From what terrible disease was Robert the Bruce thought to have suffered?

Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce, was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert was one of the most famous warriors of his generation, and eventually led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully during his reign to regain Scotland's place as an independent country and is today revered in Scotland as a national hero.

Robert I had been suffering from a serious illness from at least 1327. The Lanercost Chronicle and Scalacronica state that the king was said to have contracted and died of leprosy. Jean Le Bel also stated that in 1327 the king was a victim of 'la grosse maladie', which is usually taken to mean leprosy. However, the ignorant use of the term 'leprosy' by fourteenth-century writers meant that almost any major skin disease might be called leprosy.

The earliest mention of this illness is to be found in an original letter written by an eye-witness in Ulster at the time the king made a truce with Sir Henry Mandeville on 12 July 1327. The writer of this letter reported that Robert I was so feeble and struck down by illness that he would not live, 'for he can scarcely move anything but his tongue'. Barbour writes of the king's illness that 'it began through a benumbing brought on by his cold lying', during the months of wandering from 1306 to 1309

More Info: en.m.wikipedia.org

Test your knowledge

What are your thoughts on this subject?

55 Comments

Rog Rogers

From Wikipedia: A team of researchers, headed by Professor Andrew Nelson from University of Western Ontario have determined that Robert the Bruce did not have leprosy during his lifetime. They examined the original casting of the skull belonging to Robert the Bruce's descendant Lord Andrew Douglas Alexander Thomas Bruce, and a foot bone that had not been re-interred. They determined that skull and foot bone showed no signs of leprosy, such as an eroded nasal spine and a pencilling of the foot bone.[73]

g sanborn

He may also have suffered from eczema, tuberculosis, syphilis, motor neurone disease,

John McLardie

The chroniclers that alleged that Bruce suffered from leprosy were mainly English. By all accounts no contemporary Scottish chronicler mentioned the disease in connection with the King. All that matters to the Scots is that he fully established Scottish independence from those people south of the border - thank God.

rosemarymee

Isabel Laing, leprosy WAS around. Brought back from the Middle East by Crusaders.

rosemarymee

Lydia Coutts, that is from the Torygraph. Their mission in life is to belittle all things Scottish.

Player Caz

I am a Descendant of Robert the Bruce

Spencer

Thanks Steve. Yet another tale of a homosexual who went across the grain. Now that you have come out officially, are you going to be posting a bunch of men and women in history who were closet homosexuals? Good for you. I think its very admirable.

joan musicmasters

Totally guessed it correctly. Hooray for me!! LOL!!

Suzanne Beer

I thought TB..

Lynne Zeman

Sad ending for a great man.

John White

It certainly was his father who suffered from leprosy. Not certain history can make a credible case for the son being struck down by the very same disease!!