The Brus

E29539

The Brus is a Middle Scots epic poem by John Barbour that recounts the life and battles of Robert the Bruce and the First War of Scottish Independence.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Middle Scots poem
epic poem
alsoKnownAs Barbour’s Bruce
author John Barbour
centuryOfComposition 14th century
commissionedBy possibly by the Stewart royal court
contains accounts of guerrilla warfare in Scotland
panegyrics to Robert the Bruce
countryOfOrigin Scotland
culturalRole important work in the construction of Scottish national identity
dateWritten c. 1375
dedicatedTo the Stewart dynasty
depictsEvent Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Loudoun Hill
Battle of Methven
featuresCharacter Edward I of England
Edward II of England
James Douglas
Robert the Bruce
genre chivalric romance
historical narrative poem
historicalAccuracy mixes historical fact with legend
historicalPeriodDepicted First War of Scottish Independence
influenced later Scottish nationalist literature
inspired romanticized views of the Wars of Scottish Independence
language Middle Scots
literaryMovement medieval Scottish literature
literaryPeriod Middle Ages
literarySignificance key source for the legend of Robert the Bruce
one of the earliest major works in Scots literature
mainSubject First War of Scottish Independence
Robert the Bruce
manuscriptTradition survives in several later manuscripts
metre octosyllabic couplets
narrativePerspective third-person narrative
originalTitleLanguage Scots
placeInCanon foundational text of Scottish historical epic
portrays English forces as antagonists
Robert the Bruce as an ideal king
setting Scotland
theme Scottish independence
chivalry
heroism
kingship
loyalty
patriotism
warfare
verseForm rhyming couplets

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Scots
hasNotableWork

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