Is Robert E. Lee a descendant of Robert The Bruce of Scotland?

The article says that Robert Lee, of Virginia, was seventeenth in direct descent from Robert Bruce, of Scotland.

We know that Barack Obama is twenty-fifth in direct descent from Edward I of England who fought with Robert the Bruce. We also know that Prince Charles is twenty-third in direct descent from Robert the Bruce, of Scotland. We know that through a different bloodline that Barack Obama and Prince Charles are 17th cousins twice removed.

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The reality is that 17, 23 or 25 generations is a lot of generations. If the original person had a lot of children and grandchildren then he could have millions of descendants.

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What sounds like a lot of coincidence really is not that unlikely. There is nothing special about Robert E Lee being 17th in line from Robert the Bruce. The writer of the article is trying to make him special, but these bloodlines are not so rare.

Robert E Lee was born in 1807.

Robert The Bruce was born in 1274.

This means that there are 533 years between them. Since an average generation is historically 22 years (we are having children later now), then there have been 24 generations between Robert E Lee and Robert The Bruce.

Robert E Lee had two parents; his parents also had two parents each, his grandparents also had two parents each. If you go back 24 generations, in that generation there are 16,777,216 people, and even with such a small sample spread, it still covers the entire Scottish Population because today there are still only 6 million people.

Even if there is one person in his family going through 24 generations, then it would be possible to show a link between Robert E. Lee and Robert The Bruce.

And no, you can not be eligible to be King of Scotland because "The Last King of Scotland" was Idi Amin.

Robert Edward Lee was the youngest of 6 children. There are numerous societies of descendants of the Lee Family. There are no known Smiths or Fitzhugh's in the direct descendency of Robert E. Lee. However there are seconds cousins of Lee who were Fitzhugh's.Though the Curtis family

Note: this was a comment to Lord Lucan, but it cut me off.

I just wanted to put this out there for posterity, despite the time gap between your answer and now. Robert E. Lee was a general, not a ruler, and certainly not a Tyrant. There is a good amount of contextual and historical evidence to suggest that he was not only opposed to the war, but also quite possibly opposed to slavery as well. Indeed, he was among the first of the Confederacy to apply for citizenship to the United States, and his citizenship was posthumously restored. This act lead to many of his soldiers doing the same, who may have otherwise easily perpetuated a sense of mutiny in their descendants.

Robert E. Lee was often described by those who knew him to be an incredible, honorable man. He fought not for slavery but for his home state, Virginia, a place that was deeply important to him.

You can disparage him as much as you like, but remember that when talking about historical figures, it pays well to understand the context of every action, and to take everything(of course including even my own words) with a grain of salt. The world is obviously a very different place now from what it was then, and as such people acted very differently. Memories change, perceptions and values change. As such, speaking from an informed position is almost imperative.

Again, I know this is coming very late, and I don't mean to stir up trouble, just thought I'd add my two cents. Have a nice day:)

Now now dear boy, one wouldn't go bragging to all and sundry that you are a relation of that Confederate tyrant. Perhaps Harper Lee's wonderful novel was an attempt to purge herself of her awful ancestry?

Now, as to whether you are related to Robert The Bruce; apart from the name 'Robert', one is at quite a loss to explain the connection. It appears as if you may have more in common with Oliver Cromwell, by the sound of things.

I wouldnt know unless I lived in the past, but I advise you to look closer for more articles and evidence to back this up. Just one paper does not necessarily mean that it is correct.

(Your related to Robert E. Lee? That means your related to Harper Lee....Cool! I love her book.)

...If you are related Robert The Bruce, then your related to me. I had to do a study for school and apparently he had an affair during a visit to France and "wa-la!"

My family/ancestors came to be.

>.< History is weird.