Keith M. Brown
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748612987
- eISBN:
- 9780748653546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748612987.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Scottish Studies
This chapter discusses Scotland's late medieval nobility that conformed to the European norm in their embracing of a martial ethos, their active engagement in warfare and in the pursuits that ensured ...
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This chapter discusses Scotland's late medieval nobility that conformed to the European norm in their embracing of a martial ethos, their active engagement in warfare and in the pursuits that ensured war preparedness. It notes that the prolonged fourteenth-century wars of independence followed by intermittent wars with England in the 1550s required a high level of military preparedness. It observes that the frontier societies of the Anglo-Scottish Border and of the Highlands promoted martial cultures and caused difficulties for government that increased the need for military confrontation within the context of domestic politics. It further observes that Scotland's late medieval kings were expected to be soldiers: Robert I was a great warrior leader; David II was taken prisoner in battle; and James II, James III, and James IV were all killed on military campaigns.Less
This chapter discusses Scotland's late medieval nobility that conformed to the European norm in their embracing of a martial ethos, their active engagement in warfare and in the pursuits that ensured war preparedness. It notes that the prolonged fourteenth-century wars of independence followed by intermittent wars with England in the 1550s required a high level of military preparedness. It observes that the frontier societies of the Anglo-Scottish Border and of the Highlands promoted martial cultures and caused difficulties for government that increased the need for military confrontation within the context of domestic politics. It further observes that Scotland's late medieval kings were expected to be soldiers: Robert I was a great warrior leader; David II was taken prisoner in battle; and James II, James III, and James IV were all killed on military campaigns.
Alex Woolf
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748612338
- eISBN:
- 9780748672165
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748612338.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
In the 780s, northern Britain was dominated by two great kingdoms: Pictavia, centred in north-eastern Scotland; and Northumbria, which straddled the modern Anglo-Scottish border. Within a hundred ...
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In the 780s, northern Britain was dominated by two great kingdoms: Pictavia, centred in north-eastern Scotland; and Northumbria, which straddled the modern Anglo-Scottish border. Within a hundred years, both of these kingdoms had been thrown into chaos by the onslaught of the Vikings, and within two hundred years they had become distant memories. This book charts the transformation of the political landscape of northern Britain between the eighth and the eleventh centuries. Central to this narrative is the mysterious disappearance of the Picts and their language, and the sudden rise to prominence of the Gaelic-speaking Scots who would replace them as the rulers of the North. The book uses fragmentary sources that survive from this darkest period in Scottish history to guide the reader past the pitfalls which beset the unwary traveller in these dangerous times. Important sources are presented in full, and their value as evidence is thoroughly explored and evaluated.Less
In the 780s, northern Britain was dominated by two great kingdoms: Pictavia, centred in north-eastern Scotland; and Northumbria, which straddled the modern Anglo-Scottish border. Within a hundred years, both of these kingdoms had been thrown into chaos by the onslaught of the Vikings, and within two hundred years they had become distant memories. This book charts the transformation of the political landscape of northern Britain between the eighth and the eleventh centuries. Central to this narrative is the mysterious disappearance of the Picts and their language, and the sudden rise to prominence of the Gaelic-speaking Scots who would replace them as the rulers of the North. The book uses fragmentary sources that survive from this darkest period in Scottish history to guide the reader past the pitfalls which beset the unwary traveller in these dangerous times. Important sources are presented in full, and their value as evidence is thoroughly explored and evaluated.
