Robert II (
March 2, 1316 –
April 19, 1390), King of Scots, called "the Steward", a title that gave the name to the
House of Stewart (later spelled "Stuart"). He ruled from 1371 until his death.
Robert was the sole son of
Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland (d.
1326) and
Marjorie Bruce, daughter of King
Robert I of Scotland and his first wife
Isabella of Mar. He was delivered by
caesarean section, reputedly at
Paisley Abbey. His mother, who had been thrown from a horse, survived his birth by some hours at most.
In
1318 the
Scottish parliament decreed that if King Robert died without sons the crown should pass to Marjorie's son; but the birth of a son afterwards, King
David II, to Bruce in
1324 postponed the accession of Robert for nearly forty-two years. Soon after the infant David became king in
1329, the Steward began to take a prominent part in the affairs of Scotland. He was one of the leaders of the Scottish army at the
battle of Halidon Hill in July
1333; and after gaining some successes over the adherents of
Edward Balliol in the west of Scotland, he and
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray (d. 1346), were chosen as regents of the kingdom, while David sought safety in France.
The colleagues soon quarrelled; then Randolph fell into the hands of the English and Robert became sole regent, meeting with such success in his efforts to restore the royal authority that the king was able to return to Scotland in
1341. Having handed over the duties of government to David, the Steward escaped from the
battle of Neville's Cross in 1346, and was again chosen regent while the king was a captive in
England. Soon after this event some friction arose between Robert and his royal uncle. Accused, probably without truth, of desertion at Neville's Cross, the Steward as heir-presumptive was greatly chagrined by the king's proposal to make
Edward III of England, or one of his sons, the heir to the Scottish throne, and by David's marriage with
Margaret Logie.
In
1363 he rose in rebellion, and after having made his submission was seized and imprisoned together with four of his sons, being only released a short time before David's death in February
1371. By the terms of the decree of 1318 Robert now succeeded to the throne, and was crowned at
Scone, Perthshire in March
1371. He was not a particularly active king. Some steps were taken by the nobles to control the royal authority. In
1378 a war broke out with England; but the king took no part in the fighting, which included the burning of
Edinburgh and the Scottish victory at the
Battle of Otterburn in
1388.
As age and infirmity were telling upon him, the estates in
1389 appointed his second surviving son
Robert, Earl of Fife, afterwards
Duke of Albany, guardian of the kingdom. The king died at Dundonald in
1390, and was buried at Scone.
His first wife was
Elizabeth Mure, by her he had at least ten children:
*
John Stewart (d.
1406), later king as Robert III
*
Robert of Albany (
1339–1420)
*
Alexander, Lord of Badenoch &
Earl of Buchan, "the Wolf of Badenoch" (
1343–1405)
* Margaret Stewart, married
John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
* Walter Stewart (d.
1362), married
Isabella, Countess of Fife
* Marjory Stewart, married first
John Dunbar, 5th Earl of Moray, second Alexander Keith
* Johanna Stewart, married in
1373 Sir John Keith, in
1379 Sir John Lyon, in
1384 Sir James
Sandilands
* Isabella Stewart, married first
James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas, married second David Edmondstone
* Katherine Stewart, married Sir Robert Logan of Grugar, later also of Restalrig, Lord High Admiral of Scotland
* Elizabeth Stewart, married Sir
Thomas Hay, Lord High Constable of Scotland
By his second wife,
Euphemia de Ross, daughter of
Aodh, Earl of Ross, and widow of the 3rd Earl of Moray, formerly his colleague as regent, he had five children:
*
David Stewart, 1st Earl of Caithness (d. bef. 1389)
*
Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (d.
1437)
* Margaret Stewart
* Elizabeth Stewart, married
1380 David Lindsay, 1st Earl of Crawford
* Egidia Stewart, married
1387 Sir William Douglas of Nithsdale
The confusion about the circumstances of his first marriage would later lead to conflict amongst the descendants of his first marriage (which included
James I of Scotland) and the unquestionably legitimate descendants of his second marriage.
Robert had also eight illegitimate children, mostly by unknown mothers, including
Thomas Stewart, Archdeacon and
Bishop-elect of St. Andrews, John of Bute and John (the Red) of Dundonald.
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