Friday, May 10, 2013

Historical Inspirations by Lane McFarland


Throwing my imagination into years gone by, researching dark periods of strife and violence, justice and quests for freedom, and dreaming of what it may have been like to live and survive during these hostile periods have been the most fascinating aspects of writing historical romance.
Cameron, the first book in my Daughters of Alastair MacDougall series, begins in May 1297, a time of unrest between Scotland and England.
The death of Alexander III in 1286, followed by the demise of Queen Margaret in 1290, became a time of consternation for Scotland. Labeled as The Great Cause, a fight for the Scottish throne ensued between two powerful men, John Balliol and Robert de Bruce. Unable to agree on a successor, Scottish nobles requested the help of England’s King Edward I. The king and his vast army arrived at Norham Castle and agreed to settle the dispute under the condition of the Scot’s pledge to him as their feudal overlord.

Norham Castle, Northumberland, England by Karen V Bryan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Shrewdly, the Scots explained something of this magnitude would have to be the decision of the newly appointed king. Edward spent over a year arbitrating between 13 claimants for the throne. But before he would decree judgment, he forced all contenders to accept him as overlord of Scotland. Some say John Balliol appeared the easiest to manipulate so Edward ruled in his favor and appointed him as King of Scotland in November 1292.
Much to Edward’s chagrin, Balliol stood strong against England’s attempt at wielding power over their country. He balked at providing troops for Edward’s war with France. Instead, Balliol sided with the French and attacked Carlisle. As a result, Edward retaliated, and the Battle of Dunbar ensued in April 1296. Afterwards, Balliol was stripped of his power and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Many skirmishes followed the Scottish defeat. In 1298, Robert de Bruce, one of country’s most famous warriors, emerged as the Guardian of Scotland. During his reign, he led rebels bent on freedom from England’s tyranny and preserving their way of life, ultimately regaining the country’s independence.
Isn’t history fascinating?
Thank you for stopping by and visiting with me today. I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment to let me know favorite historical events that draw you into the period. What about them captivates you, invokes passionate images of struggle and survival? What are your favorite historical books and movies that intrigue you…and why?
 Lane

15 comments:

  1. Knowing so little about Scotland's history, I thought this was fascinating! Seems like the wars and rumors of wars that surround us in our day have been around for a long, long time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Beppie! I understand the first recorded war was in the middle east area in c. 2700 B.C. There were certainly battles and conflicts before that time, but none "officially" recorded.

      Thank you for stopping by!
      Lane

      Delete
    2. It seems war and contention is the human condition, Lane. You're right regarding the date of the first recorded war. It makes you wonder how long feuds, murders and thefts have existed. I suspect as long as humans have been on the earth. As a race, we aren't very nice!
      ~Cate

      Delete
  2. Great post...I'm not so intrigued by the wars and history, I prefer to be swept away and just brought to another time and place...that what historicals do for me...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Tess! Yes, I tend to get swept away and brought to another time, immersed in the goings on of the period. Historicals are a wonderful escape into another world.

      Thank you for visiting with me!
      Lane

      Delete
  3. I love historical books because I read to escape reality. It's wonderful to be able to experience new places and events through the eyes of characters. Lovely post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ally! Historical novels have provided that escape for me, too. I love nothing better than to curl up in my comfy chair, bury my nose in a good book and retreat into days gone by...

      Thank you for your comments!
      Lane

      Delete
  4. Very interesting. I'd know of Robert de Bruce, but not how he'd come to power. I tweeted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Ella! I think a lot of people have heard of Robert de Bruce. He is definitely one of the most interesting characters of his time.

      I so appreciate the tweet!
      Lane

      Delete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Super post, Lane. And, oh, my, I love that photo you gave us of Norham Castle. Tales of battles are fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Barbara! I would love to visit these old castles some day. If only walls could talk! :0)

      Thank you so much for stopping by!
      Lane

      Delete
  7. It's rather ironic that today you have to pay to get into the Tower of London, I suspect a few people had to also pay to get out.
    Great blog Lane, best wishes Sasha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! Yes, and many paid with their lives! I was able to see the Tower of London when on a business trip and was just overwhelmed with emotion thinking about the people that had been imprisoned, tortured and killed there. I think there is nothing like visiting a historical site to inspire you to write!

      Thank you for your comment, Sasha! So appreciate you dropping by...

      Lane

      Delete
  8. Norham Castle and agreed to settle the dispute under the condition of the Scot’s pledge to him as their feudal overlord. autotrucktransport.org auto truck transport

    ReplyDelete