| Alexander III, 1249-1286: First Among Equals Contributor(s): Reid, Norman H. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1910900222 ISBN-13: 9781910900222 Publisher: John Donald Publishers OUR PRICE: $76.00 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: July 2019 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - Medieval - History | Military - Ancient - History | Europe - Great Britain - Norman Conquest To Late Medieval (1066-1485) |
| Dewey: B |
| LCCN: 2018277736 |
| Physical Information: 1.5" H x 6.4" W x 9.3" (1.75 lbs) 320 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) - Cultural Region - British Isles - Cultural Region - Scottish |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Winner of the Saltire Society Scottish History Book of the Year 2019 Presiding over an age of relative peace and prosperity, Alexander III represented the zenith of Scottish medieval kingship. The events which followed his early and unexpected death plunged Scotland into turmoil, and into a period of warfare and internal decline which almost brought about the demise of the Scottish state. This study fills a serious gap in the historiography of medieval Scotland. For many decades, even centuries, Scotland's medieval kingship has been regarded as a close likeness of the English monarchy, having been 'modernised' in that image by the twelfth- and thirteenth-century kings, who had close relationships with their southern counterparts. Recent research has cast doubt on that view, and this examination of Alexander III's reign is based on a view of Scottish kingship which depends on much firmer continuity with its earlier, celtic past. It challenges accepted truth, revealing that the nature of state and government, and the relationships between ruler and subject, were quite different from the previous 'received view'. On the cusp of a dynastic catastrophe which led to economic and political disaster, Alexander III's reign captures a snapshot of Scotland at the end of a period of sustained peace and development: a view of the medieval state as it really was. |
Contributor Bio(s): Reid, Norman H.: - Norman Reid is an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of History, University of St Andrews. He was previously Head of Special Collections and Assistant Director of Library Services, University of St Andrews. |