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Author: Tim Clarkson
Publisher: Birlinn
ISBN: 190790901X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 317
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Book Description
During the first millennium AD the most northerly part of Britain evolved into the country known today as Scotland. The transition was a long process of social and political change driven by the ambitions of powerful warlords. At first these men were tribal chiefs, Roman generals or rulers of small kingdoms. Later, after the Romans departed, the initiative was seized by dynamic warrior-kings who campaigned far beyond their own borders. Armies of Picts, Scots, Vikings, Britons and Anglo-Saxons fought each other for supremacy. From Lothian to Orkney, from Fife to the Isle of Skye, fierce battles were won and lost. By AD 1000 the political situation had changed for ever. Led by a dynasty of Gaelic-speaking kings the Picts and Scots began to forge a single, unified nation which transcended past enmities. In this book the remarkable story of how ancient North Britain became the medieval kingdom of Scotland is told.
Author: Tim Clarkson
Publisher: Birlinn
ISBN: 190790901X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 317
Get Book Here
Book Description
During the first millennium AD the most northerly part of Britain evolved into the country known today as Scotland. The transition was a long process of social and political change driven by the ambitions of powerful warlords. At first these men were tribal chiefs, Roman generals or rulers of small kingdoms. Later, after the Romans departed, the initiative was seized by dynamic warrior-kings who campaigned far beyond their own borders. Armies of Picts, Scots, Vikings, Britons and Anglo-Saxons fought each other for supremacy. From Lothian to Orkney, from Fife to the Isle of Skye, fierce battles were won and lost. By AD 1000 the political situation had changed for ever. Led by a dynasty of Gaelic-speaking kings the Picts and Scots began to forge a single, unified nation which transcended past enmities. In this book the remarkable story of how ancient North Britain became the medieval kingdom of Scotland is told.
Author: Tim Clarkson
Publisher: Birlinn
ISBN: 1907909028
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 382
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Book Description
The North Britons are the least-known among the inhabitants of early medieval Scotland. Like the Picts and Vikings they played an important role in the shaping of Scottish history during the first millennium AD but their part is often neglected or ignored. This book aims to redress the balance by tracing the history of this native Celtic people through the troubled centuries from the departure of the Romans to the arrival of the Normans. The fortunes of Strathclyde, the last-surviving kingdom of the North Britons, are studied from its emergence at Dumbarton in the fifth century to its eventual demise in the eleventh. Other kingdoms, such as the Edinburgh-based realm of Gododdin and the mysterious Rheged, are examined alongside fragments of heroic poetry celebrating the valour of their warriors. Behind the recurrent themes of warfare and political rivalry runs a parallel thread dealing with the growth of Christianity and the influence of the Church in the affairs of kings. Important ecclesiastical figures such as Ninian of Whithorn and Kentigern of Glasgow are discussed, partly in the hope of unearthing their true identities among a tangled web of sources. The closing chapters of the book look at how and why the North Britons lost their distinct identity to join their old enemies the Picts as one of Scotland's vanished nations.
Author: Tim Clarkson
Publisher: Birlinn
ISBN: 1907909036
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
The Picts were an ancient nation who ruled most of northern and eastern Scotland during the Dark Ages. Despite their historical importance, they remain shrouded in myth and misconception. Absorbed by the kingdom of the Scots in the ninth century, they lost their unique identity, their language and their vibrant artistic culture. Amongst their few surviving traces are standing stones decorated with incredible skill and covered with enigmatic symbols - vivid memorials of a powerful and gifted people who bequeathed no chronicles to tell their story, no sagas to describe the deed of their kings and heroes. In this book Tim Clarkson pieces together the evidence to tell the story of this mysterious people from their emergence in Roman times to their eventual disappearance.
Author: Alistair Moffat
Publisher: Birlinn
ISBN: 0857906151
Category : Design
Languages : en
Pages : 200
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Book Description
The brainchild of bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith, historian Alistair Moffat and artist Andrew Crummy, the Great Tapestry of Scotland is an outstanding celebration of thousands of years of Scottish history and achievement, from the end of the last Ice Age to Dolly the Sheep and Andy Murray's Wimbledon victory in 2013. This book tells the story of this unique undertaking from its original conception and creation by teams of dedicated stitchers to its grand unveiling at the Scottish Parliament in 2013, its subsequent touring and the creation of its permanent home in the Scottish Borders.
Author: Alistair Moffat
Publisher: Birlinn
ISBN: 085790874X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 561
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Book Description
In this book, Alistair Moffat brings vividly to life the story of this great nation, from the dawn of prehistory through to the twenty-first century. Ambitious, richly detailed and highly readable, Scotland: A History From Earliest Times skilfully weaves together a dazzling array of fact and anecdote from a vast range of sources. The result is an imaginative, informative, balanced and varied portrait of Scotland, seen not just through the experience of the kings, saints, warriors, aristocrats and politicians who populate the pages of conventional history books, but also through that of ordinary people who have lived Scotland's history and have played their own important part in shaping its destiny.
