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Harnessing the Power of Stories: Using Literature in History

I have always been interested in literature. This was one of the reasons I decided to do a joint undergraduate degree in history and English at university. Aside from the benefit of being able to avoid the worst core modules in each subject (something any student will tell you is not to be undervalued), my joint degree also introduced me to the intricate relationship that exists between history and literature. In every piece of research I have undertaken since I have been drawn towards literature in some form. From my undergraduate dissertation on post-colonial Maori religion in New Zealand to my current PhD research focusing on medieval Scotland there is always at least one literary source that has found its way into my bibliography pages. You may think this a perfectly natural thing to do, but the relationship between history and literature is by no means straightforward. The question that most obviously arises is: ‘what exactly is the difference between a ‘literary’ text and a wri
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In Comes a Dashing Knight on a White Horse

As a medieval historian one becomes very familiar with the idea of ‘chivalry’. It is ever-present in the background of the mid-late medieval world and as such I’ve just spent several months immersed in countless papers on the subject. I was reminded recently however in discussion with a friend that the connection between chivalry and the medieval is by no means an obvious one for anyone outside of medieval academia. For my friend chivalry was a set of Victorian ideas that promoted men holding open doors for women and she was surprised to learn that it in fact originated somewhere in the 12 th century as a way to moderate the behaviour of a potentially dangerous knightly class. The journey of chivalry from the 12 th to the 19 th century is an interesting one, but why was chivalry born in the first place? You may have noticed by now if you’re not an historian but have met a few (or read several of my blog posts so far) that academics never pass up the opportunity to debate a term. T
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The Bruces and the Irish-Scottish relationship

‘The king sends greetings to all the kings of Ireland, to the prelates and clergy, and to the inhabitants of all Ireland, his friends. Whereas we and you and our people and your people, free since ancient times, share the same national ancestry and are urged to come together more eagerly and joyfully in friendship by a common language and by common custom, we have sent over to you our beloved kinsmen, the bearer of this letter, to negotiate with you in our name about permanently strengthening and maintaining inviolate the special friendship between us and you, so that with God’s will our nation may be able to recover her ancient liberty. Whatever our envoys or one of them may on our behalf conclude with you in this matter we shall ratify and uphold in the future.’ G. W. S. Barrow, Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland (Edinburgh, 2013 classic edn.) p.408 Robert Bruce, King of Scots, sent this letter to the ‘people of Ireland’, most probably in 1315. It is un
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Introductions: St Patrick and the snakes of Ireland

Saint Patrick’s Day was last week which seemed a fitting prompt to initiate this blog with a brief outline of who I am, what I do (and what it has to do with Saint Patrick). I am a first year PhD student in history at the University of Edinburgh drawn to Scotland by a long-standing fascination with the ‘Celtic’ nations of Britain. The aim here is to give you a window into my current research and allow you to share in the often weird and wonderful Medieval world (and the equally strange world of a doctoral student!). Stumbling across a momentary reference to a particularly intriguing and largely unknown event in Scottish history (the Scottish invasion of Ireland between 1315-1318) as an undergraduate student has, as is so often the case with historical research, led me down a path an unexpected winding path. A desire to know why this invasion occurred and why it was accompanied by speeches promoting a ‘Celtic’ alliance against the English has led me to my current work. Using two m
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