Synopses & Reviews
How did the later medieval kings of Scotland manipulate their power and alliances after the Wars of Independence?Power and Propaganda is a thematic reflection on the political history of late medieval Scotland, that considers the ways in which power was expressed and renegotiated during a crucial period in the kingdom's history. It deals with themes including the nature of the power enjoyed by kings, how that power was maintained and how it was deployed; the interpersonal relations and struggles between kings and the elites within their kingdoms; and, the structures of governance through which power operated and was felt down to a local level.
Late medieval Scotland is especially fertile ground for an examination of all of these themes as two new dynasties - the Bruces and the Stewarts - were faced with the challenge of establishing their own legitimacy and authority.
Synopsis
A fresh introductory study of late medieval Scotland. Includes: expert assessment of the period arranged in thematic chapters; fresh insights into the period that draw on a wide range of sources; extensive further reading lists.
Synopsis
How did the later medieval kings of Scotland manipulate their power and alliances after the Wars of Independence?
Key Features:
- An introduction to a period in history dominated by national identity and independence from English sovereignty
- Expert assessment of the period arranged in thematic chapters
- Gives fresh insights into the period that draw on a wide range of sources
- Extensive further reading lists
Power and Propaganda is a thematic reflection on the political history of late medieval Scotland, that considers the ways in which power was expressed and renegotiated during a crucial period in the kingdom's history. It deals with themes including the nature of the power enjoyed by kings, how that power was maintained and how it was deployed; the interpersonal relations and struggles between kings and the elites within their kingdoms; and, the structures of governance through which power operated and was felt down to a local level.
Late medieval Scotland is especially fertile ground for an examination of all of these themes as two new dynasties - the Bruces and the Stewarts - were faced with the challenge of establishing their own legitimacy and authority.
Synopsis
In common with all titles in the New History of Scotland series, this textbook has been written by authors at the forefront of their discipline and provides a clear introduction to this crucial period of Scottish history for students and armchair historians. Late medieval Scotland in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries was a place of nation building and many of the broader themes of late medieval European history played out on the Scottish stage at this time. Beginning with the crowning of Robert Bruce as the Scottish king, this tumultuous period shaped political rhetoric, literature and culture from the sixteenth century to the present day and has proved to be a "usable past" for scholars of late medieval Scottish history, definitively shaping modern Scottish concerns and national identities.
About the Author
Katie Stevenson is Lecturer in Late Mediaeval British History at the University of St Andrews.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements; Chapter 1: Introduction: Power, Propaganda and Perceptions of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages; Chapter 2: Kingship, Power and the Making of a Myth; Chapter 3: Crises of Confidence: Kings, Princes and Magnates; Chapter 4: Governance, the Law and the Scottish Polity; Chapter 5: The Church, Religion and Intellectual Life; Chapter 6: Commerce and Community; Chapter 7: Elite Culture, Iconography and Propaganda; Further Reading.