Robert III c.1340-1406
King of Scotland

The eldest son of Robert II by his first marriage, and originally called John, he was created Earl of Carrick (1368) and took the name Robert on his accession (1390). The issue of guardianship dominated politics since he was a permanent invalid, the result of a kick from a horse. The main contenders were his brother, Robert, Duke of Albany (c.1340-1420), and his elder son, David, Duke of Rothesay (c.1378-1402), who was appointed Lieutenant of Scotland by a general council in 1398. Rothesay's fall (1402), imprisonment and subsequent death at Falkland Castle brought Albany to an unrivalled position of power, which was further increased by the imprisonment in England of many Scots nobles captured at Homildon Hill (1402). Robert, anxious for the safety of his younger son, James (the future James I), sent him to France, but Robert died shortly after news arrived of James's capture by the English.