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Sunday, October 14, 2012

[October 14] Edward Bruce, high king of Ireland

Local Name: Edubard a Briuis
Parents: Robert, lord of Annandale, and Marjorie, countess of Carrick
Born: 1280
House: Bruce
Spouse(s): (1) Isabel, daughter of John, earl of Atholl, and Marjory of Mar, then (2) Isabella, daughter of Uilleam II, earl of Ross, and Euphemia
Predecessor: Brian Ó Néill
Reign: 1315 – 1318
Brief: As the younger brother of Robert the Bruce, king of Scots, Edward had high hopes for his life. These were realized in 1307 when he began campaigning for his brother as a general. He and Robert were the only survivors in the family when they were forced to go on the run and he commanded a unit during the famous Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 which secured Robert's crown. Edward then turned his eyes toward Ireland, which had not had a high king since 1260 when Brian Ó Néill was defeated by the Normans. Edward hoped to open a second front in the war against England by invading Ireland and claiming the vacant crown. He invaded Ireland with a large army but the English and their allies met him almost immediately. The English were routed and Edward was able to muster enough Irish nobles to proclaim him king. All of Ireland went up in rebellion, and the English were put on the defensive, eventually being forced into an area surrounding Dublin. Then in 1317, a famine struck Ireland, weakening his army and stalling the war. The next summer, the English were finally able to defeat the Scots-Irish alliance at the Battle of Faughart and Edward was killed. Ireland was never again able to assert itself against English colonial efforts and remained until the 1920s an English vassal state.
Date of Death: 14 October 1318

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
  • Harold II, king of England (1066)
  • Kujo Yoritsugu, shogun of Japan (1256)
  • Amago, daimyo in Japan (1610)
  • Tewoflos, emperor of Ethiopia (1711)

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