Robert Stewart II

Robert II was not Scotland's most effective King, though he was probably less bad than David II who he had succeeded. But he was extremely good at one thing quite important to the founder of a new dynasty: he had at least 21 children. Unfortunately his marital arrangements were to lead to considerable conflict in later generations. He married his first wife in 1336, and had four sons and a number of daughters. But the validity of his first marriage was challenged, and he re-married his first wife in 1349. By his second wife he had two sons and several daughters. He also had at least eight illegitimate children. The question mark over the legitimacy of the children born to his first marriage before 1349 was to lead to later problems.