Macbeth opened in October in London to critical acclaim. The movie is being released today in Canada and the US.
Macbeth: Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard star in dark, gritty interpretation of Macbeth
December 3, 2015 By
The Two Wives of Robert II, King of Scotland
November 28, 2015 By
Robert II, King of Scots and grandson of Robert the Bruce was a handsome, charming man who had many descendants. He not only had two wives who had numerous children but many mistresses who had babies as well.
Guns in Scotland: the manufacture and use of guns and their influence on warfare from the fourteenth century to c.1625
November 20, 2015 By
Guns first came into use in Western Europe in the fourteenth century and the Scots were using them by the 1380s.
Glimpse of medieval trade revealed along the River Forth
October 7, 2015 By
Over two weeks in September, the Cambuskenneth Harbours project brought together a wide range of experts and local volunteers to investigate the medieval harbour of Cambuskenneth Abbey, which lies on the River Forth near Stirling.
Rival bishops, rival cathedrals: the election of Cormac, archdeacon of Sodor, as bishop in 1331
October 4, 2015 By
In the early fourteenth century, the diocese of Sodor, or Sudreyjar meaning Southern Isles in old Norse, encompassed the Isle of Man and the Hebrides.
Trickery, Mockery and the Scottish Way of War
September 30, 2015 By
This article seeks to examine two prominent themes, those of trickery and mockery, in how warfare against England was represented in Scottish historical narratives of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Who Were The Celts? The British Museum Offers Answers with New Exhibition
September 28, 2015 By
The British Museum just opened its latest exhibit, Celts: Art and Identity this past Thursday, covering 2,500 years of Celtic history. The exhibit explores Celtic identity and how it eveolved from the time of the Ancient Greeks to the present through art, culture, daily life, religion and politics.
5 Cool Celtic Things at the British Museum
September 27, 2015 By
I attended the opening of the British Museum’s, Celts: Art and Identity exhibit on Sept 24th. It showcases stunning art, jewellery, weaponry, daily and religious objects to tell the story of the Celtic people.
The Battle of Neville’s Cross as told in the Lanercost Chronicle
September 23, 2015 By
The year 1346 is remembered in England mostly for the Battle of Crecy, where King Edward III defeated the French forces in one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years War. That year also saw another major battle, this one fought on English soil.
Call for Papers: Death and Identity in Scotland from the Medieval to the Modern
September 10, 2015 By
Friday 29 January to Sunday 31 January 2016, at New College, University of Edinburgh
Finding the Battle of Bannockburn
September 2, 2015 By
Between 2011 and 2014, a new search for the site of the Battle of Bannockburn took place, spurred on by the 700th anniversary of the battle and the National Trust for Scotland’s new state-of-the-art Bannockburn Battlefield Centre.
Ten Castles that Made Medieval Britain: Edinburgh Castle
September 1, 2015 By
Few indeed are those architectural legacies still remaining to us that can boast the iconic status of Edinburgh Castle, its distinctive silhouette known throughout the world, accompanied by the gently wafting of bagpipes. Far rarer still are those structures with a comparably singular influence upon the shaping of a nation.
Fireworks in Scotland date back to 1507, researchers find
August 30, 2015 By
Previously experts believed that fireworks were first used in Stirling in 1566, however, new evidence suggests that it was actually around 59 years earlier and in the Scottish capital. It is thought that ‘fireballs’ featured in a great tournament staged by King James lV, which took place at the base of Castle Rock, in 1507, in the area which is now the King’s Stables Road.
Reporting Scotland in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
August 26, 2015 By
The aim of this paper is to explore the changing way in which the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports events in northern Britain, beyond the Anglo-Saxon territories, in the hope of gaining a better understanding both of events in that region and, perhaps more interestingly, the way in which the Chronicle was constructed.
Ten Castles that Made Medieval Britain: Stirling Castle
July 27, 2015 By
Stirling Castle is intimately entwined with the history of Scotland and her monarchy, a significance which is recognized and presented throughout its numerous components with admirable vigour.
‘Naked and Unarmoured’: A Reassessment of the Role of the Galwegians at the Battle of the Standard
July 24, 2015 By
Accounts of the Battle of the Standard, fought in 1138 between the army of David I, King of Scots and the northern English forces rallied by Thurstan, Archbishop of York, have unvaryingly placed the blame for the Scottish defeat on David’s Galwegian warriors who, against armoured English ranks, fled in confusion.
Scottish Witchcraft: Background and Practices
July 12, 2015 By
Witch hunting became intensified in many parts of Europe during the Protestant Reformation, and especially so in Scotland.
Robert the Bruce and Leprosy
July 1, 2015 By
There has always been some doubt as to whether Bruce, who died in 1329, did suffer from leprosy.
‘The Mystic Hunt of the Unicorn’ tapestries unveiled at Stirling Castle
June 29, 2015 By
A 14 year project to recreate the lost tapestries of James V has been completed at Stirling Castle.
The Picts and the Martyrs or Did Vikings Kill the Native Population of Orkney and Shetland?
June 9, 2015 By
I suspect that the Norse invaders of Orkney and Shetland didn’t just overwhelm’, or ‘submerge’ the native population: I think they killed them.
Witchcraft on the High Seas: The Voyage of King James and the North Berwick Witch Trials
May 31, 2015 By
Being a man with a strong curiosity, James was personally involved with the witch trials, which was unusual for a monarch. More than one hundred people were arrested and accused.
The Hammer of the Scots: Edward I and the Scottish Wars of Independence
May 24, 2015 By
This book offers a fresh interpretation of Edward’s military career, with a particular focus on his Scottish wars. In part this is a study of personality: Edward was a remarkable man. His struggles with tenacious opponents – including Robert the Bruce and William Wallace – have become the stuff of legend.
12th-century copy of Consolation of Philosophy was written in Scotland, scholar finds
May 7, 2015 By
A twelfth-century copy of the ‘Consolation of Philosophy’ by Boethius, has been revealed to have been been written in Scotland, making it the oldest surviving non-biblical manuscript from that country.
William Wallace: The Man Behind the Legend
May 3, 2015 By
Wallace was a flesh and blood man who had no idea that he would one day become a national hero of Scotland and an international legend; however, in the right time and in the right circumstances, normal becomes exceptional and exceptional becomes legendary.
Early Historic Scotland to 761
April 7, 2015 By
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