The Kingdom of the Isles

The Kingdom of the Isles
Author: R. Andrew McDonald
Publisher: Birlinn Ltd
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2008-08-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1788854128

This study explores the history of the western seaboard of Scotland (the Hebrides, Argyll and the Isle of Man) in a formative but often neglected era: the central middle ages, from the mightly Somerled to his descendant John MacDonald, the first Lord of the Isles (c. 1336). Drawing on a variety of sources, this very readable narrative deals with three major and closely interrelated themes: first, the existence of the Isles and coastal mainland as a kingdom from c.1100 to 1266; second, the rulers of the region, Somerled and his descendants, the MacDougalls, MacDonalds and MacRuaris; and third, the often complex relations among the Isles, Scotland, Norway and England. A fully rounded history emerges, which transcends national viewpoints. While political history predominates, the changing nature of society in the isles is emphasised throughout, and separate chapters address the church and monasticism as well as the monuments – the castles, monasteries, churches and chapels that form an enduring legacy.

The Quest for the Celtic Key

The Quest for the Celtic Key
Author: Karen Ralls-MacLeod
Publisher: Luath Press Ltd
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2013-08-20
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1909912433

The Quest series from Luath Press continues with the quest for all things Celtic, an investigation into aspects of Celtic history that have previously been neglected or lost. The authors argue strongly that the evidence they have uncovered within folklore, legends, the guilds, and the oral traditions of secret societies in Scotland, link together with striking similarities. They further suggest that these links are not coincidence but the last visible threads of belief systems that have been at the center of the Scottish psyche for centuries. The Celtic Key makes sense of the underlying beliefs that have contributed to, motivated, and shaped a nation through the ages. REVIEWS A fascinating journey through the mystery and magic of Scotland's past...the authors describe the people, places and traditions -- Watkins Review, London, Winter 2002, Issue no. 4A refreshing look at Scotland's past...we are presented with such a wealth of information; well worth reading -- Dalriada, journal of Celtic heritage, Scotland, 2003A spellbinding step into the...world of ancient Caledonia and the people who laid the foundations of Scotland -- West Lothian Courier newspaper, 27 June 2002An enthralling and informative journey through time which deserves a place on every Scottish bookshelf...their sources are well documented -- Scots magazine, Vol 158 No.2, 2003Without resorting to colourful conjecture...it nevertheless adds its own voice to the enduring mysteries of Scotland's Celtic heritage -- Historic Scotland magazine, Winter 2002-3 issue

King Stephen

King Stephen
Author: Edmund King
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2011-01-18
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0300170106

This compelling new biography provides the most authoritative picture yet of King Stephen, whose reign (1135-1154), with its "nineteen long winters" of civil war, made his name synonymous with failed leadership. After years of work on the sources, Edmund King shows with rare clarity the strengths and weaknesses of the monarch. Keeping Stephen at the forefront of his account, the author also chronicles the activities of key family members and associates whose loyal support sustained Stephen's kingship. In 1135 the popular Stephen was elected king against the claims of the empress Matilda and her sons. But by 1153, Stephen had lost control over Normandy and other important regions, England had lost prestige, and the weakened king was forced to cede his family's right to succession. A rich narrative covering the drama of a tumultuous reign, this book focuses well-deserved attention on a king who lost control of his destiny.

Restoration and Reform, 1153–1165

Restoration and Reform, 1153–1165
Author: Graeme J. White
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2000-03-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 1139425234

This book examines the processes by which effective royal government was restored in England following the civil war of Stephen's reign. It questions the traditional view that Stephen presided over 'anarchy', arguing instead that the king and his rivals sought to maintain the administrative traditions of Henry I, leaving foundations for a restoration of order once the war was over. The period from 1153 to 1162, spanning the last months of Stephen's reign and the early years of Henry II's, is seen as one primarily of 'restoration' when concerted efforts were made to recover royal lands, rights and revenues lost since 1135. Thereafter 'restoration' gave way to 'reform': although the administrative advances of 1166 have been seen as a watershed in Henry II's reign, the financial and judicial measures of 1163–65 were sufficiently important for this, also, to be regarded as a transitional phase in his government of England.

The Sea Kings

The Sea Kings
Author: R. Andrew McDonald
Publisher: Birlinn Ltd
Total Pages: 373
Release: 2020-05-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 178885148X

The archipelagic kingdoms of Man and the Isles that flourished from the last quarter of the eleventh century down to the middle of the thirteenth century represent two forgotten kingdoms of the medieval British Isles. They were ruled by powerful individuals, with unquestionably regnal status, who interacted in a variety of ways with rulers of surrounding lands and who left their footprint on a wide range of written documents and upon the very landscapes and seascapes of the islands they ruled. Yet British history has tended to overlook these Late Norse maritime empires, which thrived for two centuries on the Atlantic frontiers of Britain. This book represents the first ever overview of both Manx and Hebridean dynasties that dominated Man and the Isles from the late eleventh to the mid-thirteenth centuries. Coverage is broad and is not restricted to politics and warfare. An introductory chapter examines the maritime context of the kingdoms in light of recent work in the field of maritime history, while subsequent chronological and narrative chapters trace the history of the kingdoms from their origins through their maturity to their demise in the thirteenth century. Separate chapters examine the economy and society, church and religion, power and architecture.

Hugh Du Puiset

Hugh Du Puiset
Author: G. V. Scammell
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2011-02-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 0521179858

This 1956 book, which developed from the Prince Consort Prize Essay of 1952, tells the life story of Hugh du Puiset. Charming, distinguished, arrogant, unscrupulous but above all ambitious, du Puiset died a disappointed man. It was to his ambition that he owed both his success and his downfall.

Royal Childhood and Child Kingship

Royal Childhood and Child Kingship
Author: Emily Joan Ward
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2022-08-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108975739

Refining adult-focused perspectives on medieval rulership, Emily Joan Ward exposes the problematic nature of working from the assumption that kingship equated to adult power. Children's participation and political assent could be important facets of the day-to-day activities of rule, as this study shows through an examination of royal charters, oaths to young boys, cross-kingdom diplomacy and coronation. The first comparative and thematic study of child rulership in this period, Ward analyses eight case studies across northwestern Europe from c.1050 to c.1250. The book stresses innovations and adaptations in royal government, questions the exaggeration of political disorder under a boy king, and suggests a ruler's childhood posed far less of a challenge than their adolescence and youth. Uniting social, cultural and political historical methodologies, Ward unveils how wider societal changes between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries altered children's lived experiences of royal rule and modified how people thought about child kingship.

The Shape of the State in Medieval Scotland, 1124-1290

The Shape of the State in Medieval Scotland, 1124-1290
Author: Alice Taylor
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 550
Release: 2016
Genre: History
ISBN: 0198749201

The first full-length study of Scottish royal government in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, detailing how, when, and where the kings of Scotland started ruling through their own officials, developing their own system of courts, and fundamentally extending their power over their own people.