British History in Perspective General Editor: Jeremy Black PUBLSHED TTLES Rodney Barker Politics, Peoples and Government C. J. Bartlett British Foreign Policy in the Twentieth Century Jeremy Black Robert Walpole and the Nature of Politics in Early Eighteenth-Century Britain Anne Curry The Hundred Years War John W. Derry British Politics in the Age of Fox, Pitt and Liverpool William Gibson Church, State and Society, 1760-1850 Brian Golding Conquest and Colonisation: the Normans in Britain, 1066-1100 S. J. Gunn Early Tudor Government, 1485-1558 Richard Harding The Evolution of the Sailing Navy, 1509-1815 Ann Hughes The Causes of the English Civil War Ronald Hutton The British Republic, 1649-1660 KevinJefferys The Labour Party since 1945 T. A Jenkins Disraeli and Victorian Conservatism D. M. Loades The Mid-Tudor Crisis, 1545-1565 Diarmaid MacCulloch The Later Reformation in England, 1547-1603 A P. Martinich Thomas Hobbes W. M. Ormrod Political Life in Medieval England, 1300-1450 Keith Perry British Politics and the American Revolution A J. Pollard The Wars of the Roses David Powell British Politics and the Labour Question, 1868--1990 David Powell The Edwardian Crisis Richard Rex Henry V and the English Reformation G. R Searle The Liberal Party: Triumph and Disintegration, 1886-1929 Paul Seaward The Restoration, 1660-1668 W. M. Spellman John Locke Robert Stewart Party and Politics, 1830-1852 John W. Young Britain and European Unity, 1945-92 Michael B. Young Charles
mstory OF RElAND D. G. Boyce The rish Question and British Politics, 1868-1996 (2nd edn) Sean Duffy reland in the Middle Ages David Harkness reland in the Twentieth Century: Divided sland mstory OF SCOTLAND Keith M. Brown Kingdom or Province? Scotland and the Regal Union, 1603-1715 Bruce Webster Medieval Scotland HSTORY OF WALES A. D. Carr Medieval Wales J. Gwynfor Jones Early Modern Wales, c.1525-1640 Further titles are in preparation
MEDEVAL SCOTlAND THE MAKNG OF AN DENT1Y BRUCE WEBSTER
First published in Great Britain 1997 by MACMLLAN PRESS LD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. SBN 978-0-333-56761-6 SBN 978-1-349-25402-6 (ebook) DO 10.1007/978-1-349-25402-6 First published in the United States of America 1997 by ST. MARTN'S PRESS, NC., Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 SBN 978-0-312-16519-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Webster, Bruce. Medieval Scotland: the making of an identity / Bruce Webster. p. cm. ncludes bibliographical references and index. SBN 978-0-312-16519-2 (cloth). Scotland-History-1057-1603. 2. Scotland-History-Warof ndependence, 1285-1371. 3. National characteristics, Scottish. 4. Nationalism-Scotland-History. 5. Civilization, Medieval.. Title. DA779.W43 1997 941.1-dc20 96-30739 CP Bruce Webster 1997 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WP 9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his rights to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 06 05 04 03 02 01 432 00 99 98 97
For Maddy
CONTENTS Acknowledgements M ~ s Genealogical Tables Vlll x XV ntroduction: The Problem of a Scottish dentity 1 1 The dentity of Place 2 The dentity of Order 3 The dentity of Faith 4 The Wars of ndependence 5 The National dentity 6 Scotland and Christendom Epilogue: A New Age? Notes and References Select Bibliography ndex 9 21 50 71 94 113 132 138 151 157 VU
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS An essay on such a wide subject as this involves many obligations. hope my debts to the publications of others are acknowledged in the references which follow the text. would like, however, particularly to thank the Historical Association for its very ready permission to make use of passages from the translation of the Declaration of Arbroath by Professor A. A. M. Duncan, which originally appeared in the Historical Association pamphlet The Nation of Scots and the Declaration of Arbroath. Beyond these specific debts, have received help from very many friends who have shared their thoughts on the problems of Scottish history. The annual meetings of the Scottish Medievalists at Pitlochry over the years have given me many ideas which have worked on, almost unconsciously, without being able to make individual attributions or acknowledgements. Norman Macdougall and Roger Mason, at the University of St Andrews where acted for four years as external examiner, and the students whose exam papers and dissertations read, have given me many ideas, and corrected many others which previously held. As one who has never taught Scottish history, found the experience of examining it not only very pleasant but one from which learned a great deal. n addition, Roger Mason has read the entire typescript and has made very helpful suggestions for its improvement, of which hope have taken full advantage. must also thank my colleague Af Smyth at the University of Kent, for the many Vlll
