The Wars of the Bruces: Scotland, England and Ireland 1306 - 1328

by Colm McNamee

Overview

The Bruces of fourteenth-century Scotland were formidable and enthusiastic warriors. Whilst much has been written about events as they happened in Scotland during the chaotic years of the first part of the fourteenth century, England’s war with Robert the Bruce profoundly affected the whole of the British Isles. Scottish raiders struck deep into the heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire; Robert’s younger brother, Edward Bruce, was proclaimed King of Ireland and came close to subduing the country; the Isle of Man was captured and a Welsh sea-port was raided; and in the North Sea Scots allied with German and Flemish pirates to cripple England’s vital wool trade and disrupt its war effort.

Packed with detail and written with a strong and involving narrative thread, this is the first book to link up the various theatres of war and discuss the effect of the wars of the Bruces outside Scotland.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780276618
Publisher:	Birlinn, Limited
Publication date:	12/06/2022
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	970,555
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Colm McNamee is the Senior Research Officer for the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. He studied at Queens’ University, Belfast, and Worcester College, Oxford and has a DPhil in Medieval History. His previous publications include The Wars of the Bruces.

Editorial Reviews

"...The Wars of the Bruces is a valuable adjunct to the existing historiography and a credible corrective to some of the Bruce panegyrists."

HistoryNet

"Some of the most innovative and illuminating medieval history…"

The Scottish Historical Review

"If the postmodernist onslaught on historical methodology has left some medievalists in a crisis of confidence, they need look no further than McNamee's new book for a resounding affirmation of traditional approaches to the study of the Middle Ages… [A] meticulous, comprehensive and persuasive discussion drawing on a wide range of source material..."

The Innes Review

"...for well crafted history, this volume would be hard to beat."

S.A.T.H. - Danny Murphy

"[It's] the different perspective which McNamee brings to his subject which is amongst the chief merits of The Wars of the Bruces."

History Ireland

"This is a fine book that should be of interest to a much wider audience than historians."

Michael Prestwich

"In this well-written and well-researched book, McNamee treads familiar territory: the formative period of Scottish independence from England under its greatest medieval king, Robert the Bruce. ...McNamee dispels much of the romantic notion of Bruce as a pan-Celtic hero."

Speculum

"Incredibly well researched and rich in historical analysis."

Scottish Field

An impressively informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented history of 14th Century Scotland and its wars with England… a fascinating read and an especially recommended addition.

Midwest Book Review