The Early Stewart Kings: Robert II and Robert III 1371 - 1406

by Stephen Ian Boardman

The Stewart Dynasty in Scotland series aims to bring the rich political heritage of late medieval and early modern Scotland before as wide a reading public as possible, with specialist authors writing for the general readers as well as the student or academic.

This volume is number one in the series and is also the first scholarly biography of the two kings who established medieval Scotland's most famous and durable royal dynasty.

Genres: History, Scotland, Nonfiction, Medieval History

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

Stephen Ian Boardman is Lecturer in Scottish History in the Department of Scottish History, University of Edinburgh. He was previously Mackie Lecturer in History at the University of Aberdeen, and has held the Glenfiddich Research Fellowship at St Andrews.

Reviews

[Norman Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very well-researched book on a period that is not well known. The author has supplied plenty of detail, in some cases more than I could follow, about the relations among the various families of Scotland. The book could have benefitted from a couple of better maps and charts illustrating who's who, and it would have been nice if the 14th century Scots had had a greater variety in their names (so many Alexanders and Jameses and Roberts!!), but I eventually learned to glide over some of these hoping to keep an eye on the bigger picture.

The closing chapters were the clearest to follow and offered a good overview of the period.

I have recently read a history of the reign of James I and came to this book to get more background. I think that it would have been better to read them the other way around.

[Hettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too much to say? A nice, informative read

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was aware that the early Stewart dynasty was rather tumultous be wasn't aware how bad, with a prince and heair to the throne being killed by his uncle so his uncle could retain his power and one king being sidelined by his heir, Robert II, who was in turn sidelined by his brother. Brothers jockeying for power and control in Scotland and clashing with some of the established clans not so keen to give up control of their own territories.

[James Spurgeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent read of some early ancestors. At times it was a little slow and over-detailed, but it is not short on what the times were like and who these two kings were as well as the other power-players of the day... both family and in other clans. #royalancestry