BETRAYAL BEYOND THE GRAVE. ⚔️ Before Robert the Bruce died, he made one final, desperate request: his heart must be cut from his chest and carried into battle against the enemies of Christ. His most loyal knight, Sir James Douglas, placed the shriveled heart in a silver casket and wore it around his neck into the crusades in Spain. Surrounded by hundreds of enemy soldiers and facing certain death, Douglas ripped the silver chain from his neck. He hurled the King’s heart into the thick of the enemy, screaming: “Lead on, brave heart, I will follow thee or die!” Douglas was cut down seconds later, but the heart was recovered from the blood-soaked dirt and returned to Scotland.
Interesting Fact When the casket was finally returned to Melrose Abbey, the heart was found to be naturally mummified, preserved by the sheer force of the silver and the spices used to pack it before the journey.
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