The Comyns were the most powerful baronial family in thirteenth-century Scotland, yet they have long been overshadowed by the legendary heroes of Scottish medieval tradition, Robert Bruce and William Wallace. The aim of this book is to examine critically the "bad press" gained by the Comyns in post-Bruce Scotland. Young highlights the Comyns' role as pillars of the Scottish monarchy and helps to establish the strength of opposition to Bruce at the end of the century. A non-Bruce view of thirteenth-century Scottish history, the Anglo-Scottish war and the development of a national consciousness is fascinating. For the general reader, the issue of power politics within Scotland and between England and Scotland is a positive and constant central theme. - Jacket flap.