Robert the Bruce to Edward II, 1 October 1310

A letter written by Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, to Edward II of England has just surfaced in the British Library:

To the most serene prince the lord Edward by God’s grace illustrious king of England, Robert by the same grace king of Scots, greeting in Him through whom the thrones of those who rule are governed. When, under the sweetness of peace, the minds of the neighbouring faithful find rest, then life is adorned with good conduct, and also the whole of Holy Mother Church, because the affairs of kingdoms are everywhere arranged more favourably by everyone. Our humbleness has led us, now and at other times, to beseech your highness more devoutly so that, having God and public decency in sight, you would take pains to cease from our persecution and the disturbance of the people of our kingdom in order that devastation and the spilling of a neighbour’s blood may henceforth stop. Naturally, everything which we and our people will be able to do by bodily service, or to bear by giving freely of our goods, for the redemption of good peace and for the perpetually flourishing grace of your good will, we are prepared and shall be prepared to accomplish in a suitable and honest way, with a pure heart. And if it accords with your will to have a discussion with us on these matters, may your royal sublimity send word in writing to us, by the bearer of this letter. Written at Kildrum in Lennox, the Kalends of October in the fifth year of our reign [1 October 1310].

Bruce is proposing peace on his own terms, that is, if only Edward II would recognize him as the king of an independent Scotland, he will negotiate all other matters in good faith. Which is probably true, since the whole point of the war was whether Bruce would be king of an independent Scotland. Notice that he pointedly says he reigns by the "same grace" as Edward does.

Bruce was of course a complete bastard -- even Mel Gibson's Braveheart acknowledged this -- who murdered the rightful king of Scotland in a church after dragging him off the altar. But by 1310 that was pretty much water under the bridge, and Bruce was the only Scottish king and the only way for Scotland to remain an independent realm. Edward's half-hearted attempts to reassert the control his father had achieved in Scotland led to nothing but pointless deaths in senseless battles, and a lot of peasants burned out of their homes. So it really would have been better for everyone if Edward had accepted this offer.