Fiona Watson

From the early settlers after the last Ice Age, and the myth and ritual that surrounds that prehistoric period, Fiona Watson charts the evolution of the Scottish people - as Scots, Picts and Angles - and their interaction with the world abroad, from invasions by the Romans and Vikings and the medieval wars of independence with England right through to Devolution.

Scotland from Pre-History to the Present

Scotland from Prehistory to the Present

Winners write history. But they don't just embellish their life stories; sometimes they make sure they get away with murder.In the first part of her ground-breaking biography of Robert the Bruce, historian Dr Fiona Watson tells the shocking true story of a man who would stop at nothing to wear the Scottish crown. Descended from Norman stock but educated partly in the Gaelic world, Bruce inherited great estates in Scotland, England and Ireland, as well as an unswerving belief in his family's claim to the throne. Every move he made in the turbulent times that followed the outbreak of war between Scotland and England was designed to bring him closer to that goal and, in his desire to seize an opportunity, he was little different from his ancestors and many of the men he grew up with. It was the lengths to which Robert Bruce was prepared to go to fulfil what he saw as his destiny that stood him apart.But he was not the only one with ambitions. John Comyn of Badenoch not only had more influence, more military experience and better leadership credentials, he too had a claim to the Scottish throne. If Bruce wanted to be king, then Comyn had to die. But in murdering his rival and seizing the crown, King Robert unleashed a bloody desire for vengeance not just among the English but many of his own people. Defeated and all but deserted, he vanished into the Western Isles. Few expected him to return and fewer still that he would come back a changed man, a king reborn.

Part One: the Making of Robert Bruce

Traitor, Outlaw, King

Stephen Corry

Indians in Brazil

Disinherited

The year is 1317, and young squire Benedict Russell has joined the English-held garrison of Berwick-upon-Tweed after the spectacular Scottish victory at Bannockburn three years earlier. Serious and self-doubting, he can’t wait for his time there to come to an end. Living on the disputed territory between Scotland and England is a precarious existence, and as the Scots draw ever closer and the English king does nothing to stop them, Benedict finds himself in a race against time to solve the brutal murder of a young girl and find the traitor who lurks within Berwick’s walls.

A town under seige. A killer within

Dark Hunter

The year is 1317. Young English squire Benedict Russell joins the garrison of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the last English-held town in Scotland after the spectacular Scottish victory at Bannockburn three years earlier. Serious and self-doubting, Ben can’t wait for his time there to come to an end. But as the Scots draw ever closer and the English king does nothing to stop them, he finds himself in a race against time to solve the brutal murder of a young girl and find the traitor lurking within Berwick’s walls.

Franz Bosbach

Jens-Ivo Engels

Professor Fiona Watson

Within Europe Great Britain and Germany are leading the way when it comes to environmental-historical debates. This volume documents the first explicit exchange between German and British environmental historians concerning their respective topics and methods, which took place at the 24th meeting of the Prince Albert Society under the heading "Environment and History in Britain and Germany". Articles by one renowned German and one renowned British environmental historian are included in each case on each of the following subjects: "Environmental Historiography", "Resources and Sustainability", "The Challenges of Industrialization and Urbanization", as well as "Protecting the Environment". The book provides a fascinating insight into two scientific cultures and documents the central importance of environmental history for the understanding of modern societies.

Umwelt und Geschichte in Deutschland und GroÃ¿britannien / Environment and History in Britain and Germany

Thanks to Shakespeare, the name Macbeth has become a byword for political ambition realised by bloody violence. The reality is that Macbeth quickly established himself as an effective and popular ruler. As a Celtic warrior-king, he was responsible for the maintenance of his people's dominance of northern Britain.

Fiona Watson

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