Alexander III, 1249-1286: First Among Equals

Alexander III was a Scottish medieval king who presided over an era of relative peace and prosperity until his early and unexpected death plunged Scotland into turmoil and a period of warfare and internal decline. This study fills a gap in the historiography of medieval Scotland and challenges the accepted view of Scottish kingship, revealing that the nature of state and government and the relationships between ruler and subject were different from the previous "received view".

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 320 pages
\n Publication date: 23 May 2019
\n Publisher: John Donald Publishers Ltd
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Winner of the Saltire Society Scottish History Book of the Year, Alexander III epitomized the pinnacle of Scottish medieval kingship during a period of relative peace and prosperity. However, the events following his early and unexpected demise plunged Scotland into turmoil, leading to a period of warfare and internal decline that nearly brought about the demise of the Scottish state. This study fills a significant gap in the historiography of medieval Scotland. For many decades, even centuries, Scotland's medieval kingship has been regarded as a close resemblance to the English monarchy, having been 'modernized in that image by the twelfth- and thirteenth-century kings, who had close relationships with their southern counterparts. Recent research has cast doubt on that view, and this examination of Alexander III's reign is based on a view of Scottish kingship that depends on much firmer continuity with its earlier, Celtic past. It challenges accepted truths, revealing that the nature of state and government, and the relationships between ruler and subject, were quite different from the previous 'received view.'

On the cusp of a dynastic catastrophe that would lead to economic and political disaster, Alexander III's reign captures a snapshot of Scotland at the end of a period of sustained peace and development: a view of the medieval state as it truly was.

\n Weight: 810g\n
Dimension: 242 x 169 x 37 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781910900222\n \n