THE ENGLISH PERIOD.
_Eadgar; invasion of Magnus_ (1)--_English marriage_
(2)--_Alexander I.; rising in Moray_ (3)--_Church reforms_
(4)--_David I._ (5)--_English war_ (6)--_Battle of the
Standard_ (7)--_peace with England_ (8)--_internal
improvements_ (9)--_Malcolm IV._ (10)--_subjection of
Galloway_ (11)--_William the Lion_ (12)--_Convention of
Falaise_ (13)--_homage at Lincoln_ (14)--_independence
of the Church_ (15)--_internal troubles_ (16)--_social
progress_ (17)--_Alexander II._ (18)--_settling of the
border line_ (19)--_state of the North_ (20)--_Alexander
III._ (21)--_his marriage and homage to England_
(22)--_last invasion of the Northmen_ (23)--_literature and
architecture_ (24)--_state of the kingdom_ (25).
=1. Eadgar, 1097-1107. Invasion of Magnus.=--In the beginning of this
reign, _Magnus Barefoot_, King of Norway, made good his right to the
_Orkneys_ and the Scandinavian Earldom on the mainland. He seized the
two earls, and placed his own son _Sigurd_ in their stead. He then
sailed for the _Sudereys_, at that time dependencies of the _Kingdom
of Man_, wasted them with fire and sword, marked his claim by sailing
round each island, and, by way of proving his right to _Kintyre_, is
said to have had himself dragged across the isthmus that joins it to
the mainland in his ship, with his hand on the tiller. On his death
the islands fell back into the hands of the former owners, and their
descendants, the _Lords of the Isles_, were afterwards wont to declare
themselves vassals of _Norway_, whenever it suited their convenience.
In one respect only did this expedition differ from the former
piratical descents of the Northmen. This time the sacred island of Iona
was respected, and the church, so lately rebuilt, was left uninjured
by the special order of the King.
=2. English Marriage.=--The friendly relations with England were
maintained and strengthened by the marriage of Eadgar's sister
_Eadgyth_, who took the name of _Matilda_, with _Henry the First_, the
youngest son of William the Conqueror. She proved nearly as great a
blessing to the English as her English mother had been to the Scots,
for she taught the King to "love his folk," and was affectionately
remembered by them as "_Maud_ the good Queen." On his death-bed Eadgar
separated _Strathclyde_ from the rest of the kingdom, and conferred it
on his brother _David_ as a return for the wise counsel with which that
brother had helped him through his very uneventful reign.
=3. Alexander I., 1107-1124. Northern Rising.=--This King, unlike
his easy-tempered brother, had a strong will and unyielding spirit.
His reign was consequently a troubled one, as always happened when
the Scots King tried to rule instead of being ruled by his turbulent
subjects. His first difficulties were of course in the north. The men
of _Merne_ and _Moray_ came forth secretly and swiftly, hoping to
surprise and murder him; but their tactics, which had proved fatal to
Duncan, were upset by Alexander's discovery of the plot and rapid march
to meet them. They were thus forced to fight, and thoroughly beaten on
the northern shore of the _Moray Firth_, and the signal vengeance taken
by the King after his victory, won for him the title of "the _Fierce_."
To commemorate his success he founded the monastery of _Scone_.
