Medieval Scotland

Medieval Scotland Of all the Celtic peoples once dominant across the whole of Europe north of the Alps, the Scots were the only ones who established a kingdom that lasted. Wales and Brittany, subject to the same sort of pressure from a powerful neighbour, retained linguistic distinctiveness but lost political nationhood; Ireland became a patchwork of petty kingdoms, unable to throw off the domination of the English. What made Scotland's history so different from theirs? Alan Macquarrie's powerful account of medieval Scotland explores the reasons for Scotland's distinctiveness and its unceasing search for freedom and a national identity. The picture of medieval Scotland that emerges is a surprisingly 'modern' one, with its rich racial mix - the Scots were not a pure Celtic people but a mixture of Celtic races, Gaels, Picts and Britons, with strong non-Celtic elements such as Norse and English - and its strong regional identities making it almost egalitarian. From the situation in Scotland at the end of Roman Britain until the political and religious revolutions of the sixteenth century, including Scotland's achievements in the creative sphere, the social life of the people and the nation's relations. Medieval Scotland.

The Kingdom of the Scots: Government, Church and Society from the Eleventh to the Fourteenth Century Explore the formative period when Scotland acquired the characteristics that enabled it to enter fully into the comity of medieval Christendom. These included a monarchy of a recognizably continental type, a feudal organization of aristocratic landholding and military service, national boundaries, and a body of settled law and custom. By the end of the 13th century Scotland had a church based on territorial dioceses and parishes, centres of learning including monastic houses representing the main orders of western Europe, and thriving urban communities whose economic power counterbalanced that of the aristocracy.

The Philosophy of John Duns Scotus The Philosophy of John Duns Scotus provides a formidable yet comprehensive overview of the life and works of this Scottish-born medieval philosopher theologian. Although he is arguably one of the most significant philosopher theologians of the middle ages John Duns Scotus has often been overlooked. This book serves to recover his rightful place in the history of Western philosophy revealing that he is in fact one of the great masters of our philosophical heritage. Among the fields to which Scotus has made an immense contribution are logic, metaphysics, philosophy of mind and action, and ethical theory.

Somerled: Hammer of the Norse Born c.1113 in Morvern, Argyll, Somerled was half-Norse through his mother. His father's lineage was reputedly of royal blood. Forced into exile in Ireland his family convinced the Colla clan to help them reclaim their Argyll lands, but his father was killed in the attempt. Growing up and living as a warrior hermit, Somerled led the inhabitants of Morvern against the Norse and regained his family's lands thus becoming master of large tracts of northern Argyll. Soon after, he took control of the south of Argyll and pronounced himself Thane of Argyll. At the same time, King David I was waging war against the Norwegians and Somerled's stature and currency rose with the king accordingly. Somerled wooed King Olaf the Red by marrying his daughter c.1140. For 14 years they lived in relative peace until Olaf was murdered by his nephews who siezed control of the Norse lands in the Hebrides. Olaf's son Godfrey, a tyrant, reclaimed these lands but the inhabitants revolted and appealed to Somerled who then led a successful resistance and took Argyll in its entirety. Somerled's invention of the moveable stern rudder gave his sailors an advantage over the Norse war galleys and when Godfrey and Somerled clashed again two years later the Norse galleys were routed. Somerled became King of the Isles around 1156 but was able to treaty with King Malcolm IV who was concerned at Somerled's increasing power. However, after being insulted by Malcolm once too often, Somerled invaded the Clyde in 1163 with 164 galleys and 15,000 men and marched on Renfrew. What happened next is unclear but Somerled died in 1164 and his army dispersed back to the isles. His legacy was in fathering the Clan Donald, the creation of the finest galleys ever seen in Scottish waters and the enduring power base of the Lordship of the Isles.

The political, social, cultural, economic and religious development of Scotland in the reign of King Alexander II (1214-49). It constitutes the first full-length, multi-author study of the king and his reign. The nine contributors to the volume explore issues as diverse as the historiography of the reign, Anglo-Scottish relations, Church-State relations, economy and international trade, law, aristocratic symbolism, urban development and the territorial expansion of the kingdom.

Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney (Classics) Written around AD 1200 by an unnamed Icelandic author, the Orkneyinga Saga is an intriguing fusion of myth, legend and history. The only medieval chronicle to have Orkney as the central place of action, it tells of an era when the islands were still part of the Viking world, beginning with their conquest by the kings of Norway in the ninth century. The saga describes the subsequent history of the Earldom of Orkney and the adventures of great Norsemen such as Sigurd the Powerful, St Magnus the Martyr and Hrolf, the conqueror of Normandy. Savagely powerful and poetic, this is a fascinating depiction of an age of brutal battles, murder, sorcery and bitter family feuds.

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