Medieval Scotland: The Making of an Identity (British History in Perspective) - Hardcover

Bruce Webster

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0333567609 ISBN 13: 9780333567609

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 1997

Synopsis

The Scots originally came from Ireland and settled in a remote part of what is now 'Scotland'. They found a land divided by geography: mountainous, a land of river valleys and separate coastal plains, and settled by 'Picts', Britons and Angles. Within a couple of centuries, it was to be invaded by the Norse. There was no such place as Scotland, only a collection of warring peoples. How, from this unpromising beginning, did there emerge a nation of Scots? It was partly the work of the kings of Scots from Malcolm Canmore to Alexander III who brought the country together under their rule; but also of the Scottish Church in a long struggle against the archbishops of York who claimed that Scotland was part of their province. Alexander III's tragic death in 1286 left the kingdom leaderless, and soon to be faced with Edward I's claims to overlordship. In this crisis, the Scots were often divided and uncertain, but in the end maintained their independence and the identity of Scotland, at the cost of a long and destructive struggle. As a result, the sense of a Scottish identity became merged with a hostility towards England, which lasted even beyond the Union of 1707. To this day, Scotland's identity remains an issue in the politics of Britain, and perhaps even of Europe. It is in the events described in this book that the roots of this identity are to be found.

About this title

Review

'The range of this book is breathtaking. In six chapters (123pp), the whole sweep of Scotland's medieval history is tackled, from the sixth century to the early sixteenth. There is also a brief survey of prehistoric settlements. Furthermore, the book is topped and tailed with an introduction, which includes an outline of changing attitudes to the Scottish medieval past from Scott to Barrow and Duncan, and an epilogue, which focuses on the period from the Reformation to the Union. It is no mean feat to guide the reader through such an immense historical landscape in a relatively short book, especially when the reader that both author and publishers have in mind is someone with little or no prior knowledge. Bruce Webster has achieved this by using the medieval millennium to explore why Scotland remains distinct; in particular, how this comes about and what are the elements which make up this distinctiveness.' - Dauvit Broun, Scottish Historical Review

Edition details

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0333567609
• ISBN 13: 9780333567609
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 184