A thousand year occupation must be one of the most successful in history. This is an investigation of the supposed Scottish royal houses of the Bruces and the Stewarts, who were the promoters of the Knights Templar in Scotland. I’ll also be investigating the supposed origins of Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Picts and Scots. It’s not for no reason the Scots aren’t taught their own history in school.
Scottish readers may also be startled to discover that their roots, far from stemming in Ireland as is generally taught, might possibly lie in lands as far away as Egypt, Greece and Spain.
The poem, using William Skene’s 1867 English translation, and in a much truncated form, (for the original runs to 46 verses), continues:
How were they named before they came to attain their sovereignty, From their own weapons. What was the name of their country? Thracia was the name of their country, till they spread their sails, After they had resolved to emigrate in the east of europe. Agathyrsi was their name, in the portion of Erchbi. From the tattooing of their fair skins were they called Picti.
The Picts, the tribe I speak of, understood travelling over the sea, Without mean unworthy deeds, the seed of Geloin, son of Ercoil. Necromancy and idolatry, illusion, in a fair and well-walled house, Plundering in ships, bright poems by them were taught. The honouring of sred (rank?) and omens, choice of weather, lucky times, The watching the voice of birds, they practised without disguise. From thence they conquered Alba, the noble nurse of fruitfulness, Without destroying the people from the region of Cat to Forchu. Fifty kings of plundering career, every one of the Race of Eochaigh, From Fergus, most truly, to the vigorous Mac Brethach (MacBeth). Six kings and six times ten of them, who attended to bloody plunder, They loved merry forays. They possessed the Kingdom of the Cruithneach’
http://www.thesonsofscotland.co.uk/rpthefoundationlegends.htm
The Black Scots
A curious aspect of this early history concerns various stories around Kenneth. King Kenneth was also known as ‘Kenneth the Niger’ or Kenneth Dubh, a surname which means ‘the black man’. It is a matter of history that many seafaring warriors were North African, travelled via Iberia into Europe, and joined in many cultures and held power and position. Niger Val Dubh lived and reigned over certain black divisions in Scotland, and some histories state that a race known as ‘the sons of the blacks’ succeeded him. (e.g. see JA Rogers, Sex and Race). Kenneth III was king of Scotland from 997 to 1005. He was the son of King Dubh (Dub mac Mail Choluim – 962-967), fourth cousin of the previous king Constantine III, and first cousin of his successor Malcolm II. Kenneth was the last king of Scotland to succeed to the throne through the tanistry system, whereby the succession was shared between two family lines and the dying king named his successor from the other family line. This system led to constant struggle between the ruling families and was abandoned. Kenneth and his son Giric were both killed at Monzievaird, Tayside in 1005. His first cousin Malcolm succeeded him and abolished the tanistry system by killing all of his male descendants. However Kenneth had a granddaughter, Gruoch, via his daughter Boite, whose first husband was Gillacomgain. They had a son called Lulach. She then married King Macbeth I of Scotland (becoming Lady Macbeth). On the death of Macbeth her son via her first marriage, Kenneth III’s great grandson, succeeded to the throne, to become King Lulach of Scotland. According to this history, the blood of Kenneth flows through the royal houses of Scotland. Whether Dubh meant black or dark, as in north-African / southern-European, we may never know for sure. But the story captures a curious fact about the Gaels from Gallicia – some were dark and have left many traces in Irish, Welsh and Scots clans
http://www.clans.org.uk/hist_5.html
Vitrified fort is the name given to certain crude stone enclosures whose walls have been subjected in a greater or less degree to the action of fire[1]. They are generally situated on hills offering strong defensive positions. Their form seems to have been determined by the contour of the flat summits which they enclose. The walls vary in size, a few being upwards of 12 feet high, and are so broad that they present the appearance of embankments. Weak parts of the defence are strengthened by double or triple walls, and occasionally vast lines of ramparts, composed of large blocks of unhewn and unvitrified stones, envelop the vitrified centre at some distance from it. No lime or cement has been found in any of these structures, all of them presenting the peculiarity of being more or less consolidated by the fusion of the rocks of which they are built. This fusion, which has been caused by the application of intense heat, is not equally complete in the various forts, or even in the walls of the same fort. In some cases the stones are only partially melted and calcined; in others their adjoining edges are fused so that they are firmly cemented together; in many instances pieces of rock are enveloped in a glassy enamel-like coating which binds them into a uniform whole; and at times, though rarely, the entire length of the wall presents one solid mass of vitreous substance. It is not clear why the walls were subjected to vitrification. Some antiquarians have argued that it was done to strengthen the wall, but the heating actually weakens the structure. Battle damage is also unlikely to be the cause, as the walls must have been subjected to carefully maintained fires to ensure they were hot enough for vitrification to take place.[2][3] Since John Williams, one of the earliest of British geologists, and author of The Natural History of the Mineral Kingdom, first described these singular ruins in 1777, about fifty examples have been discovered in Scotland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitrified_fort
