The Scottish War of Independence

by Evan M. Barron, Macleod, Evan

The Scottish War of Independence claims to be the first "accurate and understandable narrative" of the famous struggle in which Wallace succumbed and Bruce triumphed. Its special novelty is the attempt to prove that the War of Independence was the achievement, not of Teutonic, but of Celtic Scotland. Mr. Barron's work is based on a close study of contemporary documents; its able research deserves consideration from historical students, and its lively style should ensure it popularity with the general reader.

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

525 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Sarah W.]

This history of the medieval Scottish War of Independence was originally published in 1914 and in some ways, it shows its age. More contemporary historians state their opinions with more subtlety and less overt nationalism. I was also surprised by the author's portrayal of William Wallace and Robert Bruce - Bruce is lionized as a military genius and Wallace is downplayed. Still, histories of this period are not as numerous as one would think and I appreciated this one for attempting to cover the entire war and its approachability more than a century after it was written.

[Mick Maye]

Excellent coverage of the Scottish wars of Independence from 1295 to 1328.

[Barbara Henderson]

Opinionated and passionate, this may not be the usual subtle historical analysis I am used to reading, but I was looking for a book which did not sideline Andrew de Moray (the subject of my particular interest) - and the writing style was very readable and entertaining. The writer had an agenda, sure - but I found he wove together a complicated web of characters, actions, events and motivations very skilfully. A book of its time (1914), but timeless too.

[Jay]

A good history of the Scottish War of Independence, but Barrow's Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland remains my favorite book on the subject.

[Deanna]

Being a direct descendent of Robert the Bruce I truly enjoyed this book. Very informative and well written. I keep it handy for checking facts and information.