=4. Church Reforms.=--Alexander deserves to be remembered for the
spirit and wisdom with which he upheld the independence of the national
church. Anxious to carry out in the same spirit the reforms already
begun by his mother, he appointed her confessor _Turgot_, Prior of
Durham, to the See of St. Andrews, and asked the _Archbishop of
York_ to consecrate him. The Archbishop on this claimed the canonical
obedience of all the Scottish bishops, declaring that the whole country
was in his province. This demand was clearly unjust; for, though
_Lothian_ was undoubtedly so, the Scottish Church was older than his
own, and had never been dependent on any foreign See. This difficulty
was got over by the consecration of the new bishop by the _Bishop of
London_, and Turgot was installed as head of the Church from which
his own priory of _Durham_ had originally branched off. Instead of
identifying himself with the interests of his new charge, he did all
he could to bring the Scottish Church under the authority of the
Archbishop of York, so that he and the King soon quarrelled; and as
the King refused to let the Bishop go to _Rome_ to lay his case before
the _Pope_, he resigned, and went back to Durham, where he shortly
afterwards died. To evade the claims of York, the King resolved that
his next bishop should be chosen from the southern province. _Eadmer_,
a monk of _Canterbury_, the friend and biographer of _Anselm_ the
Archbishop, accepted the bishopric. But he proved no better than
Turgot, for he persisted in considering himself and his bishopric as
dependent on Canterbury; and as the King would on no account agree to
this, he too resigned and went away. Though he afterwards repented, and
proposed to return, it was then too late, for _Robert, Prior of Scone_,
had been appointed in his stead. As Alexander left no children, his
brother _David_ succeeded him, so that _Strathclyde_ or _Cumbria_ was
re-united to the kingdom.
=5. David I., 1124-1153. Rising in Moray.=--The usual rising in _Moray_
took place in the early part of this reign. The Moray men seized the
opportunity for revolt afforded them by David's absence in England,
whither he had gone on some business connected with the _Honour of
Huntingdon_, an _English_ fief which he had got by his marriage with
_Matilda_, daughter and heiress of _Waltheof, Earl of Northhumberland_,
who had been put to death by _William the Conqueror_. _Angus_ and
_Malcolm_, the representatives of the old _Moray Mormaers_, were
descended in the female line from _Lulach_, the son of Gruach, and
the northern party wished to place one of them on the throne. The
_Constable_ of the kingdom, the first on record, defeated them; but as
the rebellion still continued, David in alarm asked and obtained the
aid of the barons of the north of England. He was preparing for his
northern march, when the Celts took fright, and gave up their chief,
who was imprisoned in _Roxburgh Castle_. The district of _Moray_ was
declared forfeited, and was divided among the _Norman_ knights whom
David had drawn round him when Prince of Strathclyde.
=6. English War.=--In 1135 _Henry the First of England_ died, and
David, who had been among the first to swear fealty, for the lands he
held in England, to his own niece _Matilda_, daughter and heiress of
_Henry_, was now the first to take up arms in defence of her right
against _Stephen_. David at once marched into _England_, received the
homage of the northern barons, and took possession of all the northern
strongholds, except _Bamborough_, in Matilda's name. Stephen came
north, but peace was made between them; for though David would not
break his oath to Matilda by himself holding any fiefs of Stephen,
this difficulty was got rid of by investing David's son Henry with
the _Honour of Huntingdon_, which had been hitherto held by David.
_Carlisle_ and _Doncaster_ were also conferred on Henry; and though
his request to be put in possession of his mother's inheritance of
_Northumberland_ was not granted, Stephen promised to take his claim to
it into consideration. Henry went south with Stephen, at whose court
he took precedence of the English barons. This roused their jealousy,
and they straightway left the court in a body. David, highly indignant
at this insult, recalled his son, and the next year prepared to invade
England again, nor would he agree to any terms of peace, unless Henry
were put in immediate possession of Northumberland. In 1138 his army
ravaged the northern counties, reduced to ashes the castle of _Norham_,
and routed a body of the men of _Lancashire_ who had mustered to resist
the invaders at _Clitheroe_ on the _Ribble_. After this success, the
victors committed greater outrages than ever.
=7. Battle of the Standard.=--But their excesses, and the fear that
David, as the representative of the English line, was trying to win the
English crown for himself, at length roused the chivalry of northern
England, who, forgetting party feeling, made common cause against the
common foe, and assembled round the banner raised by _Walter Espec_, a
doughty and gigantic warrior. A few years before they had prepared to
help David in suppressing those very _Celts_ whom he was now leading
against themselves. Against such men, inspired by such righteous
indignation, the mixed multitude of _Scots_, _Picts_ of _Galloway_,
_Welshmen_ from _Strathclyde_, _Northmen_ from the _Orkneys_, and
_English_ from the _Lothians_, who with a body of _Norman_ knights made
up the so-called _Scottish_ host, had but small chance of success.
