To build your own Itinerary, click to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
Already saved an Itinerary?
You are here: UK History > Royal History > Scottish Monarchy > David II
Another young king, David succeeded the throne at the age of five after the death of his father, Robert the Bruce. He was crowned at Scone in November 1331 and was the first Scottish monarch to be anointed at their coronation. During his childhood, the country was governed by a series of guardians and regents, with Edward III of England attempting to take control by supporting an invasion by Edward Balliol, the son of John Balliol.
Quick Facts:
Born: 5th March 1324
Died: 22nd February 1371
Reign: 1329-1372
Parents: Robert I of Scotland and Elizabeth de Burgh
Predecessor: Robert I
Successor: Robert II
Spouse: Joan of England, then Margaret Drummond
Children: N/A
Royal House: House of Bruce
Throughout the early days of his reign, invasions saw the...Read More
Another young king, David succeeded the throne at the age of five after the death of his father, Robert the Bruce. He was crowned at Scone in November 1331 and was the first Scottish monarch to be anointed at their coronation. During his childhood, the country was governed by a series of guardians and regents, with Edward III of England attempting to take control by supporting an invasion by Edward Balliol, the son of John Balliol.
Quick Facts:
Born: 5th March 1324
Died: 22nd February 1371
Reign: 1329-1372
Parents: Robert I of Scotland and Elizabeth de Burgh
Predecessor: Robert I
Successor: Robert II
Spouse: Joan of England, then Margaret Drummond
Children: N/A
Royal House: House of Bruce
Throughout the early days of his reign, invasions saw the start of the Second War of Scottish Independence. Following an English victory in 1333, David, his queen and his government were evacuated to France where he would stay until 1341.
In 1346, during the Hundred Years’ War, David invaded England but was defeated and captured. He spent the next 11 years imprisoned in England, while his nephew governed Scotland in his absence. The Treaty of Berwick brought an end to the Second War of Scottish Independence and after the Scots agreed to pay a ransom, David was returned home. Heavy taxation had to be implemented to pay for the ransom, but David used the money for his own ends alienating many of his subjects. He quickly ran out of money and attempted to cancel the remaining ransom by offering the succession to the throne to Edward III or one of his sons, something that was rejected by the Scottish Parliament. David despised his nephew and wanted an alternative heir, prompting him to marry his mistress, though when she could not give him a son, he attempted to divorce her.
Though he spent much time in exile or captivity, he did manage to ensure the survival of his kingdom and reformed the Scottish government. The last male of the House of Bruce, he died childless after a reign of 41 years and was succeeded by his nephew Robert II.
Much like his father, David was given the best education available at the time. He was also found a suitable wife, and when he was four years old, was married to seven year old Joan, the daughter of the English king, Edward II.
He would become King a year later on the death of his father, though his coronation was delayed for two years because of his age. Both he and his wife were crowned together, David aged 7 and Joan aged 10. Upon his accession, the 1st Earl of Moray was appointed as his Guardian to govern Scotland until he reached adulthood, as such, the government of King Robert remained in place until 1332. After his death, Moray was replaced with the Earl of Mar, though he died ten days later, with David’s uncle being chosen as the new guardian.
On 24th September 1332, Edward Balliol, with the support of Edward III of England, and a pretender to the throne of Scotland, was crowned by the English, however, in December, Balliol was forced to flee to England after the Battle of Annan, though he returned the following year as part of an invasion force led by the English king.
Following a battle in 1333, David and Joan were sent to France for their own safety. They were taken into the custody of King Philip VI, though little is known about the life of the Scottish king while in France, except that he was given his own residence. He would later regain the upper hand in Scotland through his proxies and took control of his government at the age of 17.
In 1346, David invaded England in a bid to aid the French, who were involved in a battle with the English. His army was defeated in October and David suffered two arrow wounds to the face. He was captured and taken prisoner by Sir John de Coupland, who then turned him over to the King in return for a knighthood. David was taken to the Tower of London before being moved to Windsor Castle. He was then moved again to Odiham Castle and was forbidden from contacting any of his supporters or subjects. He remained captive for eleven years. Eventually the Scottish nobles agreed to pay a ransom for him and he returned to Scotland in 1357.
David didn’t return alone; he brought a mistress with him who would be murdered in 1360 by the Earl of Angus. In retaliation, David had the Earl starved to death and then took a new mistress, Margaret Drummond.
After six years, the kingdom found it impossible to keep up with the ransom payments and David sought to give the throne to Edward III in return for cancelling the ransoms, something he knew that the Scottish nobles would never agree too. Parliament rejected the proposals, though David continued to hold secret talks with Edward III. After the death of his wife and having had no children, David was concerned that his successor would be his nephew Robert, who he disliked strongly and who was popular with the nobles. He married his mistress Margaret Drummond in the hope that he could gain an heir. He attempted to divorce her after the union failed to produce any children.
David continued to pursue a goal of peace with England and at the time of his death, the Scottish monarchy was stronger and the country was a free and independent kingdom, the royal finances were also more prosperous than anyone could have imagined.
David II died unexpectedly of natural causes at the height of his power while in residence at Edinburgh Castle. He was buried at Holyrood Abbey and was succeeded by his nephew Robert II, the son of his half sister Marjorie Bruce.
Read Less© Visit Heritage 2025. All Rights Reserved
We are now retrieving your search results. Please wait, this may take up to 30 seconds
Supporting the Destination
Quality Guarantee
We are now retrieving real time availability results. Please wait, this may take up to 30 seconds.