The Personal Ambitions of a National Hero

Abstract: The purpose of this essay was to put the Scottish king and war hero, Robert the Bruce on trial based on the model of the Ted-Ed miniseries ‘History on Trial’. The overarching argument is explored through a dialogue between the prosecutor and defendant of Robert and centres on how Robert Bruce should be remembered; either a Scottish nobleman fueled by personal ambition or a good, strong-willed king who did what was best for his kingdom and people. Both sides present evidence surrounding Bruce’s dedication to his personal ambition to becoming king which included murder and is contrasted by the clemency he should to his rivals/enemies upon becoming king. This leads to a critical approach on the nature of Robert’s loyalty during the early period of Scottish War for Independence and his later uncompromising drive to see Scotland become independent. The nature of how Robert achieved independence is also brought under scrutiny with the suffering he brought to the English and Irish populations. Concluding remarks on Robert’s verdict express the difficult nature of how to accurately remember national heroes and in ensuring a balance between the good and bad sides of them.