I went to Balwearie High School in
Kirkcaldy, Fife in the 1970s and to get there from my home six miles away in
Burntisland I got a school bus.
This journey took me past the King Alexander
III (r1249 – 1286) monument which, to be honest, I never really paid much
attention to.
I knew it was in memory to a King of Scots and did wonder why it
was never mentioned at History lessons at school. So, I guess you could say in more ways than one I had no more than a 'passing' interest...
Alexander III Monument
History bored me at school; it seemed to be
simply about writing down dates and never seemed to be remotely relevant to
life then as it was.
Of course, perhaps another reason was that History
consisted of the Tudors, Sir Francis Drake, Battle of Trafalgar, Henry VIII, the
Elizabethans with some World War I and World War II thrown in.
I don’t remember
ever getting any Scottish history; we got ‘British’ history which inevitably
was ‘English’ history.
As I say, it bored me. It is something I would love to
be able to go back in time to remedy; I didn’t know it then but there was a
tiny ‘history flame’ struggling to ignite into something more powerful and my
even noticing the Alexander III monument was possibly the start.
British History
Many moons later I looked more into King
Alexander III and was amazed this important king had escaped the history agenda
almost completely. There are two occasions in his life which particularly impressed me.
Perhaps I am impressed because as a youngster I was often prone to ‘speaking
first and thinking later’.
Alexander was seven years old when he was inaugurated as
King of Scots on 13th July 1249; his father had died a week earlier.
Magnus Magnusson Book - Highly Recommended
According to Magnus Magnusson in his book
Scotland: The Story of a Nation –
In December
1251, at the age of ten, the boy-king was taken by his court to York to be knighted
by Henry III before being married to Henry’s daughter Margaret. It gave the
English king an immediate opportunity to raise the dormant question of Scotland’s
subjugation to England: according to the contemporary St Albans Chronicle,
Alexander was then asked to do homage for the kingdom of Scotland…the boy
replied gravely that he had come to marry, not to answer so difficult a
question.
Alexander III King of Scots
At age 36 I was still unable to always ‘think
things through’; I could still be impetuous; I would still react rather than
respond. King Alexander III seemed to have no such problem.
In October 1278 Alexander III was again
careful with his reply when Edward I pressed for homage. According to Marion
Campbell in her superb book Alexander III: King of Scots –
‘I
become your man for lands which I hold of you in the realm of England for which
I owe you homage, reserving my kingdom’. Then the Bishop of Norwich said, ‘And
let it be reserved to the King of England, if he should have right to your
homage for the kingdom’. The King answered him publicly at once, saying, ‘Nobody
but God Himself has the right to homage for my realm of Scotland, and I hold it
of nobody but God Himself’.
Marion Campbell's Book on Alexander III - Highly Recommended
King Alexander III grasped the basics of
diplomacy and assertiveness from an early age and displayed courage in his
dealings with other rulers and kings throughout his reign.
I'm happy to say that nowadays I have managed to overcome the 'feet first' approach. I am now able to think, think, think and then respond. However, I’m afraid I would never have managed to
reign in such a mature way as Alexander III even with a plethora of advisors. How about you?
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