Customer Reviews

The Scottish Civil War: The Bruces & the Balliols & the War for Control of Scotland

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The Scottish Civil War, the Bruces & the Balliols & the War for Control of Scotland by Michael Penman is a great unbiased book. Mr. Penman takes the high road and shows that even the formidable hero King wasn't innocent during the turmoil that followed the death of Alexander III. Bruce, like the Balliols and Comyns were fighting for there families not their country. All sides went back and forth with the English. The only difference is that the Bruce won and as we all know, history is written by the victors. Once the Bruce is gone and a child king David Bruce is set on the throne, the families are again at war and competing over Scottish lands and titles. The disinherited Anglo-Scottish Lords return from England and the Bruce supporters try to keep the Douglases and Stewarts at bay. In the end the Comyns, Balliols, and even the Bruce dynasty are casualties as the future Stewart and Douglas families take firm possession of an independent Scotland and the seeds of a future internal rivalry are planted. I greatly enjoyed the book and Mr. Penman's attempt to tell this tale without sides being taken. People are people and families come first. Our Scottish ancestors were no exception. I highly recommend this book for any fan of Scottish history. Mr. Penman's book reads smoothly and doesn't bog down yet is packed with great information. It may be a little hard to follow to those who are not familiar with this time.