This chance was made still smaller by what proved fatal to the cause
of Scotland in many an after fight, the inevitable squabbles between
the rival races. The _Celts_ were jealous of the _Norman_ strangers,
and clamoured so loudly for their right of leading the van, that David
at last gave in to them. His own better judgment would have led him
to give the task of breaking the hostile ranks to his well-armed,
well-mounted horsemen, leaving it to the infantry to follow up their
advantage. The two armies met on a moor, near _Northallerton_, where
the English were drawn up round their _Standard_, which was so singular
that from it the battle took its name. It was the consecrated wafer
hoisted on a ship's mast, with the banners of _St. Peter of York_,
_St. John of Beverley_, and _St. Wilfrith of Ripon_, floating round
it. Before the battle commenced, a last attempt for peace was made
by two Norman barons, whose descendants afterwards played a great
part in Scottish history. These were _Robert de Brus_ and _Bernard de
Bailleul_. They were friends of David and held lands from him, and
they begged him not to fight with the old friends who had formerly
stood by him. As he was unmoved by all their entreaties, they renounced
their allegiance, and the battle began. The Galloway men made a fierce
onslaught on the English, but were driven back and beaten down by the
English arrows. They fled, and by their flight spread confusion through
the army. The panic was made greater by a cry that the King was slain;
and though David did all he could to rally the fugitives round his
banner, the ancient dragon of Wessex, he was forced to retire upon
_Carlisle_, where his son Henry joined him a few days after. But this
defeat did not drive the Scots out of England. David still continued
the siege of _Werk_, a strong castle, which at last surrendered.
=8. Peace with England.=--Next year, peace was made at _Durham_.
Earl Henry was invested with the earldom of _Northumberland_, though
Stephen kept _Bamborough_ and _Newcastle_, and David continued to
administer the affairs of the northern counties till his death. Two
years after this peace he again took up arms in favour of Matilda, and
narrowly escaped being taken prisoner when her forces were routed at
_Winchester_; and it was by David at his court at Carlisle that her son
_Henry of Anjou_ was knighted. The close of David's life was embittered
by the death of his only son _Henry_, a just man and a brave soldier,
whose loss was universally lamented. He had married _Ada de Warenne_,
daughter of the _Earl of Surrey_, and left three sons, _Malcolm_,
_William_, and _David_, the two eldest of whom reigned in succession.
His eldest daughter _Ada_ married _Florence Count of Holland_, and got
the promise of _Ross_, a great tract of the Highlands, as her dowry.
After the death of his son David sent his eldest grandson through the
provinces to be acknowledged as his successor, and within a few months
he died at Carlisle, and was buried beside his parents at Dunfermline.
=9. Internal Improvements.=--David was both a good man and a great
king. He upheld the honour of his kingdom abroad, and did so much
for the welfare of his people at home, that most of the social and
political institutions of the later kingdom were afterwards ascribed
to him. It is true that he introduced a foreign baronage, for he
encouraged many Norman barons to come to his court, and by the lands
which he gave them induced them to settle in the country. He thus
gave great offence to the native chiefs; but he did not forget the
interests of the Commons, for he increased the number of the royal
burghs and granted many privileges and immunities to the burghers. The
life of David has been written by his friend and admirer, _Æthelred_
the _Abbot of Rievaulx_. He has drawn an attractive picture of an able
and virtuous prince, kindly and courteous alike to high and low; ever
ready to listen to the complaints of all his subjects and to set wrong
right, and never turning his face away from any poor man. He tells us
how the King himself dealt out justice to his subjects, and in his
progress through the several districts of his kingdom, used, on set
days, in person to hear the suits and to redress the wrongs of the poor
and oppressed among his people. Six bishoprics--_Dunblane_, _Brechin_,
_Aberdeen_, _Ross_, _Caithness_, and _Glasgow_--were either founded or
restored by him; and many abbeys date their foundation from his reign.
