Freedom Scotland

For Freedom Alone: Scotland's Declaration of Independence A letter from Arbroath to the pope, dated on April 6, 1320, originated, not in a crowded parliament or convention, but rather in the comparative obscurity of the royal chancery located somewhere in the abbey. Written in the high-flown style which papal correspondence demanded, the Declaration of Arbroath, as it is known, has, over a period of almost 700 years, acquired a near-mythic status as it has come to be regarded as inextricably linked to Scottish identity and nationalism. The letter is real enough. It survives and can be read and has now been translated several times from its original Latin into English, and into metrical Gaelic and Scots; it belongs to the world as well as Arbroath. But there was no gathering at Arbroath in 1320, no great ceremony at which the glitterati of Scotland stepped forward with trembling hands to sign a document which they somehow were aware would be known in future years as a type of early Scottish constitution, and as the supreme articulation of Scottish identity and the immortal values for which all Scots were allegedly willing to lay down their lives. The National Trust for Scotland, self-appointed keeper of the nation's soul, in depicting Scottish nobility armed to the teeth and attacking the document with a quill pen, in its bannockburn exhibit, is guilty of historical amnesia, bogus distortion and heritage creationism. The author argues that Scotland was on the cutting edge of political thinking; that this was one of the most remarkable documents to be produced in mediaeval Europe. Freedom Scotland.

William Wallace: Man and Myth William Wallace (c. 1274-1305) is a legend. The champion of the independence of Scotland, defeated by Edward I and eventually hung, drawn and quartered in London, he is revered to this day as Scotland's foremost patriot. Since his death, the Wallace story has been one to inspire, and the cult of Wallace has travelled far beyond Scotland itself, helped by Hollywood. Yet Wallace's life is still a mystery. The sources are few and have been grossly distorted over seven centuries through ballads, penny histories and poems This book, based on the original research by Scottish historian Graeme Morton, is the first to fully examine both the contemporary sources that are available and the way the many strands of the Wallace myth have been constructed, communicated and appropriated from his death right up to the present day. Freedom Scotland.

Good King Robert's Testament In 1306, Robert Bruce, the Scottish Earl of Carrick, rebelled against the rule of Edward I, King of England. In anger, Bruce murdered his rival to the Scottish Throne, and was later proclaimed King of Scots at Scone. Robert Bruce was a man of his times, often brutal and prepared to use violence; yet he was also humane. Passionate, he loved and was loved. Cunning and determined; he developed into a great war leader yet benign ruler. Under his tolerant guidance the Declaration of Arbroath was written. One of the greatest political documents of medieval Europe. This is an atmospheric account of Scotland's struggle to retain its independence from the English sword. It is also the story of the many men and women who were inspired by the ideals of freedom and of the English who opposed them.

Robert the Bruce. The quintessential patriot king and national hero, Robert the Bruce brought independence to Scotland. Caroline Bingham's biography unites the historic figure of popular mythology with the genuine man.

Robert the Bruce: A Scots Life (Scots... Scots Legends)

In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce At the end of the thirteenth century, the people of Scotland suffered cruelty under the heavy hand of their English ruler, Edward Longshanks. This stirring tale recounts their valiant struggle for freedom under the legendary leadership of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Time has burnished the feats of these great Scots heroes to mythic proportions, but both were real people, and this gripping tale of courage, loyalty, and ingenuity places its fictional protagonist alongside Wallace and Bruce within an accurate historical context.

A Summer in Lochaber This is the story of the first Jacobite Rising, not the 1715 rebellion but that of the summer of 1689. Less that a year after the arrival of William of Orange in Britain, an army of Gaels, Lochiel, Glengarry, Sir Donald of Sleat, MacLean of Duart and others, rallied for the cause in Lochaber under the leadership of "Bonnie Dundee". The clansmen had lost none of their fighting skills and, reviving Montrose's brilliant Highland charge, they achieved signal victory at Killiecrankie. Although it cost him his life, the memory of the charismatic Dundee and that famous battle is celebrated yet in memory and song. The author aims to bring the story to life through recourse to contemporary sources, letters, memoirs and, in particular, poetry in Latin, Scots and Gaelic, and gives a detailed account of the leaders and their clansmen and how and why they marched to Killiecrankie.

The 1745 Rebellion and the Scottish Southern Lowlands The 1745 Rebellion and the Southern Scottish Lowlands" is a detailed analysis of the causes, events and consequences of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745-46, with particular emphasis on the Lowlands' response to Prince Charles Edward's attempt to restore the Stuart dynasty to the throne of England, Scotland and her Empire. Beginning with a brief chronology of the 1745 rebellion, MacRobert proceeds to explore the legal and structural weaknesses within the Scottish administration that helped to facilitate the initial success of Prince Charles Edward's campaign. MacRobert's perspective creates a nuanced portrait of a diverse and divided Scotland, both scarred and enriched by its economic, religious and regional differences. In stressing the role of this region in bringing about the demise of the 1745 rebellion, MacRobert has written a revisionist history that seeks to "...consider the '45 primarily from the aspect of the Scottish Lowlands" and in so doing, take a fresh look at the validity of the nationalistic romanticism that surrounds Prince Charles Edward's insurrection. MacRobert paints a broad canvas and analyses the rebellion from its inception to its repression and eventual diaspora. He looks at how the legacy of 1745 shaped industrial growth in the second half of the eighteenth century, influenced Enlightenment culture and impacted upon Scotland's relations with the wider world and the British Empire. Freedom Scotland.

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