Christened John Stewart, Robert III was the elder son of Robert II of Scotland. His sixteen-year reign was beset by challenges, primarily from his younger and more ambitious brother, Robert. In their father's last years, Robert had been appointed Guardian of Scotland. However, the law of inheritance brought John to the throne, where he took on the name 'Robert III' since 'King John' was thought to evoke the disastrous reign of John Balliol. Suffering from bad health, he was forced to hand over power to his eldest son, David Stewart, 1st Duke of Rothsay in 1398, but David soon came under pressure from his uncle Robert, now Duke of Albany. David was imprisoned in St Andrew's Castle, and died there, probably on Albany's orders. By the time of Robert III's death in 1406, Albany had also…
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