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Sto caricando le informazioni... Robert the Bruce: King of the Scotsdi Michael Penman
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Robert the Bruce (1274#150;1329) famously defeated the English at Bannockburn and became the hero king responsible for Scottish independence. In this fascinating new biography of the renowned warrior, Michael Penman focuses on Robert’s kingship in the fifteen years that followed his triumphant victory and establishes Robert as not only a great military leader but a great monarch. nbsp; Robert faced a slow and often troubled process of legitimating his authority, restoring government, rewarding his supporters, accommodating former enemies, and controlling the various regions of his kingdom, none of which was achieved overnight. Penman investigates Robert’s resettlement of lands and offices, the development of Scotland’s parliaments, his handling of plots to overthrow him, his relations with his family and allies, his piety and court ethos, and his conscious development of an image of kingship through the use of ceremony and symbol. In doing so, Penman repositions Robert within the context of wider European political change, religion, culture, and national identity as well as recurrent crises of famine and disease. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)941.102092History and Geography Europe British Isles Scotland 1057-1314Classificazione LCVotoMedia:
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Of course, given a particular anniversary this year this book is certainly a timely study. However, the form of idealised nationalism espoused perhaps by such as Alex Salmond MSP is not necessarily accommodated here. Robert Bruce is, in a sense, laid bare in all his heroism and glory- but also brutality and, occasionally, duplicity. That infamous incident with John Comyn in the church his role during the time of William Wallace are not avoided-and some traditional beliefs regarding these seriously questioned. The murder of Comyn, Penman suggests, may have been premeditated- the act of a man who required either the support or else the elimination of this prominent family to further his cause.
As for Wallace- it is claimed Wallace may well have favoured a Bruce claim- at least after the English victory at Falkirk.
Other myths and misconceptions are also refuted- I’ve known for a while that the notion that John Balliol was nothing more than a toadie of Edward I, forced upon the Scots by him, may not actually have been true- but this confirms it- and in fact Bruce himself was described as a ‘loyal servant’ of the English King at one point.
Yet such myth-busting is not the primary purpose of the work, and almost everything is covered, from land grants, marriages and alliances, to the re-organisation of the political landscape, diplomacy and international relations.
My only real complaint is that the detail of the work could leave the more general reader bogged down- it’s certainly taking me a long time to read, and I admit I have not yet finished it, but overall this is an excellent and useful account of the real Braveheart, who originally bore the epithet.
I received a free E-galley of this book from Netgalley for review, I was not required to write a positive one and all opinions expressed are my own.
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