A. A. M. (Archibald Alexander McBeth)
Duncan b. 17 October 1926–d. 20 December 2017
Works authored
First published in 2002, and here introduced by Dauvit Broun as a core text in Scottish medieval history, this classic work is considered one of the most invaluable critiques of kingship in Scotland during the nation's foundations. In the early years of the period a custom of succession within one royal lineage allowed the Gaelic kingdom to grow in authority and extent. The Norman Conquest of England altered the balance of power between the north and south, and the relationship between the two kingdoms, which had never been easy, became unstable. When Scotland became kingless in 1286, Edward I exploited the succession debate between Balliol and Bruce and set claim to overlordship of Scotland until Bruce's coronation fixed the right of succession by law for Scottish kingship. In a meticulous account of this period, Professor Duncan disentangles the power struggles during the 'Great Cause' between the Balliols and the Bruces, and of the actions, motives and decisive interventions of Edward I.
First published in 2002, and here introduced by Dauvit Broun as a core text in Scottish medieval history, this classic work is considered one of the most invaluable critiques of kingship in Scotland during the nation's foundations. In the early years of the period a custom of succession within one royal lineage allowed the Gaelic kingdom to grow in authority and extent. The Norman Conquest of England altered the balance of power between the north and south, and the relationship between the two kingdoms, which had never been easy, became unstable. When Scotland became kingless in 1286, Edward I exploited the succession debate between Balliol and Bruce and set claim to overlordship of Scotland until Bruce's coronation fixed the right of succession by law for Scottish kingship. In a meticulous account of this period, Professor Duncan disentangles the power struggles during the 'Great Cause' between the Balliols and the Bruces, and of the actions, motives and decisive interventions of Edward I.
This pamphlet seeks to chart the progress of the Scottish struggle for independence after 1291 by considering the changing nature of the Scottish resistance. The primary sources are exiguous when compared to those bearing upon the English attempt at subjugation, and the interpretation offered is at best tentative: that initially an aristocratic governing community accepted the prospects of an English king, English lordship and an English vassal-king but rebelled when the liberties of their community were infringed.
The second rising under William Wallace was almost wholly non-aristocratic and contained an element of social protest. Despite Wallace's defeat the continued resistance, first for a Balliol king (to 1304), then from 1306 for Robert Bruce was based upon the commitment of smaller landowners or freeholders to a place in the politics of an independent kingdom, and represented social change. Since there is no other account of the circumstances in which the declaration of Arbroath, a moving justification of the whole struggle, was produced, more detail attention is given to that episode.
This pamphlet seeks to chart the progress of the Scottish struggle for independence after 1291 by considering the changing nature of the Scottish resistance. The primary sources are exiguous when compared to those bearing upon the English attempt at subjugation, and the interpretation offered is at best tentative: that initially an aristocratic governing community accepted the prospects of an English king, English lordship and an English vassal-king but rebelled when the liberties of their community were infringed.
The second rising under William Wallace was almost wholly non-aristocratic and contained an element of social protest. Despite Wallace's defeat the continued resistance, first for a Balliol king (to 1304), then from 1306 for Robert Bruce was based upon the commitment of smaller landowners or freeholders to a place in the politics of an independent kingdom, and represented social change. Since there is no other account of the circumstances in which the declaration of Arbroath, a moving justification of the whole struggle, was produced, more detail attention is given to that episode.
