The Book - Killian: Remember Who You Are
Listening to the CD at home, repeatedly, I was inspired to find out more about the man called
Somerled and early Scottish history. I decided to write a book about him. This needed a lot of research
to find out:
•
Who were the Gaels?
•
Where did they come from?
•
What was the “clan system”?
•
Why did the clans object to the kings of Scotland introducing feudalism?
The other pages listed in the drop-down menu under the Novel button contains a summary of what I
found out.
If you thought William Wallace’s fight for freedom against the English in 1297-1305 (Braveheart) was a
good story, then you’ll love Somerled. Almost a hundred years before Wallace, he fought to drive out
the Vikings that had been occupying the west of Scotland for 350 years!
Steve McDonald
This is Steve, composer of “Sons of Somerled”. Click on
his picture to get to his fan club’s web site where you can
hear more of his music and find out what he is doing
currently. I’m not a member of his fan club, but I am a fan
Somerled
The music - Sons of Somerled
This CD by Steve McDonald, is the reason that I started writing the book. After listening to it
over and over again whilst working at my computer, I became completely captivated by the
story that he tells in his songs. So much so, that I wondered why little seems to be known
about Somerled outside a few dedicated historians and members of the MacDonald clan!
What was it really all about?
What was really going on in Scotland in the 12th century? By the time I had, I thought, finished the book, I realised that there was something else going on besides Somerled’s efforts to get his clan’s lands back and restore the Gaels’ traditional way of life - Scotland was “going feudal”: a completely different way of ruling the people which was in conflict with how the clans had done things for over a thousand years! To deal with this, I had to introduce another character: Walter fitz Alain, a man who was to play a significant role in Scotland’s affairs. Somerled’s family became the MacDonald clan; Walter’s family became the Stewart clan. My research highlighted two important themes: 1. Walter was a young, landless, Norman knight who became a Scottish lord. He would found a dynasty (the Stewarts) that would become kings of Scotland and Great Britain. 2. The fight between the king and his Norman nobles and the clans over the introduction of feudalism to Scotland!
© Walter Jardine 2016
The Start of It All
My wife and I were holidaying in Scotland. In a tourist shop, I heard some music over the PA; it sounded Scottish but it wasn’t familiar to me. A member of the shop’s staff told me that they were playing a CD called “Sons of Somerled”. I bought it.
All this made me reflect on my family and the family that is the United Kingdom. That led me to
thinking about why the Scots wanted a referendum on Scottish independence, why they wanted
to remain in the EU and why the English voted to leave the EU (see the UK/EU button).
Learn From History
Novel
Somerled
The music - Sons of Somerled
This CD by Steve McDonald, is the reason that I
started writing the book. After listening to it over and
over again whilst working at my computer, I became
completely captivated by the story that he tells in his
songs. So much so, that I wondered why little seems to be known
about Somerled outside a few dedicated historians and members of
the MacDonald clan!
What was it really all about?
What was really going on in Scotland in the 12th century? By the time I had, I thought, finished the book, I realised that there was something else going on besides Somerled’s efforts to get his clan’s lands back and restore the Gaels’ traditional way of life - Scotland was “going feudal”: a completely different way of ruling the people which was in conflict with how the clans had done things for over a thousand years! To deal with this, I had to introduce another character: Walter fitz Alain, a man who was to play a significant role in Scotland’s affairs. Somerled’s family became the MacDonald clan; Walter’s family became the Stewart clan. My research highlighted two important themes: 1. Walter was a young, landless, Norman knight who became a Scottish lord. He would found a dynasty (the Stewarts) that would become kings of Scotland and Great Britain. 2. The fight between the king and his Norman nobles and the clans over the introduction of feudalism to Scotland!
This is Steve, composer of “Sons of
Somerled”. Click on his picture to get to
his fan club’s web site where you can
hear more of his music and find out what
he is doing currently. I’m not a member of
his fan club, but I am a fan
The Book - Killian: Remember Who
You Are
Listening to the CD at home, repeatedly, I was
inspired to find out more about the man called
Somerled and early Scottish history. I decided to
write a book about him. This needed a lot of
research to find out:
•
Who were the Gaels?
•
Where did they come from?
•
What was the “clan system”?
•
Why did the clans object to the kings of
Scotland introducing feudalism?
The other pages listed in the drop-down menu under
the Novel button contains a summary of what I found
out.
If you thought William Wallace’s fight for freedom
against the English in 1297-1305 (Braveheart) was a
good story, then you’ll love Somerled. Almost a
hundred years before Wallace, he fought to drive out
the Vikings that had been occupying the west of
Scotland for 350 years!
