David II of Scotland

One of the kings to have a particularly difficult reign was David II of Scotland, who had to defend his country against English forces, backed by his brother-in-law Edward III during the Second Scottish War of Independence. He was forced into exile in France and captured by the English before the Treaty of Berwick finished the conflict in 1357 (the English had another war to be getting on with, and that would take up a hundred years). The war lasted for a large part of David’s reign, which was from 1329 to 1371 (41 years, 260 days) so it was a troubled time for a king that started his reign when he was only 5 years old. He also had to deal with the problem of his infertility, which failed to provide an heir to the throne. He was married to “Joan of the Tower” at the age of just 4 but they produced no children in the 34 years they were married. His next marriage was similarly fruitless, leading him to divorce his new wife on the grounds of infertility (but she had already borne children in her own first marriage, suggesting the problem was all his). He died suddenly, aged 46 – a king that reigned for most of his short life but never very happily.