Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan facts for kids
Isabella MacDuff, also known as the Countess of Buchan, was an important woman during the Wars of Scottish Independence. She lived around the early 1300s.
Isabella was the daughter of Donnchadh III, Earl of Fife. She married John Comyn, 3rd Earl of Buchan. This made her the Countess of Buchan. Her husband joined the English side in the war. This happened after a conflict between Robert the Bruce and John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch. But Isabella chose to support the Scottish cause.
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Isabella and the King's Coronation
Crowning Robert the Bruce
In March 1306, Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scots. The traditional ceremony was usually performed by a member of Clan MacDuff. Isabella, Lady Buchan, was a MacDuff. However, she arrived in Scone a day after the first coronation.
To make sure the crowning was seen as proper, Bruce agreed to be crowned again. Isabella performed the ceremony. This showed that the MacDuff family supported his claim to the throne.
Isabella's Imprisonment
Capture and Harsh Conditions
After his coronation, Robert the Bruce faced a defeat. This was at the Battle of Methven in June 1306. Bruce sent Isabella and his female relatives to safety in the north. However, they were captured by the English. Uilleam II, Earl of Ross handed them over.
Edward I of England ordered Isabella to be held in Berwick-upon-Tweed. She was kept in a special cage made of stone and iron. This cage was shaped like a cross. It was hung outdoors as a public display. This was meant to be a warning to others.
Life in the Cage
Isabella stayed in this cage for about four years. Later, she was moved to a Carmelite friary in Berwick. This move might have been because Bruce was gaining more support. His female relatives were valuable prisoners. The English did not want them to die from poor treatment.
The last clear mention of Isabella is from 1313. She was transferred again then. Her exact fate after this is not known. Most of Bruce's female relatives returned to Scotland in 1315. They were exchanged for English noblemen. These noblemen were captured after the Battle of Bannockburn. But Isabella is not mentioned in these records. This suggests she likely died before then. Mary Bruce was also held in a similar way at Roxburgh Castle.
Isabella in Stories and Movies
Isabella MacDuff's story has inspired many writers. She appears in several books and even a movie.
Books About Isabella
- She is a character in Kingdom of Shadows by Barbara Erskine.
- She is in the short story Proud Lady in a Cage by Fred Urquhart.
- Jane Yolen also included her in Girl in a Cage.
- Charles and Carolyn Bruce feature her in their series Rebel King - Book One - Hammer of the Scots.
- Nigel Tranter's Bruce trilogy also includes her.
- Romance writer Monica McCarty features Isabella in The Viper. This is the fourth book in her Highland Guard series.
- She is in The Lion Wakes by Robert Low.
- Brenda Joyce's novel A Rose in the Storm also has Isabella as a character.
Isabella on Screen
- In 2018, Isabella was played by actress Kim Allan. This was in the Netflix movie, "Outlaw King."
