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The Makers of Scotland

Author: Tim Clarkson

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2012-09-28

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 190790901X

During the first millennium AD the most northerly part of Britain evolved into the country known today as Scotland. The transition was a long process of social and political change driven by the ambitions of powerful warlords. At first these men were tribal chiefs, Roman generals or rulers of small kingdoms. Later, after the Romans departed, the initiative was seized by dynamic warrior-kings who campaigned far beyond their own borders. Armies of Picts, Scots, Vikings, Britons and Anglo-Saxons fought each other for supremacy. From Lothian to Orkney, from Fife to the Isle of Skye, fierce battles were won and lost. By AD 1000 the political situation had changed for ever. Led by a dynasty of Gaelic-speaking kings the Picts and Scots began to forge a single, unified nation which transcended past enmities. In this book the remarkable story of how ancient North Britain became the medieval kingdom of Scotland is told.

The Makers of Scotland

Author: Tim Clarkson

Publisher: Birlinn Limited

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 9781780271736

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In this book the remarkable story of how ancient North Britain became the medieval kingdom of Scotland is told.

Picts, Gaels and Scots

Author: Sally M. Foster

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2014-11-01

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 0857908294

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Early historic Scotland - from the fifth to the tenth century AD - was home to a variety of diverse peoples and cultures, all competing for land and supremacy. Yet by the eleventh century it had become a single, unified kingdom, known as Alba, under a stable and successful monarchy. How did this happen, and when? At the heart of this mystery lies the extraordinary influence of the Picts and of their neighbours, the Gaels - originally immigrants from Ireland. In this new and revised edition of her acclaimed book, Sally M. Foster establishes the nature of their contribution and, drawing on the latest archaeological evidence and research, highlights a huge number of themes, including the following: the origins of the Picts and Gaels; the significance of the remarkable Pictish symbols and other early historic sculpture; the art of war and the role of kingship in tribal society; settlement, agriculture, industry and trade; religious beliefs and the impact of Christianity; how the Picts and Gaels became Scots.

The Scots

Author: Alistair Moffat

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2011-05-01

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 085790020X

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History has always mattered to Scots, and rarely more so than now at the outset of a new century, with a new census appearing in 2011 and after more than ten years of a new parliament. An almost limitless archive of our history lies hidden inside our bodies and we carry the ancient story of Scotland around with us. The mushrooming of genetic studies, of DNA analysis, is rewriting our history in spectacular fashion. In The Scots: A Genetic Journey, Alistair Moffat explores the history that is printed on our genes, and in a remarkable new approach, uncovers the detail of where we are from, who we are and in so doing colour vividly a DNA map of Scotland.

Áedán of the Gaels

Author: Keith Coleman

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military

Published: 2022-03-24

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1526794918

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This is the first full-length work devoted to Áedán mac Gabráin, 6th century king of Dál Riata in Scotland. An associate of the famous St. Columba, he was the first recorded king to be ordained in the British Isles and was the most powerful ruler in his generation. His astonishing military reach took him from Orkney, Pictland, Ireland, Northumbria and the Isle of Man. This book details his dominant career, which came to a shattering end after decades of warfare at the Battle of Degsaston in AD 603. Beyond the record of warfare, there is a unique and tantalising accumulation of legend concerning Áedán, from stories about his birth, to tales of him in battle with Irish heroes. English sources mention him and he is one of the few Gaelic kings to feature prominently in Welsh tradition, where he is remembered as a uniquely powerful player in the north of Britain. Modern writers highlight Áedán as the father of a prince named Arthur, which has led to his place in Arthurian studies. Áedán’s prominence in his era qualifies him as a fascinating figure, whose life and legend are accessibly explored in this exciting account of this unique ruler.

A New History of the Picts

Author: Stuart McHardy

Publisher: Luath Press Ltd

Published: 2020-04-17

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1912387808

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When the Romans came north to what is now modern Scotland they encountered the fierce and proud warrior society known as the Picts, who despite their lack of discipline and arms, managed to prevent the undefeated Roman Army from conquering the northern part of Britain, just as they later repulsed the Angles and the Vikings.A New History of the Picts is an accessible true history of the Picts, who are so often misunderstood. New historical analysis, recently discovered evidence and an innovative Scottish perspective will expose long held assumptions about the native people.This controversial text contests that Scottish history has long since been dominated and distorted by misleading perspectives. A New History of the Picts discredits the idea that the Picts were a strange historical anomaly and shows them to be the descendants of the original inhabitants of the land, living in a series of loose tribal confederations gradually brought together by external forces to create one of the earliest states in Europe: a people, who after repulsing all invaders, merged with their cousins, the Scots of Argyll, to create modern Scotland. All of Scotland descends from the fierce Picts.

Swords And Sword Makers Of England And Scotland

Author: Richard H. Bezdek

Publisher: Paladin Press

Published: 2003-05-01

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 9781581603996

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Here is the largest book ever published on English and Scottish swords and sword makers from the 14th century to the present. Includes much never-before-published information on the swords and the men who made, decorated and sold them, plus more than 450 spectacular photos of English and Scottish swords of every type and era.

The Picts

Author: Tim Clarkson

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2012-09-28

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1907909036

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The Picts were an ancient nation who ruled most of northern and eastern Scotland during the Dark Ages. Despite their historical importance, they remain shrouded in myth and misconception. Absorbed by the kingdom of the Scots in the ninth century, they lost their unique identity, their language and their vibrant artistic culture. Amongst their few surviving traces are standing stones decorated with incredible skill and covered with enigmatic symbols - vivid memorials of a powerful and gifted people who bequeathed no chronicles to tell their story, no sagas to describe the deed of their kings and heroes. In this book Tim Clarkson pieces together the evidence to tell the story of this mysterious people from their emergence in Roman times to their eventual disappearance.

The Picts and the Scots

Author: Lloyd Robert Laing

Publisher: Sutton Pub Limited

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13: 9780750928731

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Who were the Picts and the Scots? For a long time the Picts were known almost entirely from their mysterious symbol stones, which generations of scholars have tried to interpret and date. The discovery of the St Ninian's Isle Treasure in 1958 added a new dimension to our understanding of these accomplished people, but still many problems concerning them and their links with Scotland remain unresolved. This account presents the latest archaeological discoveries and discusses the evidence for the relationship between these two peoples, tracing their development from raids on Roman Britain to the formation of rival Dark Age kingdoms that produced a unique artistic inheritance.

The Great Tapestry of Scotland

Author: Alistair Moffat

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2014-12-12

Total Pages: 685

ISBN-13: 0857906569

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The brainchild of bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith, historian Alistair Moffat and artist Andrew Crummy, the Great Tapestry of Scotland is an outstanding celebration of thousands of years of Scottish history and achievement, from the end of the last Ice Age to Dolly the Sheep and Andy Murray's Wimbledon victory in 2013. This book tells the story of this unique undertaking from its original conception and creation by teams of dedicated stitchers to its grand unveiling at the Scottish Parliament in 2013, its subsequent touring and the creation of its permanent home in the Scottish Borders.