|
THE BLACK DOUGLASES is yet another impressive
work of scholarship regarding Scottish history from Scotland's own
Tuckwell Press. Michael Brown has produced a well researched, thoughtful,
and comprehensive study of one of the premier Scottish families. He
demonstrates how one well placed family was able to become a force of
reckoning first in the troublesome Anglo-Scottish border lands then
throughout Scotland and even in France during the period of 1300 to 1455.
This phenomenal rise was conducted by a series of family leaders
invariably named James or Archibald Douglas who generally combined
qualities of political acumen, ruthless military efficiency, shrewd feudal
management, and a remarkable persistence in the face of adversity.
Their aggrandizement of power was first
enabled under King Robert the Bruce (reigned 1306-1329) during his long
running wars with England and the need for strong military leaders like
Sir James Douglas, known as 'The Good Sir James' whose daring exploits
emboldened the Scottish cause and brought terror to the inhabitants of
northern England. In the wake of the Bruce's death and a dearth of strong
kingship in Scotland, the family moved into the power vacuum to emerge as
arbitor of the peace and defender of the realm in the face of renewed and
sustained English aggression. The Black Douglases enhanced their position
with an impressive web of relationships encompassing the church and
notable families alike. Unfortunately, they came to epitomize the concept
of the overmighty subject and were finally brought down after a series of
bloody and often treacherous conflicts by two very strong kings, JAMES I
(reigned 1406-1437, primarily during his last decade) and JAMES II
(reigned 1437-1460).
The maps and figures printed in this book
are very good and help explain the complexity of inter-relationships of
families, lands and castles. Brown's prose is well crafted but this book
is more for the medieval or military specialist rather than the casual or
general reader. It might also be of some use to family historians in the
sense that one can see the influence and lands of numerous families with
names such as Sinclair, Drummond, and Hay. It is a must for anyone
interested in the intricacy of medieval lordship.
|