He carried on the work of church reform by inducing the Culdees to
conform to more regular ways, on pain of being turned out of their
monasteries. His reign lasted twenty-nine years, during which time
the country continued to advance steadily in wealth, fertility, and
civilization. There is little doubt that, had his successor possessed
the same abilities, the future boundary of the kingdom would have been
the _Tees_ instead of the _Tweed_.
=10. Malcolm IV., 1153-1165.=--Malcolm was not quite twelve years old
when he came to the throne: the fact that he retained possession of it
proves that the principle of hereditary succession was gaining ground,
and that his grandfather David had put down the unruly spirit of the
northern clans and had more firmly established a regular government.
=11. Subjection of Galloway.=--The principal event of Malcolm's reign
was the subjection of _Galloway_, which was now reduced to direct
dependence on the Crown. A rising, the object of which was to dethrone
Malcolm and to set up his brother _William_ in his stead, had been
planned by some of the nobles while Malcolm was in _Aquitaine_, helping
_Henry the Second_ of England in his war with France. Soon after his
return in 1160, they surrounded the city of Perth where he was holding
his court, and tried to take him prisoner. But they were dispersed and
routed, and though the chiefs fled to _Galloway_, Malcolm followed
them and reduced the district. _Fergus_, the _Lord of Galloway_, ended
his days in the monastery of _Holyrood_. A few years later another
dangerous enemy rose against Malcolm. This was _Somerled_, the Lord of
Argyle, who ruled the western coast with the power, though without the
title, of King. He landed near _Renfrew_ on the _Clyde_, with a large
force, but was almost immediately slain by treachery, and after his
death his followers dispersed and returned to their several islands
without doing any serious mischief. An increase of power was thus won
for the Crown within the limits of the kingdom, but on the other hand
the northern counties of England, which had been held by David, were
lost, for Henry of England obliged Malcolm to give up all claim to them
at _Chester_, where the two Kings met in 1157. At the same time Malcolm
was invested with the _Honour of Huntingdon_ on the same terms as those
on which it had been held by David.
=12. William the Lion, 1165-1214.=--_William_ surnamed _the Lion_
succeeded his brother Malcolm. He was eager to regain the earldom of
_Northumberland_, which his father had held and which his brother had
lost. As Henry of England refused it to him, he aided the sons of that
monarch in their rebellion against their father, and, when Henry was
absent in France, he invaded his kingdom and took several strongholds.
But by his own imprudence he was surprised and captured, with the
best of his nobles, while tilting in a meadow close by the walls of
_Alnwick_, and was sent for greater security to _Falaise_, in Normandy,
July 1174.
=13. Convention of Falaise.=--In the end of the year William regained
his freedom by signing a treaty called the "_Convention of Falaise_,"
the hard terms of which were most humiliating, both to him and to
Scotland. He was in future to hold his kingdom on the same terms of
vassalage as those by which he now held Lothian, and as a token of
further dependence his barons and clergy were also to do homage to
the English King, who was to be put in possession of the principal
strongholds. His brother _David, Earl of Huntingdon_, and twenty-one
other barons were to remain as hostages till the strongholds were
given up, and on their release each was to leave his son or next heir
as a warrant of good faith. The homage was performed in the following
year, when William met Henry at _York_; and the King of Scots, with his
earls, barons, free-tenants, and clergy, became the liegemen of the
_King of England_ in St. Peter's Minster. The clergy swore to lay the
kingdom under an interdict, and the laity to hold by their English
over-lord, should William prove unfaithful to him. This treaty remained
in force till the death of _Henry_ in 1189, when _Richard_ of England,
who was in want of money for his crusade, released William, for the
sum of 10,000 marks, from these extorted obligations and restored the
strongholds, though he refused to give up to him the coveted earldom.
