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Scotsman
4 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Medieval Scots thought 'Scottish independence was compatible with being British'
Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A leading historian has suggested that Scottish independence has long been compatible with being British following his analysis of medieval texts. Professor Dauvit Broun, of the University of Glasgow, has found Scottish historians and writers in the 1380s and early 1500s regarded the Scottish kingdom as equivalent to Britain. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Malcolm III and Queen Margaret of Scotland. New research has illuminated the perspective that the Scottish royal line's connection to Anglo-Saxon royalty gave Scottish kings a claim to Britain as a whole. PIC: CC. | CC This was not as common as the tendency to refer to Britain as England, but it was similar, he said. While England's identification with Britain has existed for over a millennium, Prof Broun has discovered a parallel tradition where Scots envisioned Britain as an extension of Scotland. Professor Dauvit Broun, Professor of Scottish History at the University of Glasgow. | Photographic Unit University of Prof Broun's findings follow the recent discovery of a booklet from the early 16th century that illuminates this unexpected relationship between Scottish independence and British identity that has, until now, been overlooked. READ MORE: Manuscript that sheds light on William Wallace and Wars of Independence made public for first time Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The academic, writing in the Journal of Scottish Historical Studies, said these Scottish writers articulated a vision where Britain could be a kingdom ruled by the Scottish monarchy – effectively a Scottish kingdom expanded to island-wide scale. The professor of Scottish history said: 'A close reading of work by medieval Scottish historians and scholars shows they firmly believed that Scottish independence was entirely compatible with British identity. 'In this era, Britain was not seen as an English-dominated kingdom, as is often how it is viewed today, but rather a space that could be ruled by the Scottish monarchy. This idea of Britain as fundamentally Scottish is a surprising and provocative viewpoint in today's often polarised debates around national identity.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A key figure in Prof Broun's analysis is John Mair, the so-called 'founding father of Scottish unionism'. Prof Broun, in his paper, said Mr Mair's vision was essentially a Scottish kingdom expanded to include England. Mr Mair advocated for a marriage-based union between Scottish and English royal houses. Prof Broun has now argued Mr Mair envisioned this primarily from a Scottish perspective, with the assumption that a Scottish king would rule Britain. Prof Broun also analysed a previously unpublished manuscript booklet, the St Andrews Chronicles, which dates from around 1511 and gives rare insight into how ordinary educated Scots engaged with these ideas. The St Andrews Chronicles is a startling manuscript (Pic: University of St Andrews) This homemade booklet contains a collection of historical texts about Scottish and British origins, king-lists and chronicles, suggesting these British-Scottish connections were of interest beyond elite scholarly circles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The physical characteristics of the booklet suggest it was created for personal use indicating a practical interest in these historical connections. The booklet appears to have copied an earlier compilation that itself may have expanded upon an even earlier collection of texts. This suggests these British Scottish historical perspectives were being transmitted and expanded by ordinary educated Scots over time, Prof Broun added. The arrangement of historical material in the booklet combines Scottish royal dynasty and events with outlines of Britain as a kingdom from ancient times similar to Mr Mair's approach, but predating his work. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad READ MORE: 13 Kings of Scotland and why they are remembered to this day The manuscript's significant focus on Malcolm III and St Margaret – appearing twice in different sections – mirrors the view the Scottish royal line's connection to Anglo-Saxon royalty gave Scottish kings a claim to Britain as a whole. This reinforces the distinctly Scottish-centric view of British history articulated particularly by the Scottish historian John of Fordun in the 1380s, he added.
The National
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
I tracked down Scottish Labour's London MSP candidate
TO Lewisham Town Hall, south London, there – somewhat improbably – to try and bump into Scottish Labour's candidate for Caithness at next year's Holyrood election. Some context: Labour have been taking pelters for selecting Eva Kestner, a councillor in London, as their candidate for the Highland seat. Her current patch is around 700 miles away from the constituency she supposedly wants to represent. Of course, Kestner knows she has about as much chance of becoming the MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross as I do of becoming pope. Which is to say, remote but not completely impossible. But that's not what she told me on Wednesday evening. We'd yet to hear from the woman herself despite her taking a fair pasting on social media for being 'parachuted' into the seat last week. So we decided I'd go out to Lewisham Town Hall for the next annual general meeting of the council, to see if I might be able to grab Kestner for a quick interview while she was heading in. Eva Kestner is a Labour councillor in London ... running to be an MSP in Caithness, 650 miles away. 🥀 We approached her in London, where she squirmed through questions about the biggest issues facing Caithness - and denied being a paper candidate. — The National (@ScotNational) May 8, 2025 I got off the train and immediately saw a Portobello Brewing Pubco boozer, the Catford Bridge Tavern. Brilliant, I thought, there's a Scottish link right there. Sadly, I later found out that the titular Portobello refers to a part of London, not the sandy bit of Edinburgh. As I got closer, I spied a solicitor's office under the name 'Morrison and Spowart'. How Scottish can you get? Catford was feeling more and more like home with every step I took. Perhaps there was some Passport to Pimlico thing going on and Lewisham was actually an exclave of Scotland according to some long-lost treaty from the Wars of Independence. Robert the Bruce used to own property in Tottenham before Edward II nicked it off him, after all. The prospect of some ancient thane of Catford rattling around my mind, I got to the building and was roused from my daydreams by a small protest which had assembled outside the town hall. READ MORE: SNP national secretary 'threatens' members amid 'stitch up' claims They were there to protest Labour's benefits cuts. Lewisham, for the uninitiated, is effectively a one-party state. There is just one opposition councillor, a lonely Green. I asked around a bit to see if anyone had ever heard of Eva Kestner. Blank looks all round. A very pushy man tried to sell me a Trotskyist newspaper and produced a card machine when I told him I unfortunately had no cash. He said we thought we should have a general strike and I found myself very much in agreement if it meant he'd take the day off. Just as I was beginning to lose hope, I felt that instant twinge of recognition as I spied someone out the corner of my eye. Was that … ? Could it be that woman in pink smoking a fag … ? 'Eva!' I shouted, practically running up to her. She had just tossed the dowt and was heading back inside. I began filming, slightly breathless. Kestner, to her credit, was more game than I'd been expecting. She answered all the questions I put to her and didn't tell me to do one, which is what I'd have done in her shoes. She insisted she was a 'serious candidate', which given the ridiculousness of our interaction, I think we both knew was a lie. Her local connections? She 'worked for MSPs up there' back in the day. Game, yes. Convincing, less so. But that is a matter for the good people of Caithness. When Kestner ran for the equivalent seat in last year's Westminster election, they rewarded her with 3000 votes. She'd have had to double that just to get into second place. I don't think she'll be hiring a moving van any time soon. You can get The Worst of Westminster delivered straight to your email inbox every Friday at 6pm for FREE by clicking here.
