Alexander II: King of Scots 1214-1249

by Richard Oram, Richard D. Oram

Overview

By equal measure state-builder and political unifier and ruthless opportunist and bloody-handed aggressor, Alexander II has been praised or vilified by past historians but has rarely been viewed in the round. This book explores the king's successes and failures, offering a fresh assessment of his contribution to the making of Scotland as a nation. It lifts the focus from an introspective national history to look at the man and his kingdom in wider British and European history, examining his international relationships and offering the first detailed analysis of the efforts to work out a lasting diplomatic solution to Anglo-Scottish conflict over his inherited claims to the northern counties of England.

More than just a political narrative, the book also seeks to illuminate aspects of the king's character and his relationships with those around him, especially his mother, his first wife Joan Plantagenet, and the great magnates, clerics and officials who served in his household and administration.

The book illustrates the processes by which the mosaic of petty principalities and rival power-bases that covered the map of late 12th-century Scotland had become by the mid-13th century a unified state, hybrid in culture(s) and multilingual but acknowledging a common identity as Scots.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781904607922
Publisher:	Birlinn, Limited
Publication date:	12/16/2012
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Richard Oram is Professor of Medieval and Environmental History, and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, at the University of Stirling. He is President of the Scottish Castles Association, President of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the Society of Antiquaries.

Richard D. Oram is Professor of Medieval and Environmental History, and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, at the University of Stirling. He is President of the Scottish Castles Association, President of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the Society of Antiquaries.

Table of Contents

List of Plates vi

Acknowledgements and Dedication viii

List of Abbreviations ix

Introduction 1

1 The Shadow of the Past: Alexander's Heritage 4

2 The Fox-Cub and the Old Lion 25

3 Finding a Just Peace 52

4 Master in His Own House, 1215-1235 71

5 The Best of Friends and Neighbours? 108

6 Alexander Triumphant 149

7 The Church, the King and the King's Faith 192

8 Intellectual and Material Culture in Alexander II's Scotland 224

Conclusion 256

Bibliography 260

Index 270