Scottish Kings

by Gordon Donaldson

The author recounts the history of Scotland from prehistoric times to the present, describing the centuries-old struggle to maintain Scottish independence, and emphasizing the contributions made by Scots to world civilization and advancement.

Genres: History, Scotland

196 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Professor of Scottish History at Edinburgh University, 1963-1979. Historiographer Royal in Scotland, 1979-1993.

Reviews

[Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donaldson does quite a good job of summarizing the reigns of the Stewart Monarchs. He only briefly discusses the House of Dunkeld (a.k.a. de Brus) and the early Scottish monarchs. Though I realize the extant record for the Stewart Kings (especially James III-VI/I) is far more detailed, I was disappointed that he didn't expound more on the "earlier kings" and Dunkeld Dynasty. With regard to the section on Mary Queen of Scots, I was surprised to find Donaldson go from extremely forgiving (compared to other historians) on some events (i.e. Mary's, in essence, turning over Scotland to France in the event of her death) to down right censorious over issues that I would have expected otherwise (i.e. Bothwell's abduction and alleged rape). In addition, I was very uncomfortable with several assumptions that he made, specifically concerning the events of and leading up to Kirk O'Field, simply because the historical record does not support what he described as fact. I got the impression he only addressed her reign because he had to. I tire quickly of historians that repeatedly describe her as having "let her heart rule her head." If you thought she was a reckless and overly emotional half-wit, at least come up with a novel expression. Overall, a nice introduction to Scottish Kings from the High Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. His writing is very readable.

[Benjamin K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scottish Kings by Gordon Donaldson is a history of the kings of Scotland, briefly examining the early kings of the ancient royal line, as well as the Bruce kings, before primarily focusing on the reigns of each monarch of the Stewart line. For each of the seven Stewarts, Donaldson follows a similar formula to present as whole a portrait of the ruler. This formula includes giving details over the king's birth and their relation to other members of the royal family, how each worked to regain full control of the crown after an oftentimes long minority, and then on to detailing how they went about solidifying their position and what the major events of their reigns were. Besides these overarching political and national narratives, Donaldson also tries insofar as it is possible to capture the personality of each Stewart by delving into their interests and hobbies, religious, carnal, and intellectual pursuits, and so on.

Donaldson's completed product presents a fine biography of the Stewart kings, certainly a book worth reading for those studying Scottish history for educational purposes or those who have a casual interest in the topic.

[Sean Helms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended for those interested in the historical kings of Scotland, however it only offers a basic amount of info about them, including the more colorful ones.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish the book, for two reasons. First, I found Donaldson's writing style to be incredibly dry and boring. He failed to make any of the kings interesting, which is necessary when writing a history.

Second, Donaldson only very briefly covers all Scottish kings prior to Robert the Bruce (1274). And when I say very briefly, I mean he covers the kings up to this period in history in about 10 pages. I had been hoping that "Scottish Kings" would also serve as a brief history of Scotland up through James VI, but instead found myself thrown into the middle of Scottish history without much background. That, combined with the writing style, did not entice me to finish this history at all.

[William Shep · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good though brief study of Scottish kings. One wishes he would have done a bit more with the early kings, especially those before David I in the 12th century.

[Stephen Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short history on the Scottish monarchy up to James VI