=14. Homage at Lincoln.=--When _John_ succeeded his brother on the
throne of England, William did such homage to him as the King of Scots
had been wont to render to the King of England before the treaty
of Falaise. He met John at _Lincoln_, whither he was escorted by a
brilliant retinue of English barons. But there was no kindly feeling
between the two Kings. John tried to build a castle at _Tweedmouth_
in order to spoil the trade of _Berwick_, the largest trading city
in Scotland, but the Scots drove away the builders and levelled the
castle, and for some time both Kings kept threatening armies on the
Border.
=15. Independence of the Church.=--At a great Council held at
_Northampton_ in 1176, the _Archbishop of York_ claimed Scotland as a
part of his province, and called on the Scottish clergy to acknowledge
their dependence. They protested and appealed to the Pope, who forbade
the Archbishop to press his claim. _Clement III._ in 1188 confirmed
their claim of independence, on the ground that the Church of Scotland
was in immediate dependence on the _Holy See_.
=16. Internal Troubles.=--During William's captivity, Galloway
revolted. All the King's officers were either slain or expelled, and
as, after the submission at Falaise, _Gilbert_ the chief of Galloway
considered himself a vassal of England, he let the Lothians have no
peace till his death in 1185. William's nephew _Roland_ then seized
Galloway, drove out his opponents, and rebuilt the Royal castles.
William used his influence to induce Henry to confirm Roland in
possession, and thereby gained a devoted and faithful ally. It was
mainly by his aid that William was enabled to put down a formidable
rising in the north.
=17. Social Progress.=--During this reign the free towns began to rise
into notice. Their privilege of trade and right to govern themselves
was recognized by a charter granted to the city of Aberdeen, in which
William confirmed his burghers north of the _Mount_, in their right of
holding their own court or "free anse," as they had done in the time
of his grandfather David. Thus we see that the towns of the north of
Scotland were united for mutual support a century before the rise of
the great continental Hansa, which bound together by a similar league
the trading cities of the Baltic. Some of the most important towns
date their charters from William, and he extended the influence of
civilization in the north by holding his court in such remote places
as _Elgin_, _Nairn_, and _Inverness_. The only religious foundation of
this reign was the abbey of _Arbroath_. It was dedicated to the newest
saint in the calendar, _Thomas of Canterbury_. William died at Stirling
in 1214, leaving one son, _Alexander_, who succeeded him.
=18. Alexander II., 1214-1249.=--_Alexander's_ accession was the signal
for one of the usual risings in Moray; but as the power of the Crown in
that district was now stronger than it had been in earlier times, this
rising was more easily put down than any former one had been. The great
struggle between despotism and freedom had just at this time set _John_
of England and his barons at variance. Alexander joined the barons
in hopes of getting back Northumberland. He crossed the Border and
received the homage of the northern barons, and the following year he
joined his force to those of the confederates, and marched to _Dover_,
where he did homage to Louis of France, who, at the invitation of the
barons, had come over to take the crown. The death of John and the
victory of his son, _Henry the Third_, at _Lincoln_, changed the whole
state of affairs, and in 1217 Alexander did the usual homage to Henry
and was invested with the _Honour of Huntingdon_. Four years later
the bond between them was drawn closer by the marriage of _Alexander_
to _Joanna_, Henry's sister. This alliance was followed by a lasting
peace, though Alexander still claimed Northumberland, and Henry upheld
the right of the Archbishop of York to supremacy over the Scottish
Church. In a council held at York in 1237, Alexander agreed to compound
his claim to the earldom for a grant of the lands of _Penrith_ and
_Tynedale_, and, when Henry went to France, he left the Border under
the care of the King of Scots.
=19. Settling of the Border Line.=--In 1222 an attempt was made to lay
down a definite boundary between the two countries. Six commissioners
on either side were appointed, and though the exact course of the line
was disputed, from that time it continued pretty much what it is now,
though a wide tract on either side was claimed alternately by both
nations and belonged in reality to neither.
