Robert the Bruce |
It has been a long time since I was five-years-old and my recollections are fairly vague of that time. However, I do remember that life inside my home thankfully for me, was mostly a happy time.
Apart from problems of bullying at school I did manage to get through the rest of my life fairly unscathed so far.
Gatehouse of Dunfermline Palace |
But, what if I had been born in the 14th century and heir to a royal throne? David II Scotland was such a child, born in Dunfermline Palace, March 1324, became King of Scotland at the age of five years. The year was 1329 and he had big boots to fill, being the only son of, Robert the Bruce, one of the greatest Scottish warriors ever.
It was a sanguineous time, the constant power struggles between Scotland and England meant that it was dangerous to be the reigning monarch. Although, David was king until his death in Edinburgh Castle in 1371, he spent many years in exile in France like many of the Scottish monarchy did in the years to come.
The Nave of the Abbey |
The echo of my footsteps on the flagstone in the nave of the Abbey made me feel like an intruder, knowing that many Kings and Queens of Scotland have walked upon the same ground. Would the child David have played here, or cried over the death of his father? Something for the imagination to capture that's for sure.
The Nave of the Abbey |
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/dunfermline-abbey-and-palace/
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