Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray

Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, was a nephew and leading commander of Robert the Bruce. After an early period of opposition, he became one of Bruce’s most trusted lieutenants and captured Edinburgh Castle in a daring assault.

Randolph commanded a division at Bannockburn and later served as guardian of Scotland for the young David II. His military and diplomatic service helped preserve the independence won under Bruce.

J.R. Tomlin’s Noble Traitor makes Thomas Randolph’s divided loyalty the central problem, as an upbringing aligned with England gives way to allegiance to his uncle Robert the Bruce. Ravaged Lands follows him after that return, campaigning through a Scotland damaged by occupation and civil war. In Fate of Kings, Randolph nearly captures Edward II after Bannockburn and then carries the war into campaigns on both sides of the Irish Sea. The Noblest Knight presents him as one of Bruce’s most trusted captains and diplomatic agents as the king’s health fails. Nigel Tranter’s The Path of the Hero King places Randolph beside James Douglas and Edward Bruce in the hard reconstruction of Bruce’s kingship from fugitive resistance to effective rule.