=20. State of the North.=--A disturbance which happened during this
reign shows us something of the lawless state of the northern part
of the kingdom. _Adam_, bishop of _Caithness_, tried to enforce the
payment of tithes in his diocese, but his people came together to
consider the best way of resisting this exaction. While they were thus
holding council, it is said that a voice cried out, "Short rede good
rede; slay we the bishop." On this advice they acted, for without more
waste of words they attacked the bishop, and burned him and his house
to ashes. Shortly before this a former bishop of Caithness had been
seized and had his tongue cut out by the Earl of Orkney. Alexander died
on an expedition to the Western Isles, at _Kerrara_, a small islet off
the coast of Argyle. By his second wife, _Mary of Coucy_, he left a
son, who succeeded him.
=21. Alexander III., 1249-1266.=--_Alexander_, a child of eight years,
was crowned with great pomp at _Scone_, the ancient crowning place,
where the famous stone of _Destiny_ was kept. The tradition was that no
one who had not been enthroned on this stone was lawful King of Scots.
The most striking part of the coronation ceremony was the appearance of
a Sennachy or Celtic bard, who greeted Alexander as King by virtue of
his descent from the ancient Celtic Kings, and recited the whole list
of the King's ancestors, carrying them back to the most remote ages.
This might serve to remind him that after all his title of King came
solely from those very Celts whom his more immediate forefathers had
slighted and despised.
=22. Alexander's Marriage and Homage to England.=--On Christmas day,
1251, Alexander was married at _York_, to _Margaret_, daughter of
_Henry the Third_, and at the same time he did homage for the lands he
held in England, but evaded Henry's claim of homage for _Scotland_,
pleading the necessity of consulting his advisers before giving an
answer on so difficult a matter. This question was brought up again in
1278, when Alexander went to _Westminster_ to acknowledge and to do
homage to _Edward the First_, and he gave for answer that he did homage
for his English fiefs alone and not for his kingdom. Edward asserted
his right as over-lord of the kingdom, but he did not then attempt to
enforce it.
=23. Last Invasion of the Northmen.=--In 1262 _Hakon_ of _Norway_ came
with a great fleet to visit the _Orkneys_ and the _Western Isles_,
_Sudereys_ or _Southern Isles_ as the Northmen called them. The fleet
sailed down the _Western Coast_, levying black mail on the islands and
making divers inland raids. Among other exploits the Northmen dragged a
number of their ships across the narrow neck of land that parts _Loch
Long_ from _Loch Lomond_, sailed down _Loch Lomond_, and harried the
_Lennox_, as the fertile tract which stretches along its lower end is
called. Hakon sailed up the _Firth of Clyde_, and an attempt was made
at a peaceable agreement between him and the King, who was at first
willing to give up all claim to the _Hebrides_, but wished to keep the
_Cumbraes_, _Bute_, and _Arran_. But the Scots purposely delayed coming
to terms, as they expected that the autumn storms would soon help them
to get rid of their enemy. Nor were their hopes disappointed, for, in
the beginning of October, a violent tempest rose, separated the ships
of the invaders, sunk some, and stranded others. On the following day
the Northmen who had landed were easily beaten, near _Largs_, by a
Scottish army hastily got together on the coast of _Ayr_, in 1263.
Hakon died in one of the _Orkneys_ on his way home, and his son, in
1266, agreed to give up _Man_ and the _Isles_ for 1,000 marks down, and
the promise of 100 yearly. An amnesty was granted to the Islesmen, and
it was settled that the bishopric should continue in the province of
_Drontheim_. In 1281 the King's daughter, _Margaret_, married _Eric_,
the heir to the throne of _Norway_. She died in 1283, leaving an infant
daughter, who, a few months after, by the death of _Alexander_, the
King's only son, became heir to the Scottish crown. Three years later,
in 1286, the King himself was killed by a fall from his horse while
riding by night along the coast of _Fife_, near _Kinghorn_.
