Table of Contents
Introduction ix
Part 1 The Land Itself
Chapter 1 Nature's Crucible: Stirling, The Neck & the Twins 2
The Land Protects Its Own 3
Stirling & Moat Cailin: The Keys To The Kingdom 6
A Bridge To Cross At Any Cost 8
Chapter 2 Rocks of the Ages: Dumbarton & easterly 10
The Lion's Den: Casterly Rock 11
The Rock of the Britons 13
Children of the Rock 15
Chapters The Isles 16
A World Apart? 16
In Amongst The Machair 18
The Iron Islands 19
A Network of Stone & Ships 21
The Light At The End Of The World 25
Chapter 4 North versus South? 27
Part 2 Stories of the Stones
Chapter 5 No Ruined Stones 32
Standing Stones 33
Barrows & Cairns 35
Cup & Ring Marks 37
Crannogs 39
Chapter 6 The Walls at the Edge of the World 41
The Roman Walls 43
The Land Between the Walls 47
Chapter 7 Castles: Towers of Power 50
The Makings Of A Castle 50
Castle Types In Scotland & Westerns 53
Scaling up the Walls 59
The Complicated Lives Of Castles 61
Winterfell: King of Castles 62
Craigmillar Castle: Winterfell In Miniature 65
Part 3 Players of the Game
Chapter 8 The Sea Kings: Islesmen & Ironborn 70
Vikings & the Old Way 70
What is Dead May Never Die 73
Ambitions of Empire 75
The Sinking of the Lordship 76
Warrior Bards 79
Heart Of The Isles: Finlaggan & Old Wyk 84
Chapter 9 Barbarians at the Gates? Caledonians & Wildlings 87
The Free Folk at War 91
Battle for the True North: Mons Graupius & Castle Black 93
Chapter 10 The King Who Knelt 98
Chapter 11 The Lion and His Claws: Edward I & Tywin Lannister 102
All a King Should Be? 102
Bastards in Their Fathers' Eyes 104
A Legacy of Woe 106
Chapter 12 The Banner with the Bloody Heart 111
Chapter 13 A Tale of Two Roberts: Bruce & Baratheon 114
The Warrior Kings 114
Definitive Duels 117
Rule, Reconciliation and Repentance 119
Part 4 The Wheels of War
Chapter 14 Under Siege 124
How to Crack a Castle 125
Anatomy of a Donjon 130
A Siege Worthy of a Song 131
Chapter 15 Raiders in the Riverlands 134
Life Outside the King's Laws 137
Ride of the Reivers 139
The Price of Peace 141
Chapter 16 A Steamroller of Spears: Schiltrons & The Battle Of The Bastards 143
The Schiltron's Finest Hour 146
Caught in the Crush 147
Chapter 17 Firepower: Guns & Dragons 149
The Black Dread 149
Backfire 150
How Dragons & Cannons Changed the Rules 152
Part 5 The Laws Of Gods & Men
Chapter 18 Gods & Monsters 156
When Giants Walked the Land 157
The Queen of Winter 160
Faces of the Old Gods 162
Chapter 19 The Last of the Free 167
Putting the 'Free' in Free Folk 167
Right to Rule? 169
No Man's Lands 173
Chapter 20 A Red Wedding and a Black Dinner 176
Northern Hospitality 178
The Black Dinner 179
A Second Helping 183
In Cold Blood: The Massacre of Glencoe 186
Endnotes 191
Bibliography 220
Acknowledgements 232
