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Medieval
Scotland
Burgess,
Merchant and Priest
This work examines what life was like in the new communities
founded by David I in the 12th century, such as Perth, Aberdeen,
Elgin, Edinburgh and Glasgow. It looks at houses, clothes and
lifestyles, and also in relation to the religious houses which
played such an important part in their life.
 Outlaws
of Medieval Scotland
The history of the so-called Canmore kings in Scotland, from
the reign of Malcolm lll (1058-93) down to that of Alexander
lll (1249-86), is marked by an array of insurrections led by
discontented dynasts and native warlords with grievances against
these kings. Although none of the challenges ultimately proved
successful, they nevertheless form a much-neglected theme across
a formative era of Scottish history, which they in part define.
This book demonstrates that the Canmore kings maintained their
grip on power in large measure through crushing rivals and quashing
numerous insurrections; their claim to be the founders of the
medieval kingdom is valid, but the roles of violence and military
confrontations in the consolidation of their power and the formation
of the medieval kingdom are given new emphasis here. From well-known
events like the invasion of Somerled of Argyll in 1164 to lesser-known
challenges like that from Donald MacWillliam in the 1180s, the
book offers a systematic exploration of the leaders of insurrection,
their aims and motivations, their military capabilities, and
the reasons behind their failure as well as the overall impact
of insurrection upon the Scottish kingdom. Medieval
Scotland.
Native
Lordship in Medieval Scotland
In the century or so after 1125 significant numbers of Anglo-Norman
and European noblemen settled in Scotland at the invitation
of the crown, chiefly in the lowlands. North of the Forth, however,
lay large provincial lordships ruled on behalf of the king by
hereditary lords known as 'mormaers'. Even after the arrival
of the newcomers, the native rulers of this area, Gaelic speakers
for the most part, remained a small, powerful, and largely independent
group. Using the lordships of Strathearn and Lennox as focal
points, this book explores the complex nature of the encounter
between the cultures of the Gaels and the Europeans, and shows
how important were native customs and practices in the making
of the later medieval kingdom.
Older
Scots Literature
Written by leading scholars in the subject, this three-part
collection features essays on medieval and Renaissance Scotland's
principal writers, including Robert Henryson, William Dunbar,
and Alexander Montgomerie. It also provides discussions of a
wide range of types of writing, in poetry and prose, from the
ballad and the personal letter to Scotland's extraordinary tradition
of 'eldritch' (supernatural or 'spooky') verse. Women's writing
and gender issues are examined in several essays dealing with
the sixteenth century. These contributions are supported by
important contextualising essays on manuscript and print culture,
and by linguistic, stylistic and metrical analyses of key texts
from these periods, such as Hary's Wallace and the Gude and
Godlie Ballatis. This volume constitutes a rich combination
of original research and scholarly reassessment into the literature
of the Scottish nation's most creative era. Contributors include
Priscilla Bawcutt, Sarah M. Dunnigan, William Gillies, R.J.
Lyall, and A.A. MacDonald. Each part is introduced by a substantial
essay by the editor.
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