James Douglas, Lord of Douglas

Sir James Douglas, Lord of Douglas, was one of Robert the Bruce’s most important commanders during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Known as the Black Douglas to his enemies, he led raids, recovered Douglas Castle and fought at Bannockburn.

After Bruce’s death, Douglas attempted to carry the king’s heart on crusade. He was killed fighting in Spain in 1330, and his reputation became central to the martial identity of the Douglas family.

In J.R. Tomlin’s A Kingdom’s Cost, the execution of William Wallace and the death of his father leave the young James Douglas without land or protection under English rule. Refused the restoration of his inheritance, he commits himself to Robert the Bruce, whose seizure of the crown begins a desperate civil and national war. In J.R. Tomlin’s Countenance of War, James Douglas continues the campaign to drive English forces from Scotland and recover the lordship taken from his family. James Douglas, Lord of Douglas is treated fictionally in J.R. Tomlin’s Not for Glory, Nigel Tranter’s The Path of the Hero King, Nigel Tranter’s The Price of the King’s Peace, and Robert Low’s The Lion Rampant.