David I, King of Scots, 1124-1153

Citation

Oram R (2020) David I, King of Scots, 1124-1153. Edinburgh: John Donald. https://birlinn.co.uk/product/david-i/

Abstract
The first full academic study of the king and his reign, this work challenges some of the most deeply-held traditional assumptions about 'the making of the kingdom' in the first half of the twelfth century. Alongside a revised narrative of the course of his reign and a re-exploration of David's relations with internal agencies and external powers, it offers: a full evaluation of his reorganisation of Scotland's national church, with new emphasis on continuity of practice as much as innovatory change; reconsideration of the balance of native and newcomer in his candidates for episcopal office; an analysis of the development of the mechanisms of administration; revised discussion of the traditional models of colonial settlement; a re-appreciation of the relationship with the native nobility and the exercise of power locally in Scotland; an exploration of the intellectual and material cultures of power in the course of his reign.

Keywords
David I; Scotland; state-building; reformed monasticism; Anglo-Scottish relations; colonisation

People

Professor Richard Oram

Professor, History