From Pictland to Alba : 789 - 1070 / Alex Woolf.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Woolf, Alex, 1963-

Series:

New Edinburgh history of Scotland ; v. 2.

New Edinburgh history of Scotland ; v. 2

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Alba (Kingdom).

Physical Description:

xv, 384 pages : maps ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 2007.

Summary:

In the 780s northern Britain was dominated by two great kingdoms - Pictavia, centred in north-eastern Scotland, and Northumbria, which straddled the modern Anglo-Scottish border. Within a hundred years both of these kingdoms had been thrown into chaos by the onslaught of the Vikings and within two hundred years they had become distant memories. This book charts the transformation of the political landscape of northern Britain between the middle of the eighth and the middle of the eleventh centuries. Central to this narrative is the mysterious disappearance of the Picts and their language and the sudden rise to prominence of the Gaelic-speaking Scots who would replace them as the rulers of the North.

From Pictland to Alba pays close attention to the fragmentary sources which survive from this darkest period in Scottish history and guides readers past the pitfalls which beset the unwary traveller in these dangerous times. Many of the sources are presented in full and their value as witnesses are thoroughly explored and evaluated. Unlike most other volumes dealing with this period, this is a book which 'shows its workings' and encourages readers to reach their own conclusions about the origins of Scotland.

Contents:

Maps and Genealogical Tables vi

Note on Spelling and Pronunciation xi

Introduction: Land and People: Northern Britain in the Eighth Century 1

Part 1 Events (789-1070)

Chapter 1 The Coming of the Vikings 41

Chapter 2 The Scaldingi and the Transformation of Northumbria 68

Chapter 3 Last Days of the Pictish Kingdom (839-89) 87

Chapter 4 The Grandsons of Cinaed and the Grandsons of Imar 122

Chapter 5 The Later Tenth Century: A Turmoil of Warring Princes 177

Chapter 6 The Fall of the House of Alpin and the Moray Question 220

Part 2 Process

Chapter 7 Scandinavian Scotland 275

Chapter 8 Pictavia to Albania 312

Table of Events 351

The Principal Medieval Chronicles used in this Volume 357.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780748612345

0748612343

0748612335

9780748612338

OCLC:

123113911