Agnes, Countess na Dunbar

**Agnes Randolph, Countess ta Dunbar da Maris** (  1312 - 1369), wacce aka fi sani da **Black Agnes** saboda launin fatarta mai duhu, ita ce matar Patrick, Earl na 9th na Dunbar da Maris . An binne ta a cikin ma'ajiyar kayan tarihi kusa da Gidan Mordington . Ita 'yar Thomas Randolph ce, Earl na Moray, ɗan'uwa kuma abokin Robert the Bruce, da matar Moray, Isabel Stewart, ita kanta 'yar John Stewart na Bonkyll ce .  An fi sanin Agnes da kare Dunbar Castle a Gabashin Lothian daga mamayar Ingila karkashin jagorancin William Montagu, Earl na 1st na Salisbury, wanda ya fara a ranar 13 ga Janairu 1338 kuma ya ƙare a ranar 10 ga Yuni a wannan shekarar a lokacin Yaƙin 'Yancin Kan Scotland na Biyu daga 1331 zuwa 1357. 

## Yaƙi da Dunbar

A ranar 13 ga Janairu 1338,  lokacin da Patrick Dunbar ba ya nan, Turawan Ingila sun yi wa Dunbar Castle kawanya, inda Countess ke zaune tare da bayinta da masu tsaronta. Duk da haka, ta ƙuduri aniyar kada ta miƙa sansanin soja kuma an ce ta ayyana:

A zamanin Tsakiyar Zamani, al'ada ce ga mace ta ɗauki nauyin wani gidan sarauta da kasuwancin gidan sarauta idan mijinta ba ya nan ta kare shi idan ya zama dole, amma matsayin Countess of Dunbar yana ɗaya daga cikin misalan da aka fi tunawa. Yunkurin farko na Salisbury na ɗaukar gidan sarauta ya ta'allaka ne kan yin manyan duwatsu da harbin gubar a kan shingen, amma wannan ya zama ba shi da amfani, kuma Countess ta sami ƙurar mata da ke jiran ta daga shingen da mayafinta don yi wa masu mamaya ba'a. 

Sai Turawan Ingila suka yi amfani da wani katafaren gini da ake kira shuka don ƙoƙarin kauce wa kariyar gidan sarauta. Countess ta amsa ta hanyar sanar da Salisbury cewa ya kamata ya "kula da shukarsa sosai, domin nan ba da daɗewa ba za ta jefa aladunta [ma'ana mutanensa] a cikin sansanin soja." Sai ta ba da umarnin a jefa wani dutse, wanda aka ɗora a kansu a baya, daga bangon yaƙin kuma a murƙushe shukar Salisbury. [1] Lokacin da wani maharbi ɗan Scotland ya harba kibiya ga wani soja ɗan Ingila da ke tsaye kusa da Salisbury, Earl ya yi ihu, "Ga ɗaya daga cikin fil ɗin tayar matata; sandunan soyayya na Agnes suna tafiya kai tsaye zuwa zuciya." [1]

Ganin ba shi da ikon samun ci gaba ta hanyar amfani da makami, Salisbury ya koma cin hanci. Ya ba wa sojan Scotland da ke tsaron babban ƙofar shiga cin hanci, yana ba shi shawara da ya bar ƙofar a buɗe ko kuma ya bar ta ta yadda Ingilishi zai iya shiga cikin sauƙi. Duk da haka, sojan, duk da cewa ya karɓi kuɗin Salisbury, ya ba da rahoton dabarar ga Agnes, wacce ta shirya wa Ingila lokacin da suka shiga. Duk da cewa Salisbury ne ke kan gaba, ɗaya daga cikin mutanensa ya tura shi a daidai lokacin da mutanen Agnes suka sauke portcullis, suka raba shi da sauran sojojin da ke kai hari. Agnes, ba shakka, ta yi niyyar kama Salisbury, amma ta koma daga dabara zuwa ba'a, tana ihu a kunne, "Sannu, Montague, na yi niyyar ka taimaka mana, ka kuma taimaka mana wajen kare Castle daga Ingila." 

A wani lokaci, bayan Turawan Ingila sun kama ɗan'uwanta John a fursuna, an kawo shi Dunbar kuma Montague ta yi barazanar rataye shi idan Countess ba ta miƙa gidan sarautar ba. Duk da haka, ta amsa kawai cewa mutuwarsa za ta amfane ta ne kawai, domin ita ce magajinsa. Ba ta cikin layin ƙasa ba amma ita ce magajin ƙasarsa tare da 'yar'uwarta.  Lokacin da kayan sansaninta suka fara ƙarewa bayan watanni da dama da aka katse su, kwamandan Scotland Sir Alexander Ramsay na Dalhousie ya ƙaura daga Edinburgh zuwa bakin teku tare da mutane 40. Da suka ɗauki wasu jiragen ruwa, Ramsay da abokan aikinsa suka kusanci gidan sarautar da ke bakin teku suka shiga akwatin da ke kusa da teku. Sun fita daga gidan sarautar, 'yan Scotland suka yi mamakin mai tsaron Salisbury suka tura su har zuwa sansaninsu. 

Bayan watanni biyar, Salisbury ya amince da shan kaye kuma ya janye mamayar a ranar 10 ga Yuni 1338. Daga baya aka rubuta wani waƙar murnar nasarar Countess, inda Salisbury ya ce:

## Manazarta