Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray (d. 1332) was an important figure in the Scottish Wars of Independence. He is usually described as a nephew of Robert the Bruce although their exact relationship is uncertain. The traditional view is that his mother was a daughter of the first marriage of Countess Marjorie of Carrick, who was mother of King Robert by her second marriage, but recently this view has been questioned. The term "nephew", like "cousin", could be used rather loosely in those days, although there are no grounds for believing that he was Bruce's illegitimate son. The title Earl of Moray (pronounced Murry) has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland. ... The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of campaigns launched after the English invasion of Scotland in 1296. ... Robert I, (Robert de Brus in Norman French and Roibert a Briuis in medieval Gaelic), usually known in modern English today as Robert the Bruce (July 11, 1274–June 7, 1329), was King of Scotland (1306–1329). ... Marjorie of Carrick, 3rd Countess of Carrick (1256-1292) was the daughter and heiress of Neil of Carrick, 2nd Earl of Carrick, and Countess of Carrick in her own right. ...

Randolph supported Bruce in his initial coup when he proclaimed himself king and was crowned at Scone, but abandoned him after the English victory at the Battle of Methven. Later, fighting for the English, he was captured and brought before the king, who he taunted for his alleged cowardice in adopting a guerrilla tactics instead of standing and fighting in pitched battle. Scone is a large village, a mile north of Perth, Scotland. ... The Battle of Methven took place at Methven in Scotland in 1306, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... Distinguish from the type of ape called a gorilla. ...

However, he was persuaded to change sides again, and went on to become one of the king's most important lieutenants, eventually being made Earl of Moray. The fact that he was allowed to resume his allegiance to Scotland would seem to support the existence of familial ties to the King. In 1314, just a few months before the Battle of Bannockburn, he carried out a daring attack on Edinburgh Castle, one of the few castles in Scotland still in English hands. The castle stands on top of an apparently impregnable rock, but Randolph was informed by the son of a Governor about a path up the rock, which he led his men up one night to capture the castle. He played an important role in the Scottish victory at Bannockburn, where he commanded one of the four schiltrons of the Scottish infantry. The title Earl of Moray (pronounced Murry) has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland. ... Events June 24 - Battle of Bannockburn. ... The Battle of Bannockburn (June 23, 1314 – June 24, 1314) was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... Edinburgh Castle and NorLoch, around 1780 by Alexander Nasmyth Edinburgh Castle, an ancient stronghold on the Castle Rock in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, has been in use by assorted military forces since prehistoric times and only transferred from the Ministry of Defence recently. ... A schiltron or schiltrom consists of a group of men crouching shoulder-to-shoulder under/behind shields while holding their pikes (long, spear-like weapons) slanted outwards. ...

On the death of Robert I the crown was inherited by his son David II, who was only a boy. Randolph became regent, but three years later died of a sudden illness at Musselburgh. David II (March 5, 1324-February 22, 1371) king of Scotland, son of King Robert the Bruce by his second wife, Elizabeth de Burgh (d. ... // High public office A regent, from the Latin regens who reigns is anyone who acts of head of state, especially if not the Monarch (who has higher titles). ... Musselburgh is a town in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth seven miles east of Edinburgh city centre and is a strong contender for the title of Scotlands oldest town. ...

Thomas Randolph is said to have married Isabel Stewart, a kinswoman of Walter Stewart who married Marjorie Bruce and whose son Robert II became the first Stewart king. Three of Thomas Randolph´s children succeeded him to the earldom of Moray. Thomas Randolph, 2nd Earl of Moray died shortly after him at the Battle of Dupplin Moor. John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray died in 1346, after which the earldom was inherited by his sister Agnes Dunbar, 4th Countess of Moray, and then her second son John Dunbar, 5th Earl of Moray. Robert II (March 2, 1316 – April 19, 1390), king of Scotland, called the Steward, a title that gave the name to the House of Stewart (or Stuart). ... Thomas Randolph, 2nd Earl of Moray (d. ... Battle of Dupplin Moor was fought between supporters of the infant Bruce king and rebels supporting the Balliol claim in 1332. ... John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray (d. ... Agnes Randolph of Dunbar, 4th Countess of Moray (c. ...