Kingship and Unity: Scotland, 1000 - 1306

The New History of Scotland #2

by G.W.S. Barrow

A history of the forging of the Scottish kingdom. In AD 1000 the Scottish kings embarked on a dramatic expansion of their territories. Geoffrey Barrow describes the evolution of Scottish kingship and government during the period. He examines the character of Scottish feudalism, considers how Scotland's landscape influenced its society and outlook on the world, and traces the growth of a sense of national identity up to 1306 and the coronation of Robert the Bruce as Robert I.

Genres: History, Scotland, Nonfiction, Ebooks, Medieval History

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Geoffrey Wallis Steuart Barrow DLitt FBA FRSE was an English historian and academic. He was Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, and arguably the most prominent Scottish medievalist of the last century.

The son of Charles Embleton Barrow and Marjorie née Stuart, he was born on 28 November 1924, at Headingley near Leeds. Barrow attended St Edward’s School, Oxford, and Inverness Royal Academy, moving onto the University of St Andrews and Pembroke College, Oxford.

He became Lecturer in History at University College, London in 1950, remaining there until 1961 when he became Professor of Medieval History at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and then in 1974 Professor of Scottish History at the University of St Andrews. He was Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography at the University of Edinburgh from 1979 to 1992.

He married, in 1951, Heather Elizabeth née Lownie, with whom he had one son and one daughter.

He began his work by studying the nature of feudalism in Anglo-Norman Britain, but moved on to specialize more thoroughly on Scottish feudalism. His work has tended to focus on Normanisation in High Medieval Scotland, especially in reference to governmental institutions.

Reviews

[William Shep · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a library copy of this book some years ago. As with any book by scholar G.W.S. Barrow it is well researched and well written. It is certainly a worthy entry into the new history of scotland series.

[Amy]

Whilst scholarship has of course moved on since 'Kingship and Unity' was published nearly forty years ago, Barrow's fine overview of Scotland in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries still remains essential introductory reading for anyone interested in this vastly underrated yet crucial period of Scottish history. I first read it over four years ago now, and while my knowledge has grown considerably since (though still not at ideal levels), and therefore some of the arguments and analysis in the book now seem a bit old-fashioned, it was still definitely worth re-reading, and deserves a place on the bookshelf of every student of Scottish history, or indeed mediaeval Europe as a whole. A highly readable but no less scholarly work, the wealth of fascinating details and anecdotes offer a particularly compelling insight into the life and colour of the mediaeval kingdom as it developed from the early mediaeval kingdom of Alba into a small yet largely coherent, cosmopolitan, and even perhaps somewhat 'nationally' conscious (though not quite in the modern sense of the word) European state, capable of surviving the devastating warfare and instability of the fourteenth century. In particular this detail is why it's a huge pity that my copy has no citations and precious few footnotes, beyond a 'further reading' tab at the end. Barrow's huge contribution to the field mean we can largely take him at his word, and I've not yet found a single detail that wasn't borne out in some contemporary source or reputable scholarship, but citations would still have been nice, if only to provide the interested reader with the tools for further study. More recent generations of Scottish historians have also built on Barrow's work in important ways- sometimes completely revising his assessment- not least in areas such as the so-called 'Winning of the West' as outlined in chapter seven, but at the end of the day, 'Kingship and Unity' remains the perfect gateway into contemporary scholarship, and a good stepping stone between popular and academic works on Scottish history.

[Aurélien Mir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible and entertaining.

[Leon McNair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kingship And Unity

The series of books penned by G.W.S. Barrow always has an air of good quality research and thoroughness, and this book is no different. What Barrow has done is elucidate the proletariat living-standards, farmers, shepherds, and merchants for example, between the newly established burghes and burgesses of the 11th Century in Scotland. Among that, Barrow also investigates into, and provides context of, the political thought and the imposing feudal aspect - through listing the actions of several capable kings and nobility of the era - that began to forge Scotland as a well-governed kingdom in equal respect with the rest of Europe.

One other point that Barrow markedly argues for is the sense of national identity of place and person, Scotland and Scottish, that grew exponentially within this time to such a degree that by the thirteenth Century, when Edward I imposed upon the Scots, it was a certain factor for defying his invasions and surviving under the banner of Robert the Bruce, Good King Robert - who would call himself a Scot.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a text for one of my first or second year courses at Aberdeen. That makes it twenty years since I've read it, so it was time for a second read.

[Cynthia Lockley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Filled in my sketchy history of Scotland.