This thesis is a detailed study of the political and social history of the native earls of Strathearn from the late 1120s to the middle of the fourteenth century. It examines the impact and penetration of Norman ideas of feudalism in a region which was strongly Celtic in character, and in which native customs and practices were preserved for a remarkably long period. In the decades which followed the accession of King David I, the lands of Strathearn retained a large degree of independence from royal control. Few 'new' men were introduced to the region by the king. The earls do not appear to have held their earldom as a regular knight's fee, and comital authority over these lands was not challenged. A study of the lives and careers of the eight men who are known to have held the title of earl between c.1128 and c.1350 reveals two distinct periods in Strathearn history. The first includes the rules of the four earliest known earls, Malise I, Ferteth, Gilbert and Robert, from c.1128 to 1244. The key words for understanding this period are 'traditionalism' and 'conservatism'. These men involved themselves only remotely with the king's court and the governance of Scotland; they were more concerned with the administration of their own estates. By contrast, the last four native earls, Malice II, Malise III, Malise IV and Malise V, who ruled between 1244 and c.1350, were more active on the Scottish political scene; their names are found with some regularity in the public records of the period. An examination of the household and retinue of each of the earls reinforces the theory that there are two distinct periods in Strathearn history. The entourages of the early earls shows a curious but harmonious blend of Celtic and Anglo-Norman officials, and the ties between lord and servant were intimate. The households of the later thirteenth- and early fourteenth century earls were organized more efficiently, end positions of responsibility were staffed by trained ministers, often of Anglo-Norman descent. The tenurial structure in the earldom altered considerably between one period and the next. In the time of the early earls few foreigners were introduced to Strathearn, but in the second period landowners were mainly men whose origins were Anglo-Norman. They appear to have prospered at the expense of native inhabitants. An edition of the written acts of the earls constitutes an integral part of this thesis. A detailed study of these deeds reveals that the early earls depended largely upon the canons of Inchaffray abbey for a constant supply of trained clerks, while the later earls probably employed trained scribes who travelled around the lands of the earldom, as well as further abroad, with their lords. Diplomatic practice before 1244 was modelled largely on the documents which emanated from the royal chancery during the reign of King William I, and the charters of the early earls clearly reflect the inexperience of the clerks who penned them. It is not until the time of earl Malise II (1244-71) that scribal habits in Strathearn were brought more into line with those found in other contemporary baronial writing offices. In the conclusion, an attempt is made to place this study of early medieval Strathearn into a wider context. A comparison of the findings of this thesis with work completed to date on the AngloNormal baronage of the same period reveals some interesting differences. In the native earldom, cultural changes occurred only gradually; new practices and customs existed for many years side by side with older traditional ideas. Moreover, the international interests of these Anglo-Norman barons did not constitute such an essential aspect of the careets of the earls of Strathearn. When further study of the native Scottish earldoms has been completed, it will be possible to draw a more comprehensive picture of the impact of Norman feudalism on the landowning classes of twelfth- and thirteenth-century Scotland.

This thesis examines the political, social and, in particular, military conditions that influenced the allegiance of the men and women of the political community of Lothian, that is to say those people with personal landholding, legal and military obligations whose services were crucial to the efficient administration of the sheriffdom and whose support was courted by kings and magnates alike. The key issue is the high degree of survival among these minor landed families. The upper strata of Scottish political society underwent considerable changes in the early to middle fourteenth century through the fortunes of war, in particular through the disinheritance of the Comyn family and their allies early in the reign of Robert I. Some families lost their Scottish properties, such as the Balliols and the Comyns. Others grew in stature; notably the Douglases and, in Lothian specifically, the Setons and the Lauders. Most landholders would probably have been content to retain their inheritances, and indeed, virtually all of the Lothian landed families of the late thirteenth century would seem to have managed to do just that. A high rate of success is not necessarily evidence that something is easily achieved; the retention of family properties was a complex business in wartime. In the period 1296-1314 the political community had to discharge their financial, legal and military burdens to the party currently in charge, but without permanently compromising themselves with the opposition, who might, after all, be in a position to exert lordship themselves at some point in the future. The military burdens are central to this thesis. Army service was a very obvious indication of allegiance. Given the nature of the normal practice of war in thirteenth and fourteenth century Europe, it is inevitable that this study examines the nature and incidence of armoured cavalry service in Lothian. The overwhelming majority of that service was performed by minor landholders. Records of their service in garrisons or their forfeiture as rebels provide us with a guide to the rate and incidence of defections from one party to another and therefore some guide to the degree to which a particular party was able to impose their lordship. The thesis explores the various challenges that faced the lesser landholders and more prosperous tenants and burgesses who lived through the Wars of Independence from the campaign of 1296 which ended the reign of King John and imposed the rule of Edward I, until 1341 when Edinburgh castle was recovered by the Scots from the forces of Edward III. It also questions the extent to which Edward III was able to impose his lordship in Lothian, considers the nature of the forces ranged against him and challenges the perception that only the outbreak of the Hundred Years War prevented the operational defeat of the Bruce party. The siege of Edinburgh castle in 1341 marked the end of the last attempt by an English medieval king to provide Lothian with a government. Naturally this would not have been abundantly apparent at the time; however subsequent English invasions, though they might attack Edinburgh, were not designed to bring about the conquest of Lothian. The political environment of Lothian landholders therefore differed substantially in 1296-41 compared to the century either side of the Wars of Independence in that the minor nobility faced difficult decisions which had to be made on assessments of the likely eventual success of the Balliol, Plantagenet and Bruce parties.