that King Robert the Bruce, 97th King of Scots, was of Norman descent, his ancestor "de Brus" baying accompanied William the Conqueror into Britain in 1066?

that Robert the Bruce, with two of his followers, once escaped from the clutches of the English King Edward I by having their horses shod backwards to send their pursuers off in the opposite direction?

that although there is no documentary evidence to verify the story of "Robert the Bruce and the Spider," which is generally sneered at by historians, its inspiring moral has so kept alive the belief of the Scots in its veracity that few will kill a spider for any reason? They also believe that if any person named "Bruce" should kill a spider it is the equivalent of not only sacrilege but also outright murder!

 that King Edward I of England, during his campaigns against Wallace and Bruce proudly referred to himself as the "Hammer of the Scots"?

 that Robert the Bruce is said to have stated that he was more afraid of the bones of Edward I than of the living Edward II?

 that before the Battle of Bannockburn when King Edward II saw the advancing Scots pause and kneel to pray, and exclaimed triumphantly to one of his nobles: "See, they kneel to ask me for pardon! ," the English noble, who apparently knew the character of the Scots better than the King, retorted: "Yes, they kneel to ask for pardon; but from God, not from us. Yon men will conquer or die!"?

 that the Battle of Bannockburn was the greatest victory ever won by the Scots, but the defeated English considered it such a disgrace to themselves that they believed it God's punishment for their sins?

 that King Robert the Bruce decreed that every year there was to be a great review called a "wapin-schaw" (weapon-show) at which all grown men between the ages of 16 and 60 were to appear with their personal weapons to display their individual prowess and their readiness to serve their King? Every man who owned property worth £10 must have a suit of armor; every man who owned a cow must have a spear, a bow, and 24 arrows.
 

that in 1320, indignant at the Scots repeated attempts to persuade him to recognize Robert the Bruce as King of Scots while they repudiated King Edward II of England, whom he had previously designated as their rightful Ruler, Pope John XXII threatened the entire Scottish nation with excommunication from the Catholic Church if it did not bow to King Edward?

 that the Declaration of Arbroath of 1320 is known as the Scottish Declaration of Independence? Composed by Bernard de Linton, Abbot of Arbroath, and signed by 8 earls and 33 barons of Scotland it was a final appeal to Pope John XXII to recognize Robert the Bruce as King of Scots, and as well, Scotland's freedom from English oppression. Couched in the most sublime of Latin rhetoric, it stated: "We fight not for glory, wealth or honour, but for that freedom which no virtuous man surrenders but with his life." In 1328 the Pope and King Edward III conceded, and the Treaty of Northampton brought peace at last.

 that King Robert the Bruce is believed to have been stricken with leprosy during his later life, which disease contributed to his death in 1329?

 that even though King Robert the Bruce's last request was that his friend Sir James Douglas carry his heart on a crusade to the Holy Land, the removal of the heart of Bruce from his body was in direct disobedience to a Papal Bull issued in 1299 by Pope Boniface VIII against any such "cruel and inhuman treatment?" All those directly involved in the act were excommunicated from
the Church for 2 years.

 that in 1881 when, after 500 years, the tomb of King Robert the Bruce was opened in Dunfermline Abbey, the cloth-of-gold-shrouded corpse was found to have the ribs sawn apart, thus giving credence to what had been considered the Legend of the Heart of Bruce? The heart in its casket had been carried back to Scotland and interred before the High Altar of "Fair Melrose" Abbey.

 that King David II, son of Robert the Bruce, was the first King of Scots to be annointed with Holy Oil sent from the Pope for his Coronation? King Robert had previously arranged for this before his death, but it cost the Scots 12,000 florins
 

 that the Royal House of Stewart was founded when Walter, the son of James the High Steward of Scotland, was given the hand of Marjory, the daughter of King Robert the Bruce, in marriage? "Steward" became "Stewart" as a family name, taken from the occupation of the head of the house, according to the custom of those times. Robert the Bruce's son, David II, inherited the Crown from his father, and reigned for about 42 years, but at his death, without a legal heir, the Crown passed to Robert Stewart, (King Robert II) son of Marjory Bruce and Walter Stewart, as the first of the tragic line of Stewart Kings and Queens.

that of fourteen enthroned monarchs of the Stewart line, which lasted over 400 years, four were executed or murdered, two died on battlefields, one died in exile, and two died, literally, of broken hearts?