This novel tells the story of John Carmichael the Younger, who is caught up in the bloody struggle for power between Mary Queen of Scots and the Earl of Moray.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Factual fiction--great research,
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This review is from: A Rage of Regents (Hardcover)
Nigel Tranter, "Scotland's Story Teller," took real events and real people and told their stories in novel form.
_Rage of Regents_ is "The exciting story of John Carmichael, Younger of that Ilk, caught up in the bloody struggle between Mary, Queen of Scots and the Earl of Moray," says the front cover. The name of Carmichael goes back to 1058. "An ancient hill fort or `caer' in a prominent location close to the main route north from the border was chosen by the `good' Queen Margaret in the year 1058 as the site of one of her first six churches established in the see of Glasgow. Due to the prominence of the site, she dedicated the church to St. Michel and the district and its peoples became `of Caermichel' when surnames were necessitated in the thirteenth century," according to the carmichael.co.uk page. I almost gave this four stars until I saw on Mr. Tranter's website his own critique: "I have been greatly blest all my days, in this respect, as in so much else, and I am grateful. This despite almost too much of a flood of words on my part. I hope that I may continue to please and reach out to all my friends. Be patient with me, if you will, if on occasion I get too long winded, and ramble on or repeat myself. For I need you." He humbly recognizes the shortcoming of his wordiness, so I rated him for the stories--five stars. Even with their dated style, they capture the color and history of courageous and charming bonny Scotland. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Tranter at a Clan Carmichael gathering in Carmichael, Scotland, near Lanark, in 1996. At eighty-seven years old, he read from this book about an early Carmichael. From the flap: "In 1561, the defeat of Mary, Queen of Scots at the Battle of Langside, and her subsequent flight to England and lengthy imprisonment there, left Scotland a troubled nation. Mary's infant son was crowned king as James VI, with her illegitimate half-brother James Stewart, Earl of Moray, as Regent. The population remained bitterly divided as Moray and the Protestant Lords began to wreak their terrible vengeance on supporter of the losing side. "Having fought for the Queen at the battle, Sir John Carmichael of Lanarkshire determined to escape inevitable punishment by forging an alliance with his former opponents. Thus he forced his fiercely-protesting nineteen-year-old son to marry crippled Margaret Douglas, whose brother, the Earl of Morton, was chief of the Black Douglases and senior minister under the Regent. "To his great surprise, John Carmichael the Younger of that Ilk, grew to love his new wife. Content to pursue his modest ambitions of land-improvement, organising fishing expeditions and raising a family, he was appalled to discover that his brother-in-law had other plans for him. Appointed Warden of the Middle March, Carmichael was charged with bringing some sort of order to a motley crew of mosstroopers, cattle-thieves and march-riders. "And that was how, much against his will, John Carmichael became deeply entangled in the murky world of Scots regency government, eventually finding himself in great danger. In this fascinating tale of treachery and intrigue, Nigel Tranter brings him and the turbulent times in which he lived to vivid and memorable life." He illustrates this as well as his research in the (many!) words of Sir John: "And remember our Carmichael crest, the Broken Spear! That was won on the field of Bauge, France, under Archibald Douglas, Earl of Wigtown and Lord of Galloway, fighting for the French in the Auld Alliance against the English, when our Carmichael ancestor unhorsed and slew the English commander, the Duke of Clarence, suffering only a broken spear in the process and winning the day. Thus our proud crest...." Tranter says, "The Carmichaels, although ancient and with a stirring background, were not a rich and powerful house...." ("Stirring," and with a gorgeous blue and green tartan, and the most fun clan chief and family in the realm!) Nigel Tranter was charming, kind, brilliant, inspired (Apostolic Catholic described as early Pentecostal/Charismatic), diligent and prolific, with over one hundred thirty books to his credit when he died in 2000. More about him at nigeltranter.co.uk.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not up to Nigel Tranter's usual high standards,
By
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This review is from: A Rage of Regents (Hardcover)
The main Characters are not as well defined as in Tranter's other works, (Bruce Trilogy...), and I am not quite sure who/what the book is primarily about. No main plot/ issue. However the book provides a good general background of Scotland in the early 1500's.
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