27 March 2013, Starts: 17:00

 “A somewhat too cruel vengeance was taken for the blood of the slain”: Royal punishment of rebels, traitors and political enemies in medieval Scotland, c.1100-c.1250

Talk by Iain Macinnes (UHI)

UHI, Ross House, Dornoch. The lecture can also be attended from Inverness College via a video link.
Please send an email to Dr Kathrin Zickermann (Kathrin.zickermann@uhi.ac.uk) if you would like to attend.
All are very welcome!

Description:

The medieval Scottish monarchy faced a series of challenges to its authority during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The rebellious MacHeth and MacWilliam families, as well as insurrections in the Highlands and Islands and in Galloway, threatened the authority of the Canmore dynasty. The reaction of successive kings to this subversion of royal authority was invariably violent. The most grisly example of royal punishment came with the killing around 1230 of the infant daughter of the last MacWilliam pretender to the Scottish throne, who had her brains dashed out against Forfar market cross. This paper will examine the reasons behind specific forms of punishment, and contextualise such behaviour regarding the wider use of violence against traitorous subjects in medieval Britain.