4/03/2012

Edinburgh Under Siege: 1571-1573 Review

Edinburgh Under Siege: 1571-1573
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In his introduction, the author states that he has tried to describe the events from the point of view of the participants, "uncoloured by our knowledge of the final denoument." Like most Americans, I actually did not know anything about the Siege, much less how it turned out. In this short book, I learned a great deal about that tulmultuous period of Scottish history, the individuals involved, and the geography (helped by having visited Edinburgh). The story is told deftly, with the author able to keep the events clear and exciting, even though there are many complicated details and a great number of individuals who play a role. I could not wait to find out exactly what happened (although a big hint is given at the beginning when the author tells us that one of the characters will end in the gallows). This book is an example of how history should be written.

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In 1571 Edinburgh was at the center of a bloody three-year siege in which many men sacrificed their lives in support of the dethroned Queen Mary. William Kirkcaldy, as keeper of the ancient fort and regal palace, with his allies defiantly held the castle against a succession of regents. In despair Regent James Douglas, the Earl of Morton, turned to Scotland's oldest enemy, the English, to overthrow the Castle rebels. Within 10 days the English cannons and a thousand men brought the rebels to their knees and the majestic towers of the citadel crumbling around them. The siege was an embodiment of the hatred and rivalry between Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I.

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