Author: Tim Clarkson
Publisher: Birlinn Ltd
ISBN: 1907909389
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 271
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Book Description
Who was Merlin? Is the famous wizard of Arthurian legend based on a real person? In this book, Merlin's origins are traced back to the story of Lailoken, a mysterious 'wild man' who is said to have lived in the Scottish Lowlands in the sixth century AD. The book considers the question of whether Lailoken belongs to myth or reality. It looks at the historical background of his story and discusses key characters such as Saint Kentigern of Glasgow and King Rhydderch of Dumbarton, as well as important events such as the Battle of Arfderydd. Lailoken's reappearance in medieval Welsh literature as the fabled prophet Myrddin is also examined. Myrddin himself was eventually transformed into Merlin the wizard, King Arthur's friend and mentor. This is the Merlin we recognise today, not only in art and literature but also on screen. His earlier forms are less familiar, more remote, but can still be found among the lore and legend of the Dark Ages. Behind them we catch fleeting glimpses of an original figure who perhaps really did exist: a solitary fugitive, tormented by his experience of war, who roamed the hills and forests of southern Scotland long ago.
Author: Keith Coleman
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526794918
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 243
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Book Description
This is the first full-length work devoted to Áedán mac Gabráin, 6th century king of Dál Riata in Scotland. An associate of the famous St. Columba, he was the first recorded king to be ordained in the British Isles and was the most powerful ruler in his generation. His astonishing military reach took him from Orkney, Pictland, Ireland, Northumbria and the Isle of Man. This book details his dominant career, which came to a shattering end after decades of warfare at the Battle of Degsaston in AD 603. Beyond the record of warfare, there is a unique and tantalising accumulation of legend concerning Áedán, from stories about his birth, to tales of him in battle with Irish heroes. English sources mention him and he is one of the few Gaelic kings to feature prominently in Welsh tradition, where he is remembered as a uniquely powerful player in the north of Britain. Modern writers highlight Áedán as the father of a prince named Arthur, which has led to his place in Arthurian studies. Áedán’s prominence in his era qualifies him as a fascinating figure, whose life and legend are accessibly explored in this exciting account of this unique ruler.
Author: Sally M. Foster
Publisher: Birlinn
ISBN: 0857908294
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 398
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Book Description
Early historic Scotland - from the fifth to the tenth century AD - was home to a variety of diverse peoples and cultures, all competing for land and supremacy. Yet by the eleventh century it had become a single, unified kingdom, known as Alba, under a stable and successful monarchy. How did this happen, and when? At the heart of this mystery lies the extraordinary influence of the Picts and of their neighbours, the Gaels - originally immigrants from Ireland. In this new and revised edition of her acclaimed book, Sally M. Foster establishes the nature of their contribution and, drawing on the latest archaeological evidence and research, highlights a huge number of themes, including the following: the origins of the Picts and Gaels; the significance of the remarkable Pictish symbols and other early historic sculpture; the art of war and the role of kingship in tribal society; settlement, agriculture, industry and trade; religious beliefs and the impact of Christianity; how the Picts and Gaels became Scots.
Author: Richard D. Oram
Publisher: Tempus Publishing, Limited
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 276
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Book Description
Considered to be one of the greatest of Scotland's medieval kings, David was never expected to succeed to the throne. Before coming to the throne David made a career for himself as an Anglo-Norman nobleman and made a good marriage and rich inheritance with many estates spreading from Normandy to northern England, as well as a principality of his own in southern Scotland. When David finally came to the Scottish throne in 1124 he faced a long and bitter struggle against rivals for the crown. David then set out to modernise the kingdom modelled along European lines. He continued to add to his kingdom including parts of Yorkshire and Lancaster, tipping the balance of power in Britain firmly in facour of the Scotts.
Author: Robert Sinclair
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1481796232
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 219
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Book Description
This book provides us with an accurate historical view of the Sinclair family alongside Scottish history It explores the journey of the Sinclairs from their Normandy routes to Scotland. Sinclair is one of the oldest surnames in Europe and its ancestry goes back to William the Conqueror. The book identifies the origin and formation of the Sinclair Clan, shows the crest and tartans and their Earldoms and Castles. From these it guides us to places of interest today. The Sinclairs were well respected and throughout the centuries, won or were awarded property and lands. They were greatly involved in the battles of the Wars of Independence and are first mentioned in the invasion of England with William the Conqueror. This book goes on to describe in detail, all the battles looking at the first Battle of Dunbar in 1296 effectively ending in an English victory to the first battle for Independence, the Battle of Roslin. It goes on encountering the Sinclairs in the likes of the Battles of Bannochburn and Culloden to the ill fated Invasion of England in 1648 with King Charles II. It then takes us on, ending the journey at the Union of Parliaments of Scotland and England in 1707.
