John Barbour (died 1395) was a Scottish poet whose biographical details are limited in publicly available sources. His principal surviving work is the long epic poem The Bruce, which recounts in verse the life and achievements of King Robert I of Scotland, focusing especially on his leadership of the Scots against England and his struggle for the throne and independence. The work has the character of both chronicle and heroic epic; its language is plain and forceful, with attention to battle scenes and to the words and deeds of its characters, shaping a resolute image of Robert I. As an important early work of Scottish literature, The Bruce has notable significance for preserving historical memory and establishing a national narrative, and it has influenced later Scottish poetic tradition.
