Robert Bruce had been on a mission for over a decade by 1318, intent on forcing a peace treaty out of England acknowledging Scottish independence and his own rights as king. After Bannockburn, ever more extravagant military options were pursued to try to force the issue, a priority that required avoiding direct engagement with Pope John XXII who was determined to stop the violence. The death of Bruce’s heir, his brother Edward, in Ireland in October 1318 changed all that.

Fiona Watson is a freelance writer and historian specialising in the wars between Scotland and England. She has published many books and articles on medieval Scotland and Scottish environmental/landscape history and has recently made a foray into turning the Anglo-Scottish wars into fiction. She is also sometimes called upon to wax lyrical on any of the above on TV or radio.