{end}}

{{Scottish clans}}
{{Royal houses of Britain and Ireland}}

[[Category:Clan Bruce| ]]
[[Category:Scottish clans|Bruce]]
[[Category:Scoto-Normans]]
[[Category:House of Bruce|*]]
[[Category:Scottish Lowlands]]