Bruce II (Prince of Caledon)
| Bruce II | |
| In office 66 to 108 | |
| Preceded by | John III |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Laurence I |
| Born | 37 |
| Died | 108 |
Bruce Edward Douglass was the eldest son of Prince John III and Princess Mary.
While John III was a ruthless, brutal ruler with a genuine love of playing full-contact court-intrigue, his son Bruce was simply ineffectual.
Bruce had a near-congenital inability to "read" people. Taking the throne as his father plunged into ill health, at age 29, he had been for the most part a dilettante his entire life, and carried that pattern on through his reign.
On the up side, those who sought and received his favor occasionally accomplished great things; Lord Brooke, Earl of Cromarty, paid Bruce off handsomely for the rights to drive the colonization of newly-discovered Stirling.
To the negative, Bruce was easily manipulated by his advisors, supporters and others close to him - including Lady Amanda Humphrey, most notable among several mistresses. Humphrey, wife of a prominent liquor distiller and one of the first women elected to the House of Lords (representing branches of the nobility on Rob Roy). Humphrey proved adept at manipulating the Prince on policy issues, largely favoring her associates and family's business partners.
Eventually, the favoritism from the throne enraged so much of the nobility (to say nothing of the Parliament) that Clan Douglass forced Bruce to abdicate, in 74, in favor of his brother Laurence - with whom Humphrey was also involved.
Off the throne, John spent the rest of his life hunting on a large family estate on Stirling.