Lucid and entertaining, this book follows the history of Celtic Scotland from the ancient kingdoms of the Picts and Scots to the downfall of Clan Donald at the end of the fifteenth century. The roles played by Somerled and his descendants, the Canmore kings, Edward I as the 'Hammer of the Scots', and Robert the Bruce, are recounted, along with the impact of the Wars of Scottish Independence, and their aftermath in the North. It was only in the Western Highlands of Scotland that Celtic society survived in quasi-independence as the Lordship of the Isles, until its final forfeiture in 1493. John L Roberts adds academic accuracy to his gift for storytelling in this hugely enjoyable and scholarly history.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of Lost Kingdoms,
By Patrick Prendergast (Skamania, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lost Kingdoms (Paperback)
In light of the fact that the author's career was in geology, I felt that his view of history was very fresh and interesting. Although, he does have a Scottish background and many of his books are about Scotland, I do not think that he was too prideful or biased in his depictions of its history. This book, written chronologically, starts at the end of the thirteenth century with the ancient kingdoms of the Scots and Picts and ended with the forfeiture of the lordship by John MacDonald of Lochalsh and Clan Donald to the Scottish Parliament led by James IV at the end of the fifteenth century. This book was the first book of Scottish history that I have ever read and it has me hooked; it has opened my eyes to a new dimension of the struggles during the Middle Ages. Mr. Roberts book is very clear and therefore, easy to read. I think that the book lacks in pictures and diagrams; in the beginning he uses many to help you visualize the area and kinship, but towards the middle and the end there are none to supplement his text. His structure is very rational and intelligible. Each chapter is organized in such a way that the reader can fully appreciate the information presented. Since the book stretched over a time span of several centuries it would seem harder to write than a book about one person or a specific family. Nevertheless, Mr. Roberts has done well to make clean family to family transitions and relationships throughout the book. I must admit that I did stumble a bit in the beginning of the book when Mr. Roberts talked about the technicalities of naming, in Pictish, Gaelic and English; of rivers, towns and settlements. In the section of the book that most interested me, "Kings of the Western Isles," Mr. Roberts spends a lot of time depicting Somerled, King of the Isles' and both his territories, The Western Isles and Argyll. I found it interesting that Somerled attacked the Scottish Crown even though he was a vassal of it; Mr. Roberts mentions that Somerled was very prideful and would have in no way claimed himself a vassal of the Scottish Crown. Somerleds descendants the Canmore Kings played an important role in the history of Scotland as well and it was nice to see the bloodlines diagrammed in the book. Mr. Roberts has respected the history and people of Scotland by writing an excellent book on the great depth of such a complex society.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lost Kingdoms: A Fair Representation,
By Patrick Prendergast (Skamania, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lost Kingdoms (Paperback)
In light of the fact that the author's career was in geology, I felt that his view of history was very fresh and interesting. Although, he does have a Scottish background and many of his books are about Scotland, I do not think that he was too prideful or biased in his depictions of its history. This book, written chronologically, starts at the end of the thirteenth century with the ancient kingdoms of the Scots and Picts and ended with the forfeiture of the lordship by John MacDonald of Lochalsh and Clan Donald to the Scottish Parliament led by James IV at the end of the fifteenth century. This book was the first book of Scottish history that I have ever read and it has me hooked; it has opened my eyes to a new dimension of the struggles during the Middle Ages. Mr. Roberts book is very clear and therefore, easy to read. I think that the book lacks in pictures and diagrams; in the beginning he uses many to help you visualize the area and kinship, but towards the middle and the end there are none to supplement his text. His structure is very rational and intelligible. Each chapter is organized in such a way that the reader can fully appreciate the information presented. Since the book stretched over a time span of several centuries it would seem harder to write than a book about one person or a specific family. Nevertheless, Mr. Roberts has done well to make clean family to family transitions and relationships throughout the book. I must admit that I did stumble a bit in the beginning of the book when Mr. Roberts talked about the technicalities of naming, in Pictish, Gaelic and English; of rivers, towns and settlements. In the section of the book that most interested me, "Kings of the Western Isles," Mr. Roberts spends a lot of time depicting Somerled, King of the Isles' and both his territories, The Western Isles and Argyll. I found it interesting that Somerled attacked the Scottish Crown even though he was a vassal of it; Mr. Roberts mentions that Somerled was very prideful and would have in no way claimed himself a vassal of the Scottish Crown. Somerleds descendants the Canmore Kings played an important role in the history of Scotland as well and it was nice to see the bloodlines diagrammed in the book. Mr. Roberts has respected the history and people of Scotland by writing an excellent book on the great depth of such a complex society.
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