The pair are said to have had Edward II killed later that same year—the official proclamation went out in September—but there is some debate about whether he was actually kept alive. Similarly, although the hot poker up the bum story of his manner of death has passed into history and was circulating not long after Edward II’s supposed death, recent scholarship casts doubt upon it.

Also like Gaveston before him, Despenser’s reign as favorite does not end well. He, too, was executed—in some descriptions quite gruesomely—after a trial before Queen Isabella and Mortimer.

It is a fascinating period of history, of which the above is only a taste. Much has been written on the Despensers’ war, but I highly recommend the very readable biography of Roger Mortimer by Ian Mortimer, The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, Ruler of England: 1327–1330 (New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2005).

In The Ghost, one of the key uncertainties and information that Joan is trying to uncover is whether the powerful Earl of Lancaster will answer Edward II’s call to muster and bring along with him his five hundred cavalry. To put that number in perspective, that is about the same number in total that Robert Bruce had at his disposal. But Bruce’s cavalry were “light” horses and not the “heavy” armed warhorses of the English. The overall numbers for the armies at Bannockburn are disputed and vary widely, but an estimate for the English is about 12,000 to 15,000 infantry and 1,600 to 2,500 horses. The Scots were at about a third to a half of that: 5,500 to 7,500 infantry and 350 to 500 horses. In any event, I probably overstated the “mystery” of whether Lancaster would show, as he was a hardened opponent of the king. He did refuse to answer the muster himself and sent only the minimum required men for his service.

Lancaster, a direct descendant of Henry III, and cousins with Edward II, held five earldoms (Lancaster, Leicester, Derby, Lincoln, and Salisbury) and was one of the most powerful men in the kingdom. He was the leader of the baronial opposition to King Edward II and had a hand in the death of Gaveston. He opposed Despenser as well, but this time it was the king’s favorite who came out on top. After being taken prisoner in battle, Lancaster was brought to trial and executed by Despenser and Edward II in 1322.

Reducing one of the great battles of Scottish history to a few pages wasn’t easy, but I tried to stay as close as possible to the accepted history of Bannockburn as I could, while simplifying and trying to make it understandable. It wasn’t an easy task.

There are some controversies and unknowns, however, including the location of the battle itself. But a recent archeological investigation undertaken by the BBC in anticipation of the anniversary lends support to the Carse of Balquhiderock as the battle site.