Publisher's Synopsis
Many Scots know the medieval stories of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, who lived lives of high drama, political intrigue, and great heroism. Their tales are engraved into the Scottish psyche through books and films, monuments and castles, yet the Kings and people that followed King Robert I are lesser known or celebrated, whether it be the Bruce's son King David II, or the first Stewart king Robert II. Far fewer people know of Robert, 1st Duke of Albany who during a period in Scottish history, between the reigns of Robert III and his son James I, was the dominant figure who shaped Scotland's domestic and foreign policies. Albany was a figure of great controversy, either according to Sir Walter Scott's Fair Maid of Perth, a great villain who murdered his way to power, or a great patriot, who through ruthless methods and political genius managed to guide Scotland through wild and uncertain times. A powerful personage Albany at various times ruled Scotland as Guardian or Governor, and pitted his wits against the likes of the English kings Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, the victor of Agincourt. A man of incredible energy, he would fight a number of military campaigns against the English, and in the north he would defend against the Gaelic powers seeking to expand into central Scotland. He fought alongside his father when a teenager and his last major military campaign would occur when at the age of 78. Under his leadership his family and friends would acquire lands, titles and powers, and he showed immense political and diplomatic abilities to win the powerful clans to his side. He was also a talented propagandist, turning the moderate success of the Relief of Cockslaw into a national victory, and later he would disturb the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V by entertaining as a guest a man who was the supposedly murdered Plantagenet King Richard II. His greatest diplomatic coup was organising armies to cross over to the continent in support of France against the power of England. Hero or villain, the following book seeks to outline the Duke of Albany's role in Scottish history.
