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I moved to Scotland about three years ago, but have been coming here on and off over the last 15 years. Since moving here I was keen to learn more about the country’s history, but hadn’t quite found the time in my reading schedule to fit such a book in. Whilst browsing in a bookshop recently though, I came across Magnus Magnusson’s ‘Scotland: The story of a nation’. Yes, he of Mastermind fame who died earlier this year. The book struck me as ideal - a balanced and enjoyable writing style that covered subjects well without being overwhelmed with facts - so I added it to my next purchase from amazon.

My knowledge of Scottish History, indeed of British History, was a victim of my GCSE history curriculum’s focus on 20th century history (Third Reich; Soviet Russia; Cold War), and the rather disjointed curriculum my schools followed in the years preceeding my GCSE’s. We seemed to lunge about history as we moved up through the school, and only my general interest ensured I had a knowledge outside of what was covered. But to say I had a good knowledge of history would be to overstate the case.

That’s not to say my GCSE History curriculum wasn’t good. It was. Key skills, and relevance to the time, continue to serve me well: In particular our teacher was very keen to emphasise “Understanding sources”, and explaining bias. The lessons stuck with me, and of course remain of great use when reading the press.

But I digress. The point I’m making is I didn’t really feel I had a solid understanding of British History, and that (for somebody growing up in Somerset) means primarily English history. Scottish History really didn’t feature other than from asides from Scottish friends regarding the numerics following Monarchs… I’m not sure I even knew who William Wallace was until I visited Edinburgh or saw Braveheart (and that film is not really a good foundation!). I certainly didn’t realise that Macbeth was actually based on an actual Scottish King. There may have been mention in classes of the Scottish influences, relationships and conflicts, but it certainly didn’t get presented as significant, so much of it just passed me by.

So in reading the book, I’m quite sure I chose one of the most readable and well-written histories of Scotland that’s has been put together in recent years. This was not a dry history tome, but an enjoyable book with a strong narrative feel, and plenty of interesting asides, footnotes and references. Of particular note are the asides regarding what currently can be seen of historic locations, venues and remains that have inspired me to perhaps do a spot more research before we head out on a trip to see what can be seen along the way.

The ‘Epilogue’ was interesting as it dealt with the 20th century developments, including the political forces at work from Communism, through to Scottish Nationalism’s changing fortune. Of course the latest news of the SNP winning power doesn’t feature, but adds a particular relevancy to the history

So I’m pretty confident I now better understand some of the key themes, people and events that occur in Scottish history. The Jacobite uprisings in particular weren’t something I fully understood, or who and what The Conventanters were. I’m left feeling that Robert the Bruce isn’t entirely deserving of the praise he receives (striking me more as a political opportunist than anything else), and I feel I better understand why the “English” civil war involved Scotland, and why both the Union of the Crowns occured in 1603.

I’m left feeling that Scotland was rather poorly served by many of it’s historic leaders, and that the ‘Auld alliance’ with France was little more than a diversionary tactic for France when at war with England, other than occasional loans of troops and ships. The most defining event is, perhaps, the 1707 Union with England - something that is increasingly relevant and topical today. Better understanding the political, religious and economic factors (before as well as after) is very helpful.

Harry Truman said “Those who do not read and understand history are doomed to repeat it“. I certainly think that everybody is better served by understanding the history of their country and how it has shaped, and been shaped by, the world we now inhabit. A history book this well constructed, informative and simply enjoyable to read really is a rare thing, and I can strongly recommend it to anybody who might want to improve their understanding of Scotland’s history.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Books, Media, Politics, Scotland, Scottish elections, UK. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.