=24. Literature and Architecture.=--No chronicles of this period,
written by natives of Scotland, have come down to us. But there was
one poet who was held in great repute, not only for his verses, but
for his prophecies. This was _Thomas Learmouth of Ercildoun_, called
"Thomas the Rhymer," and "True Thomas," from the general belief in
the truth of his predictions. He is said to have foretold that great
national calamity, the King's death, under the figure of a great storm
that should blow "so stark and strang, that all Scotland sall reu
efter rycht lang." Another Scotsman of note was _Michael Scot_, the
famous wizard. He travelled much in foreign lands, and was greatly
renowned in them, as in his own country, as a scholar, an astrologer,
and magician. The buildings of this period were chiefly the churches
and abbeys founded by Margaret and her descendants. They were all in
the same style as contemporary buildings in England. There were as yet
very few castles, that is fortified buildings of solid masonry, in the
kingdom. The great strongholds, such as _Edinburgh_, _Stirling_, and
_Dunbarton_, were steep rocks, made so inaccessible by nature that they
needed but little strengthening from art. Dwelling-houses seem to have
been generally built of wood.
=25. State of the Kingdom.=--The second period of the national history
breaks off abruptly with the death of _Alexander_. It had begun with
the dethronement of Donald Bane, the last Celtic King, nearly two
hundred years before, and during that time the boundary of Scotland
had been extended by the annexation of _Argyle_ and of the _Isles_,
while her two dependencies of _Lothian_ and _Galloway_ had been drawn
more closely to her, though they still remained separate and distinct.
Throughout this period the influence of England, though peaceable, had
been stronger than it was ever to be again. English laws and English
customs had been brought in, and had, in many cases, taken the place of
the old Celtic usages. The Celtic _maers_ had been removed to make way
for the _sheriffs_ of the Crown. But, as Scotland was not divided like
England into shires, the sheriffs were not, as in England, the reeves
of the already existing shires, but officers who were placed by the
King over certain districts. These districts or sheriffdoms became the
counties of later times. _Feudalism_ after the _Norman_ model, with all
its burthensome exactions and oppressions, had been brought in and had
taken firmer root in Scotland than it ever did in England. The native
chiefs had been displaced by foreign nobles, so that a purely Norman
baronage held the lands, whether peopled by a _Celtic_ or a _Saxon_
peasantry. In some cases the new owners founded families afterwards
known under Celtic names; for, while the Celts gave their own names
to the lands on which they settled, the Normans took the names of the
lands conferred upon them and bore them as their own. The long peace
with England, which had lasted unbroken for nearly a century, had been
marked by great social progress. The large proportion of land that was
now under the plough proves that during this untroubled time husbandry
must have thriven, roads and bridges were many and in good repair, and
the trading towns had made great advances in riches and power. Hitherto
no one town had distinctly taken its place as the capital. _Saint
John's Town_, or _Perth_, had, from its connexion with _Scone_, some
claim to the first place, but the King held his court or his assize
indifferently at any of the royal burghs. These burghs were of great
importance in the state, and, as the burgesses of the royal burghs were
all vassals holding direct from the Crown, they acted in some sort as
a check on the growing power of the nobles. The burghers had the right
of governing themselves by their own laws, and were divided into two
groups. Those north of the _Scots water_ or Firth of Forth were bound
together by a league like the great continental Hansa, and known by the
same name; while those in Lothian, represented by the four principal
among them--_Roxburgh_, _Stirling_, _Edinburgh_, and _Berwick_--held
their "court of the four burghs," which is still represented by the
"Convention of Royal Burghs" which meets once a year in Edinburgh. Nor
were the Scottish towns of this period in any way behind the cities of
the Continent. _Berwick_, the richest and the greatest, was said by a
writer of the time to rival London. _Inverness_ had a great reputation
for shipbuilding. A ship which was built there called forth the envy
and wonder of the French nobles of that time. But this happy state of
things was brought to an end by the death of the King, and the long
years of war and misery that followed went far to sweep away all traces
of the high state of civilization and prosperity that had been reached
by the country in this, the golden age of Scottish history.