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Scotland in the middle ages
Contemporary Review, March, 2005 by R.D. Kernohan
Medieval Scotland: Kingship and Nation. Alan Macquarrie. Sutton Publishing, [pounds sterling]25.00. 242 pages. ISBN 0-7509-2977-4.
Alan Macquarrie is a Scots historian, now a research associate in the history school at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, who has already written about Scotland and the Crusades and about Scottish saints. This book, though drawing on scholarly research, is aimed at a more general market with historical or Caledonian inclinations. It is well-illustrated, largely from the conservation agency, Historic Scotland. The book takes a liberal view of what medieval means, starting early with the Romans and including an assessment of the 'Dark Age mystery' of the Picts. It ends, also a shade early, with the way-ward ceremonial salvo which killed James II in 1460 at the siege of Roxburgh. Its strength lies in a clear narrative of Scottish history, helpful assessment of archaeological and architectural evidence, and a temperate series of analyses of trends, social situations, and historical controversies.
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The author's own opinions, if not under-stated, are cautiously stated and never overstated. For example, after suggesting that the Scots kingdom allowed more social mobility and opportunity than some others, he adds: 'It would be an exaggeration to say that medieval Scotland was egalitarian or democratic; but the striking success of presbyterianism in Scotland has to be explained somehow'. As for Macbeth, 'one must put aside both the fantasies of Shakespeare's sources and the anti-Shakespearean reaction which romanticises Macbeth as a maligned national hero. There is little evidence for either view'.
Inevitably any account of medieval Scotland must focus strongly on nationality and the struggles for independence, including the one so travestied in the film, Braveheart, which made the victors of Stirling Bridge look like football hooligans with axes. In this book it is 'Scotland's Great War', not far short of being a Hundred Years' War, and is summed up in a well-packaged narrative which recognises the complexities of English policies and personalities, Scottish divisions and rivalries, and French connections.
The author leaves readers to explore elsewhere the personalities and characters of William Wallace and King Robert Bruce, with just enough attention in the limited space available to do justice to the ill-fated King John Balliol. There are fuller character-sketches of the later kings, especially James I, notable for his poetry and 'totalitarian paternalism', and the brilliant 'unsung hero', James II. The saints, including the expatriate Briton, Saint Patrick, get a little more character study than most of the kings, in so far as sources exist and can be trusted. Ninian, the earliest great missionary to Scotland, is given more historical standing than some other historians allow him. Columba, often popularly but inaccurately claimed as the founder of Christianity in Scotland, is recognised as a major spiritual personality of international influence. The Ulsterman who settled in Iona is also acquitted of the charge of being 'a clerical manipulator of secular politics'. But Mungo (or Kentigern), despite his importance in Glaswegian legend, is not allowed must more than a passing mention, thanks to the scarcity of authentic sources.
There are also good commentaries on social and economic trends. However, some readers might want more than they are allowed about the languages of Scotland and especially the Scottish form of what became English, first called Inglis, to distinguish it from Celtic tongues, and then after the struggle for independence patriotically restyled as 'Scots'.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Contemporary Review Company Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
