As is obvious from this blog, I am an avid reader of historical fiction. Most nights, my bedtime reading is a historical novel. These days mostly on the Kindle, and I donated most of my extensive collection of paperbacks to Oxfam to free up some shelf space for reference books. However, I kept my extensive collection of Scottish historical novels by Nigel Tranter with the intention of re-reading them in retirement.
Nigel Tranter was perhaps best known for his deeply researched novels on Scottish history. He also wrote non-fiction books, including a fine short history of Scotland and a five-volume study of Scottish castles, 663 fortified buildings in total. Less well known were are his westerns, written under the name Nye Tredgold and 12 children's books.
Nigel Tranter was born in 1909 and trained as an accountant. He served in the Royal Artillery during WW2. After the war, he was involved in the original Scottish Convention, which campaigned for Scottish Devolution. He died in January 2000, aged 90, less than a year after the devolved Scottish Parliament was reconstituted. I met him once when I was working at a political party conference. I didn't recognise him, and when introduced, I was the gushing fanboy! He told me he often wrote his books by hand while walking near his home in East Lothian. We shared the view that to really understand history, you have to walk the places where the action happened.
His 57 novels covered many aspects of Scottish history from the 6th to the 18th century. He told me his favourite period was the 16th century, which is reflected in his output. Some academics were a bit sniffy about his work, but I would argue they opened up the subject for many people. He always emphasised that they are works of fiction, although based on historical research. This is more obvious in his later books as his study of Scottish history advanced.
So, I have sorted my collection of his novels into roughly chronological order on the shelf. I think I have most of them and intend to reread them all. I will share my thoughts and the wargames they inspire on the blog with the links below. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
Nigel Tranter - Scotland's Storyteller - his
biography written by Ray Bradfield.
A useful book to have beside you when reading his novels is 'Tranter's Terrain' by Michael and Alison Pritchard. It's a slim volume written in 1994 that covers the terrain (places, castles, topography) he mentions, broken down by region.
Columba - The story of St Columba, who was the driving force behind the spread of Christianity in Scotland during the later 6th century.
Kenneth - The first King of Scots. Tranter's take on Kenneth's 9th-century unification of the different kingdoms is probably a good deal more peaceable than the likely history. Nonetheless, there is plenty of action to keep the reader's attention.
High Kings and Vikings - Late 10th century and early 11th century Scotland. High Kings come and go, often meeting a violent end. Meanwhile, the kingdom is threatened by Vikings and Saxons.
Macbeth - Tranter's take on the 11th-century King of Scots. A sympathetic treatment of the historical figure, closer to the facts than Shakespeare, but a few liberties nonetheless.
Margaret the Queen - This covers the reign of Malcolm III (1058-1093) and his Saxon Queen Margaret who expanded the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. His reign was mostly focused on the conflict with the new rulers of England, the Normans.
David the Prince—Tranter sympathetically portrays David I, the great reforming King, who, with Anglo-Norman cash and swords, brought Scotland into the feudal system.
Lord of the Isles is one of my favourites. The amazing 12C story of Somerled, who built a seaborne domain on the west coast of Scotland.
Crusader—The title is a bit misleading, as this is the story of Alexander III's regency. It is not one of Tranter's more gripping tales.
Envoy Extraordinary - Another title based on Alexander III's period, although, unlike Crusader, this takes the story on to his adult rule.
True Thomas - The life of Sir Thomas Learmonth of Ercildoune, also known as Thomas the Rhymer.
The Wallace—we reach the most iconic of Scottish heroes, even if the facts of his life are a bit sketchy.
The Bruce Trilogy - three books in one, covering the highs and lows of the Anglo-Scottish wars.
The Flowers of Chivalry - The Bruce is dead, and a child king is on the throne. It was one of the most dangerous times, internally and externally, for any medieval kingdom.
Lords of Misrule - The first in the Stewart Trilogy during the reign of Robert II.
The Captive Crown is the last in the Stewart trilogy and ends with the Battle of Harlaw in 1411.
Lion Let Loose - Covers the reign of James I of Scotland, not to be confused with James I of England.
Black Douglas - The most powerful family in Scotland during the minority of James II.
Chain of Destiny - The story of James IV and his death at the Battle of Flodden.
A Stake in the Kingdom - James V was King of Scots. However, David Beaton was the real power behind the throne. Tranter tells the story of this remarkable character who rose from the seventh son of a minor laird to the highest levels in the church and government.
The Riven Realm is the first of a trilogy on James V. This book covers the early years of James' life as seen through the eyes of David Lindsay, the Usher and Procurator of the infant King.
James, by the Grace of God - The young monarch has escaped the clutches of his mother, the sister of Henry VIII of England, only to be held by Archibald, Earl of Angus, chief of the mighty Red Douglases.
Rough Wooing - The final book in the James V trilogy deals with the conflict with Henry VIII of England, known as the Rough Wooing.
Balefire - an early (1958) stand-alone novel. Simon Armstrong, a modest Border laird wounded on the battlefield of Flodden in 1513, is captured and held near Hexham.
The Marchman - the story of Sir John Maxwell, Warden of the West March, during the middle of the 16th century.
The Young Montrose - the early campaigns of the Earl of Montrose during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
Montrose—The Captain General—His later campaigns in Scotland, his later life in Europe, and his subsequent execution.
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