Frontiers for Peace in the Medieval North
Author | : Ian Peter Grohse |
Publisher | : BRILL |
Total Pages | : 305 |
Release | : 2017-04-18 |
ISBN-10 | : 9789004343658 |
ISBN-13 | : 9004343652 |
Rating | : 4/5 (58 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: In Frontiers for Peace in the Medieval North. The Norwegian-Scottish Frontier c. 1260-1470, Ian Peter Grohse examines social and political interactions in Orkney, a Norwegian-held province with long and intimate ties to the Scottish mainland. Commonly portrayed as the epicentre of political tension between Norwegian and Scottish fronts, Orkney appears here as a medium for diplomacy between monarchies and as an avenue for interface and cooperation between neighbouring communities. Removed from the national heartlands of Scandinavia and Britain, Orcadians fostered a distinctly local identity that, although rooted in Norwegian law and civic organization, featured a unique cultural accent engendered through Scottish immigration. This study of Orcadian experiences encourages greater appreciation of the peaceful dimensions of pre-modern European frontiers.