That times weren’t always as peaceful as nowadays can be determined by the large numbers of forts (Gaelic: Duns) on Islay, the silent witnesses of days gone by. Islay had around 80 forts and fortified sites, from which most of them are ruined and hardly visible in the landscape. These forts were built in the Bronze and Iron age from 1000BC to 400AD although it is believed that some forts date back to Neolithic times, but that doesn’t seem to be the case on Islay. Islay’s forts were scattered all over the island, and most of these forts were hill forts. “A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for military advantage. The fortification usually follows the contours of the hill, consisting of one or more lines of earthworks, with stockades or defensive walls, and external ditches”. Other types of forts on Islay are sea promontory forts and sea cliff forts. Some of their names, often derived from Norse and Gaelic, are Rhinns Point, An Dun, Dun Athad, Cnoc Eabriic, Dun Bheolain, Beinn A’Chaisteal, Beinn Sholaraidh, Port Ellen – The Ard, Dun Nosebridge, Borrichill Mor, Dun Guaidhre, Rubha Bhollsa, Sgairail, Gortantaoid, Dun Nan Gall and Trudernish Point. Luckily not all the forts are in a derelict state and the remains of some of these forts are visible on several places on Islay and below are two examples of these ancient forts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islay
http://blog.islayinfo.com/article.php/islay_hill_fort_dun_nosebridge
The Fairy Flag (Scottish Gaelic: Am Bratach Sìth) is an heirloom of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod. It is held in Dunvegan Castle along with other notable heirlooms, such as the Dunvegan Cup and Sir Rory Mor’s Horn. The Fairy Flag is known for the numerous traditions of fairies, and magical properties associated with it. The flag is made of silk, is yellow or brown in colour, and measures about 18 inches (46 cm) squared. It has been examined numerous times in the last two centuries, and its condition has somewhat deteriorated. It is ripped and tattered, and is considered to be extremely fragile. The flag is covered in small red “elf dots”. In the early part of the 19th century, the flag was also marked with small crosses, but these have since disappeared. The silk of the flag has been stated to have originated in the Far East, and was therefore extremely precious, which led some to believe that the flag may have been an important relic of some sort. Others have attempted to associate the flag with the Crusades or even a raven banner, which was said to have been used by various Viking leaders in the British Isles.
Fairy Flag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David McRitchie aan de Zwarte Schotten - The Moors van Schotland.
There are numerous traditions and stories associated with the flag, most of which deal with its magical properties and mysterious origins. The flag is said to have originated as: a gift from the fairies to an infant chieftain; a gift to a chief from a departing fairy-lover; a reward for defeating an evil spirit; or as a banner from the Holy Land. The various powers attributed to the Fairy Flag include: the ability to multiply a clan’s military forces; the ability to save the lives of certain clanfolk; the ability to cure a plague on cattle; the ability to increase the chances of fertility; and the ability to bring herring into the loch at Dunvegan. Some traditions relate that if the flag were to be unfurled and waved more than three times, it would either vanish, or lose its powers forever. Clan tradition, preserved in the early 19th century, tells how the Fairy Flag was entrusted to a family of hereditary standard bearers. Only the eldest male of this family was ever allowed to unfurl the flag; the first such hereditary standard bearer was given the honour of being buried inside the tomb of the chiefs, on the sacred isle of Iona. Tradition states that the flag was unfurled at several clan battles in the 15th and 16th centuries; the flag’s magical powers are said to have won at least one of them. Another 19th century tradition linked the flag to a prophesy which foretold the downfall of Clan MacLeod; but it also prophesied that, in the “far distant future”, the clan would regain its power and raise its honour higher than ever before. In the mid-20th century, the Fairy Flag was said to have said to have extinguished a fire at Dunvegan Castle, and to have given luck to servicemen flying bombing missions in the Second World War.
Mary, Queen of Scots
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Mary, Queen of Scots (disambiguation).
Mary Stuart
Portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots after François Clouet
Queen of Scots
Reign: 14 December 1542 – 24 July 1567
Coronation: 9 September 1543
Predecessor: James V
Successor: James VI
Regent: James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran (1542–1554)
Mary of Guise (1554–1560)
Queen consort of France
Tenure: 10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560
Spouse: Francis II of France
m. 1558; dec. 1560
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
m. 1565; dec. 1567
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell
m. 1567; dec. 1578
Issue
James VI of Scotland and I of England
House: House of Stuart
Father: James V of Scotland
Mother: Mary of Guise
Born: 8 December 1542
Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow
Died: 8 February 1587 (aged 44)
Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire
Burial Peterborough Cathedral; Westminster Abbey
Signature:
Mary Stuart[1] (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587) was Queen regnant of Scotland from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567. In some lists of Scottish monarchs, she is recognised as Mary I.
Mary was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V of Scotland. She was 6 days old when her father died and she was crowned nine months later. In 1558, she married Francis, Dauphin of France. He ascended the French throne as Francis II in 1559, and Mary became Queen consort of France until she was widowed on 5 December 1560. Mary then returned to Scotland, arriving in Leith on 19 August 1561. Four years later, she married her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Their union was unhappy and in February 1567, there was a huge explosion at their house, and Darnley was found dead, apparently strangled, in the garden.
She soon married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was generally believed to be Darnley’s murderer. Following an uprising against the couple, Mary was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle on 15 June and forced to abdicate in favour of her one-year-old son, James VI. After an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, Mary fled to England seeking the protection of her first cousin once removed, Queen Elizabeth I of England, whose kingdom she hoped to inherit. Mary had previously claimed Elizabeth’s throne as her own and was considered the legitimate sovereign of England by many English Catholics, including participants in the Rising of the North. Perceiving her as a threat, Elizabeth had her arrested. After 19 years in custody in a number of castles and manor houses in England, she was tried and executed for treason for her alleged involvement in three plots to assassinate Elizabeth.
