Sir Robert Keith (died 11 August 1332) was a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
knight, diplomat, and hereditary
Marischal of Scotland who commanded forces loyal to
Robert Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully dur ...
at the
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn ( or ) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Ro ...
.
”Sir Robert Keith II, Keith Earl Marischals married Elizabeth Strachan, and had a son, Sir Robert Keith III (d. 1346) who married Elizabeth, the daughter of John Comyn, a potent man".
Service before Bannockburn
Under
Malcolm IV
Malcolm IV (; ), nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 1141 – 9 December 1165) was King of Scotland from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest son of Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, Henry, Earl of Huntingdon ...
, the title
Marischal of Scotland had been bestowed on Keith's ancestors, a title which became hereditary and was passed on from one Keith to the next. Robert Keith was the great-great-grandson of
Hervey de Keith
Hervey de Keith (died c. 1185) was a Scoto-Norman adventurer and nobleman and first recorded Marischal of Scotland.
Life
Keith took his name from the Keith Marischal, Barony of Keith, in East Lothian, which he held the north eastern part; the sou ...
, great-grandson of
Philip de Keith (d. c. 1225), paternal grandson of ... de Keith and son of
William de Keith (d. c. 1293), all his predecessors as Marischals. He took up a military career as a young man, but was also considered by other Scottish barons to be something of a leader, being appointed justiciary of the lands beyond the
River Forth
The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic name for the ...
.
He was captured by the English in a skirmish near the
River Cree
The River Cree is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland which runs through Newton Stewart and into the Solway Firth. It forms part of the boundary between the counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire.
The tributaries of the Cree are ...
in 1300, but was back in Scotland by 1308 and in March 1309 was present at
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...
's first parliament at
St Andrews
St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...
.
Bannockburn
Keith served as a relatively senior general with Bruce's army throughout the war, and, prior to the
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn ( or ) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Ro ...
in 1314, was appointed co-leader of a reconnoitering force sent out to gather information about the army of King
Edward II of England
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...
. During the battle itself, he commanded about 500 Scottish cavalry, although, like other Scottish knights, he may have fought dismounted.
Keith and his men were held back by King Robert the Bruce. They flanked the archers and routed the
English archers, who had in other battles done severe damage to Scottish armies. The battle was a decisive victory for the Scots, following which Bruce had undisputed military control of Scotland, excepting the
Royal Burgh
A royal burgh ( ) was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs.
Most royal burghs were either created by ...
of
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
.
Later years
Keith was among the Scottish magnates
[ ] who in 1320 signed a letter to the
Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
vindicating Scottish independence. Afterward, he was given several diplomatic assignments, serving as a peace commissioner to England in 1323. He was killed fighting for King
David II of Scotland
David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371) was King of Scotland from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, be ...
at the
Battle of Dupplin Moor
The Battle of Dupplin Moor was fought between supporters of King David II of Scotland, the son of King Robert Bruce, and English-backed invaders supporting Edward Balliol, son of King John I of Scotland, on 11 August 1332. It took place a l ...
.
Ancestors and descendants
Sir Robert Keith was the great-great-great-grandson of
Hervey de Keith
Hervey de Keith (died c. 1185) was a Scoto-Norman adventurer and nobleman and first recorded Marischal of Scotland.
Life
Keith took his name from the Keith Marischal, Barony of Keith, in East Lothian, which he held the north eastern part; the sou ...
, the first Marischal of Scotland.
Keith's grandson and successor as Marischal, also named
Robert Keith, was killed during the
Battle of Neville's Cross
The Battle of Neville's Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346, half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham, England. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy lo ...
in 1346. Keith's indirect descendants, eventually known as the Earls Marischal, held that title for several centuries to come. During the
English Civil War
The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
, one of his descendants fought as a
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
officer, and was imprisoned under
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
's regime.
External links
articleon Keith family
References
''Freedom's Sword'', Peter Traquair
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Robert
Year of birth unknown
1332 deaths
Nobility from East Lothian
13th-century Scottish nobility
14th-century Scottish nobility
Signatories to the Declaration of Arbroath
Scottish deaths at the Battle of Dupplin Moor