The Northern Earldoms by Barbara E Crawford

The Northern Earldoms by Barbara E Crawford

The medieval earldoms of Orkney and Caithness were positioned between two worlds, the Norwegian and the Scottish. They were a maritime lordship divided, or united, by the turbulent waters of the Pentland Firth. This unlikely combination of island and mainland territory survived as a single lordship for 600 years, against the odds. Growing out of the Viking maelstrom of the early Middle Ages, it became an established and wealthy principality which dominated northern waters, with a renowned dynasty of earls. Despite their peripheral location these earls were fully in touch with the kingdoms of Norway and Scotland and increasingly subject to the rulers of these kingdoms. How they maintained their independence and how they survived the clash of loyalties are themes explored in this book from the early Viking age to the late medieval era when the powerful feudal Sinclair earls ruled the islands and regained possession of Caithness. This is a story of the time when the Northern Isles of Scotland were part of a different national entity which explains the background to the non-Gaelic culture of this locality, when links across the North Sea were as important as links with the kingdom of Scotland to the south.

'One of the finest monographs available for any Scottish region in the medieval period'

-- Neill McGuigan * Scottish Archaeological Journal *

Barbara E. Crawford was born and brought up in Yorkshire. She read Modern and Medieval History at the University of St Andrews, gaining a PhD in 1971. She was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA) of Scotland in 1964, FSA in 1973, Member of the Norwegian Academy in 1997 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2001. In 2011 she was awarded an OBE for services to History and Archaeology.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781912476817
ISBN 10	1912476819
Title	The Northern Earldoms
Author	Barbara E Crawford
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Birlinn General
Year published	2023-07-20
Number of pages	448
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.