Description
Book SynopsisThis is the first full-length study of Scottish royal government in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries ever to have been written. It uses untapped legal evidence to set out a new narrative of governmental development. Between 1124 and 1290, the way in which kings of Scots ruled their kingdom transformed. By 1290 accountable officials, a system of royal courts, and complex common law procedures had all been introduced, none of which could have been envisaged in 1124.The Shape of the State in Medieval Scotland, 1124-1290 argues that governmental development was a dynamic phenomenon, taking place over the long term. For the first half of the twelfth century, kings ruled primarily through personal relationships and patronage, only ruling through administrative and judicial officers in the south of their kingdom. In the second half of the twelfth century, these officers spread north but it was only in the late twelfth century that kings routinely ruled through institutions. Throughout thi
Trade ReviewIn the next generation, all arguments on Scottish governance (and much else) will start from this book. * Paul R. Hyams, American Historical Review *
This volume represents a truly remarkably scholarly achievement. Without doubt, it is the single most significant work to be published on the Scottish legal system during the central Middle Ages in over 20 years. ... Its revolutionary conclusions convincingly explain how the laws of the realm were transformed by shifting power structures in twelfth-century and thirteenth-century Scotland ... it achieves this goal in such a way as to demonstrate that the Scottish experience is of great comparative significance. * Andrew R.C. Simpson, Comparative Legal History *
[Alice Taylor] is to be congratulated and thanked, not only for a remarkable contribution to our knowledge and understanding of medieval Scotland and its systems of government and law, but also for the stimulation which her work will undoubtedly provide. * Hector L. MacQueen, Edinburgh Law Review *
"excellent ... a historian with Taylor's rare accomplishments will be able to shed more light on the matter ... So much illumination has already been provided by this remarkable book that to ask for more would be unreasonable * J.D. Ford, Modern Law Review *
[A]uthoritative new study....Through a close reading of the surviving source material that challenges several long-held assumptions, Taylor breaks new ground. This book is the culmination of more than a decade of detailed studies by Taylor. It is a challenging work, informed by profound scholarship and a keen sense of purpose. It is sure to lead to considerable discussion and inspire further work in this difficult area of study. * J.S. Hamilton, Scotia: Interdisciplinary Journal of Scottish Studies *
Every generation or so a book is produced that is truly transformative of our understanding of the historical processes that led to evolutionary step changes in the development of a culture or polity. Such is the status of Alice Taylor's magisterial study of the formation of the medieval Scottish state. ... Through Alice Taylor's scholarship we have been presented with a new historiographical horizon; now we need to populate the new landscape with the detail of the new world beyond it. * Richard Oram, Renaissance Quarterly *
In this hugely significant and ambitious book, Alice Taylor offers a detailed survey of the developing form of royal government in Scotland during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries... Through rigorous and insightful analysis, Taylor has constructed a vital interpretive model for understanding the dynamics of royal power in Scotland during this period. * Victoria Hodgson, University of Stirling *
The Shape of the State in Medieval Scotland is a work of great scholarship and insight. Through its penetrating analysis of detailed evidence and complex sources, it builds a picture of the gradual development of the state in early Scotland, drawing upon fresh approaches and evidence to yield a textured and nuanced understanding of the growth of royal government in 12th and 13th-century Scotland ... Situating its analysis in a European perspective, it makes an important contribution to the study of medieval kingship, statecraft and the aristocracy. This is a ground-breaking book which will set the terms of debate for many years to come. * Judges' comments for the 2017 Whitfield Prize of the Royal Historical Society *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Maps and Tables List of Abbreviations Preliminary notes Introduction Part 1: Rulers and Ruled, 1124-1230 1: The early Scottish state? 2: Common Burdens in the Regnum Scottorum 3: Written law and the maintenance of order, 1124-1290 Part II: The emergence of a bureaucratic state, c.1170-1290? 4: The institutions of royal government, c.1170-1290 5: The development of a common law, 1230-1290 6: Accounting and Revenue, c.1180-1290 7: A bureaucratic government? Conclusion Appendix Bibliography
