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John Barbour

Type Figure Region Scotland Time c. 1320–1395 Also known as the poet-barbour

A 14th-century Scottish poet and church scholar, Archdeacon of Aberdeen, hailed as the father of Scottish literature.…

Timeline

  1. c. 1320–1357Aberdeen · AberdeenshireBorn in the Aberdeen area, he received a church education, served in the church from the 1350s, became Archdeacon of Aberdeen Cathedral in 1357, and was at times sent abroad on royal embassies.
  2. 1371–1378Aberdeen · AberdeenshireHe composed the long epic The Brus, narrating in the Scottish dialect the life of Robert Bruce and the wars of independence, covering key events such as the Battle of Bannockburn; sponsored by King Robert II, it became a foundational work of Scottish literature.
  3. 1378–1395Aberdeen · AberdeenshireHe continued as Archdeacon of Aberdeen, still involved in church and court affairs in his later years, and died in 1395; his poetry had a lasting influence on later Scottish literary and historical narrative traditions.

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