It’s always exciting in Scottish ancestry to find possible links to royalty and clans. Here are ten notable extended family connections to Robert the Bruce, illustrating the broader network of kinship and alliances that played significant roles in his life and reign:
- John Balliol (Cousin) – As a competitor for the Scottish throne, his claim was a rival to Robert the Bruce’s. Balliol’s brief reign and subsequent conflicts were a backdrop to Robert’s own claim.
- Thomas de Clare (Cousin by marriage) – Married to Juliana FitzGerald, whose sister was Robert’s maternal aunt. Thomas was involved in the political machinations of both England and Ireland.
- William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (Distant relation) – Through his mother’s side, Robert was distantly related to the powerful Marshal family, influential in England and Ireland.
- John Comyn III (Second cousin) – Known as “the Red Comyn,” he was a rival claimant to the Scottish throne and was famously killed by Robert the Bruce in 1306, an event pivotal to Robert’s path to kingship.
- Elizabeth de Clare (Niece by marriage) – Daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and brother to Robert’s wife, Elizabeth de Burgh. The de Clare family was influential in English politics.
- Sir James Douglas (Close ally and distant kin) – Known as “the Black Douglas,” he was one of Robert’s closest companions and military leaders, descended from the same nobility network.
- Isabella MacDuff (Distant relation by marriage) – Countess of Buchan, related through the marriage network of Scottish nobility. She crowned Robert the Bruce king in 1306 in the absence of traditional coronation officials.
- Eleanor of Castile (Distant relative by marriage) – Through intermarriages among European royalty, Robert had connections to Eleanor, who was Queen of England as the wife of Edward I.
- Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray (Nephew) – The son of Robert’s sister Isabella and an important military leader and supporter of Robert’s claim to the throne.
- John Stewart of Bonkyll (Related through marriage) – Married to Marjory, Robert’s sister, and was the father of Robert II of Scotland, who succeeded David II and established the Stewart dynasty.
Further reading:
The Peerage, includes family tree
The declaration of Arbroath – a genetic project by the university of Strathclyde based on the Bruces of Clackmannan, relatives of Robert the Bruce. It includes the following surnames Boyd, Graham, Ramsay, Bruce, Lindsay, Ross, Campbell, MacArthur, Seton, Cummings, MacDougall, Sinclair, Dunbar, Maxwell, Stewart, Dundas, Monteith and Sutherland. Follow the link to find other connections.
The Bruce surname Y-DNA project by FamilytreeDNA – submit your DNA to find paternal ancestry.
Photo: The face of Robert the Bruce by forensic sculptor Christian Corbet
Coast Place 