Acknowledgements talks he has given over the years on early Scottish history, and for the chance to discuss its problems. The period is basic to my theme, but not one that know at first hand, and am very grateful for his guidance. Neither he nor Roger Mason, however, has any responsibility for what have eventually written! Finally, without the help of my wife this book would never have been completed. She has read draft after draft, clarifying what was trying to say, pointing out where was assuming knowledge of facts that should have been in the text, and helping to tidy up the style. My readers will hardly realise how much they owe to her. The dedication has been very thoroughly earned. X
MAPs Map 1 The historic regions of Scotland x
50 miles Moray ~ &0 w ~ 0 A L B A Strathearn Map 2 The kingdom of Alba in the eleventh century Xl
50 miles Shetland L> ~ a ~ k n e y CUDJ' o Redcastle MORAY lfticv<- Forres "''' 0\ ~ o \ ~ Elgin ' l 6 > v C ' ~ Aberdeen Strathearn St Andrews > - -, ; = ~ ;. Heartland : :. : : : : = : Edinburgh '- f?e ~ L o t h i a i 1 7 )fre ~ ""Shire Lauderdale M e l r ~ s e Kelso. ~ Selkirk.Jedburgh ~ ~ ~ 0 0- 'a r;,ij % %,>00 0 of Monarchy Map 3 The development of royal authority in the twelfth century Xll
X Culblean X nverurie Stracathro P h Scone ert Dupplin MoorX Cupar XStirling Bridge Stirling ~ Bannockburn. X ~. D u n b a r Falklrk / "... ~ H ' ~ d i~ n g t o n r... Edinburgh... '... X \...... H a ~ dh ~ o n. --......... '... /... "............ /7 )......... ~ R o x ~ u r g h... Area...... \ ~ ceded.........) "_,,,'... by Edward -Jedburgh... Balliol... '" _-<::'... 1334... 1' (--'.................. <...,......... j' '".........,... D u m f r ri - ~ ~ > " " ' / "........."' - - -... ~, /,............... Map 4 The wars of independence, 1296-1357 Xlll
GENEALOGCAL TABLES The Descendants of Duncan Kings of Scots (Kings of Scots and Queen Margaret 'Maid of Norway, are shown in capitals with the dates of their reigns) DUNCAN (1034-40) ngibiorg (2) = (1) MALCOLM (2) = Margaret Canmore (105417-93) DUNCAN 11. (1094) EDGAR (1097-1107) William Donald mac William Guthred (d.1212) (d.1187) Donald ban (d.1215) ALEXANDER (1107-24) MALCOLM V (1153-65) DAVD (1124-53) Earl Henry DONALD ban (1093-4,1094-7) WLLlAM 'The Lion' (1165-1214) ALEXANDER 11 (1214-49) ALEXANDER (1249-86) Eric 11 = Margaret of Norway (d.1283) MARGARET 'Maid of Norway' (1286-90) XV
The Succession to the Crown in 1290 (Kings of Scots and Queen Margaret 'Maid of Norway, are shown in capitals with the dates of their reigns) DAVD (1124-53) Earl Henry M ~ ~ ~ L L, r. Earl of Huntingdon Ada = Florence ( 1 1 6 ~ - 1 1 ~ ~ 4 ) Count of Holland Williaml ALEXANDER 11 Margaret = Alan of Galloway sabella = Robert Ada = Henry Count of Holland (1214-49) Bruce Hastings Dervorguilla = John Balliol. Florence V ALEXANDER (d.1268) Robert B ~ u c Henry e Hastings Count of Holland (1249-86) (Competitor) JOHN BALLlOL. Margaret = Enc 11 (d.1283) of Norway (Competitor) Robert Bruce John Hastings William 11 (1292-6) (Competitor) Count of Holland ROBERT (Competitor) (1306-29) Florence V MARGARET Count of Holland 'Maid of Norway' (Competitor) (1286-90) ~
The Early Stewarts (to 1513) (Kings of Scots are shown in capitals with the dates of their reigns) Waiter = Marjorie Steward of Scotland (d.1316) ROBERT (1306-29) DAVD (1329-71) Elizabeth Mure = (1) ROBERT 11 (2) = Euphemia of Ross (1371-90) ROBERT (1390-1406) David Duke of Rothesay (d.1402) JAMES (1406-37) JAMES 11 (1437-60) JAMES (1460-88) JAMES V (1488-1513) Robert Duke of Albany (d.1420) Murdoch Duke of Albany (ex. 1425) Alexander Earl of Buchan 'The Wolf of Badenoch' Waiter Earl of Atholl (ex. 1437) XV