Mary Bruce ( 1282 – 1323) was the younger sister of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

King of Scots The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth I MacAlpin (), who founded the sovereign state, state in 843. Historically, the Kingdom of Scotland is thoug ...

. During the

First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty o ...

, she was captured by the English and imprisoned in a cage at

Roxburgh Castle Roxburgh Castle is a ruined royal castle that overlooks the junction of the rivers Tweed and Teviot, in the Borders region of Scotland. The town and castle developed into the royal burgh of Roxburgh, which the Scots destroyed along with the ca ...

for about four years. She was the daughter of

Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale Robert de Brus (11 July 1243 – 15 March 1304Richardson, Douglas, Everingham, Kimball G. "Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families", Genealogical Publishing Com, 2005: p732-3, ,link/ref>), 6th Lord of Annandale, ''jure ...

, and

Marjorie, Countess of Carrick :''See also Marjorie Bruce, her granddaughter.'' Marjorie of Carrick (also called Margaret; died before 9 November 1292) was Countess of Carrick, Scotland, from 1256 to 1292, and is notable as the mother of Robert the Bruce. Family Marjorie wa ...

. Along with the king's other female relatives (

Christina Bruce Christian or Christina Bruce (c. 1278 – 1356/1357), also known as Christian or Christina de Brus, was a daughter of Marjorie, Countess of Carrick, and her husband, Robert de Brus, '' jure uxoris'' Earl of Carrick, as well as a sister of Robert ...

Marjorie Bruce Marjorie Bruce or Marjorie de Brus (c. 12961316 or 1317) was the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the only child born of his first marriage with Isabella of Mar. Marjorie's marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland, g ...

, his wife

Elizabeth de Burgh Lady Elizabeth de Burgh (; ; c. 1289 – 27 October 1327) was the second wife and the only queen consort of King Robert the Bruce. Elizabeth was born sometime around 1289, probably in what is now County Down or County Antrim in Ulster, the ...

and supporter

Isabella MacDuff Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan (probably died c. 1314), was a significant figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence. She was the daughter of Donnchadh III, Earl of Fife, and Johanna de Clare, daughter of The 6th Earl of Hertford. She ...

), she was captured and handed over to the English by the

Earl of Ross The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland. Origins and transfers In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made a separate earldom in the mid 12th ...

. By order of King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

, she was then held prisoner in an iron or wooden cage exposed to the public view at

was imprisoned in a similar cage at

Berwick Castle Berwick Castle is a ruined castle in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England. History The castle was commissioned by the Scottish David I of Scotland, King David I in the 1120s. It was taken by the English forces under the terms of the Tr ...

.David Cornell
"Bannockburn: The Triumph of Robert the Bruce"
''Yale University Press,'', 2009. Retrieved July 11, 2015. She was transferred to assumably better conditions in 1310. This was not necessarily a humane move, it has been suggested that by this stage Bruce was gaining strength, she was potentially a valuable hostage, and the English did not want her dying of exposure. There was also a high likelihood of her being rescued from Roxburgh. She was eventually released in 1314, in exchange for English noblemen captured at the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was ...

Family

She married, firstly, Sir Neil Campbell, one of her brother's loyal supporters, and had the following known issue: * Iain (or John) *Dougal *Duncan (?) She married, secondly,

Alexander Fraser of Touchfraser and Cowie Alexander Fraser of Touchfraser and Cowie (died 11 August 1332) was a member of the Scottish nobility who served as the Lord Chamberlain of Scotland and also as the Sheriff of Stirling and Sheriff of Kincardine. He was a descendant of the Clan ...

and had the following known issue: *John of Touchfraser *William of Cowie and Durris.

Media representations

She was played by

Dee Hepburn Dee Hepburn (born 7 November 1961) is a Scottish former actress. She starred as Dorothy in the 1981 film ''Gregory's Girl'', and played Anne-Marie Wade in the ITV Network, ITV soap opera ''Crossroads (UK TV series), Crossroads'' from 1985 to 198 ...

in the 1996 film ''

The Bruce ''The Brus'', also known as ''The Bruce'', is a long narrative poem, in Early Scots, of just under 14,000 octosyllabic lines composed by John Barbour which gives a historic and chivalric account of the actions of Robert the Bruce and Sir Jame ...

''.

References

* Peter Traquair ''Freedom's Sword'' * Caroline Binham ''Robert the Bruce'' * J R Tomlin ''A Kingdom's Cost'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Mary 1280s births 1323 deaths

Mary Bruce Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

Scottish people of the Wars of Scottish Independence Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales 13th-century Scottish women 13th-century Scottish people 14th-century Scottish women 14th-century Scottish people