Free Scottish Myths and Legends by Rodger Moffet, Amanda Moffet, Donald Cuthill, Tom Moss Page A

troops marched out of Leith after sacking it and so twelve years of French involvement in Scotland came to an end.
     
     
However the story was not over yet. Mary, Queen of Scots who had become Regent on the death of her mother refused to accept the treaty; this was down to one condition, that she ceased using the coat of arms of England. This may seem a minor point but with her marriage to Lord Darnley, who was grandson to Margaret Tudor Mary's claim to the English throne had become stronger – coupled with the Catholic belief that Elizabeth was illegitimate this made Mary the true heir. Elizabeth never forgave her cousin for this and it became one of the reasons for her execution.
     
     
The siege of Leith has to a certain extent been forgotten and regarded as just another incident in an eventful and bloody period of Scottish history however it has great significance. For one thing it was the first time that Scotland and England fought side by side. It could also be considered as the last significant foreign occupation of the British mainland and marked and end to both the alliance with France and the catholic domination of Scotland.

Robert The Bruce And The Spider
     
By Rodger Moffet
     
Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, was descended from a Norman knight, Robert de Bruce, who came to England with William the Conqueror. His grandfather had been one of the 13 claimants to the Scottish throne in 1291, during the reign of the English king Edward I. Edward had chosen John de Balliol, an English baron, declaring him rightful king of Scotland in 1292. Later, Balliol refused to acknowledge the superiority of the English, and in 1296, was defeated by Edward at Dunbar. Edward then took over Scotland, receiving the oath of fealty from over 2000 Scots. At the same time a nationalistic movement demanding freedom from England slowly began gaining strength among the Scots. Leaders such as William Wallace fought the English but were defeated and executed.
     
     
After Wallace's death, Robert Bruce revived his grandfather's claim to the throne, and declared himself king of Scotland in 1306. Edward I sent a large army north, defeated Bruce at the Battle of Methven, and forced him to become an outlaw. But Bruce did not give up, and came out of hiding a year later to win an important victory against the English. Clans from all over Scotland now came to his aid, and Bruce's growing army fought bravely and successfully against the English. Meanwhile Edward I died, to be succeeded by his son Edward II. The new king was no match for Robert Bruce - in 1314, at the Battle of Bannockburn, Bruce's army of 5,000 defeated Edward II's much larger army of 20,000, driving the English finally and firmly out of Scotland.
     
     
Robert Bruce was known as 'Good King Robert' and was undoubtedly one of Scotland's greatest rulers, bringing peace and freedom to his country.
     
     
On the lonely island of Rachrin, off the Irish coast, stood a mean and miserable hut. The chill wind of winter rattled its wooden door, demanding to be let in, sending icy fingers in through cracks and knotholes in the flimsy wooden walls. Inside, a man, his cloak wrapped close about him, lay on a straw pallet set against the wall opposite the door. A fire smoked in the centre of the rough earthen floor, and the remains of a frugal meal lay on a small wooden table.
     
     
The man was no other than Robert Bruce, crowned king of Scotland, made an outlaw in his own country by Edward I, king of England. Edward I, better known as Edward Longshanks because of his long legs, had defeated Robert and harried him and hunted him, forcing him at last to leave the lochs and craggy mountains of his native land. He had left behind his queen in Kildrummie, his only remaining castle, in charge of his brave and valiant younger brother Nigel. But alas, Kildrummie had been taken by the English, his brother executed, and his queen held captive.
     
     
Robert was close to despair: was the freedom of