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The Hammer of the Scots: Edward I and the Scottish Wars of Independence Kindle Edition
There is a clear and perceptive account of important military events, notably the Battle of Falkirk, but the narrative also encompasses the wider impact of Edward's campaigns. He attempted to mobilize resources - including men, money and supplies - on an unprecedented scale. His wars affected people at all levels of society, throughout the British Isles. David Santiuste builds up a vivid and convincing description of Edward's campaigns in Scotland, whilst also exploring the political background. Edward emerges as a man of great conviction, who sought to bend Scotland to his will, yet also, on occasion, as a surprisingly beleaguered figure. He is presented here as the central character in a turbulent world, as commander and king.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"... looks into exactly what made Edward tick, with a fascinating exploration of the king's personality" (Scottish Field)
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B00WQ4QY26
- Publisher : Pen & Sword Military (April 30, 2015)
- Publication date : April 30, 2015
- Language : English
- File size : 8.2 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 315 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,103,507 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #179 in Medieval Military History
- #765 in Scotland History
- #963 in Biographies of Royalty (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

David Santiuste is a historian of late medieval Britain. He is a Lecturer in Humanities at the Centre for Open Learning, University of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
David is the author of 'The Hammer of the Scots: Edward I and the Scottish Wars of Independence' and 'Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses'. His other publications include contributions to 'Medieval Sexuality: A Casebook' and 'Medieval Warfare'.
Customer reviews
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2023Lots of detail in a fairly short volume. Edward I was a nasty customer, but he was pretty good at it.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023Many histories inundate the reader with so many names and titles as to make the overall story incomprehensible. Complicated men like Edward surrounded themselves with countless aides and allies, to say nothing of his enemies. This book does a fine job of culling the most important for inclusion in the narrative.
It would have been easy to heap too much attention onto the well known pop culture names of William Wallace and Robert Bruce instead of sticking to the times as experienced and understood by the king himself. That trap was also nicely avoided. I went into this read with the desire to know more of Edward I and am satisfied with that accomplished.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2017The read was good.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2018This is an amazing history that puts the Scottish Wars of Independence into context, starting with the point that battles are only a blip on the historical landscape and surrounding events, people, and pressures mean everything. This book gave me a new understanding of the battles in Scotland during Edward I's life, as well as what he faced in France and how that had a major impact on Scotland. David Santiuste's research was immaculate and clearly presented, and he has a very engaging writing style. I love reading a history as good as this when I'm researching a period.
Top reviews from other countries
- S. LornieReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Easy Read
I recently got the recommendation for the Outlaw King on Netflix. A movie about the exploits of Robert the Bruce during the Scottish War of Independence. I thought the movie was really good but because of doubt caused by Mel Gibson, I decided to read up on the time period. After a few hours of scouring online, I decided that buying a book would be better and is there a better place to start than with Edward Longshanks himself?
As it turned out, this was a very good spot to start. The Hammer of the Scots pretty much covers everything you really need to know about the great English king and the Scottish War of Independence. It covers the issues with the Scottish crown, William Wallace, the beginning of Robert the Bruce's rise and of course, the history behind Edward 1st and his reasoning behind waging war on his enemies. The book covers a lot of good detail. All of which are taken from a variety of sources. It even goes so far as to detail the financial situations between each major campaign. Their issue finding funds, food, other supplies and getting it to the front line. A topic I never really thought about until reading this book.
The Hammer of the Scots is a pretty easy read. I managed to get through it in two sittings. I don't do this often as I am a pretty slow reader but this book was well written, clear with its point and had good pacing. It made for a good read and I'm glad I picked it up. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that it literally stops where *SPOILER* Edward 1st dies on his way to stamp out the Scots one last time. Unfortunately, this leaves a very short summary of the Bruce's retaliation which brought an end to the first Scottish War of Independence. With a majority of the book being about the war, you'd think they would have fleshed that out a bit for the sake of the narrative. Unfortunately that was not the case and anyone wanting to know more about that, you'll have to go buy a different book.
I spent a tenner on The Hammer of the Scots and it was very well spent. I learned a lot about my countries history and showed just how interesting a character Edward and the rebellious Scots were. Neither one was perfect but they all thought what they were doing was right. It leads to one of the most interesting points in Scotland's history and well worth a read for those interested.
- DWReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2021
4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth a read
Well written easy to follow and link the history together
- kevin mReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2017
3.0 out of 5 stars Its a ok read
Some books I just fly through but this one it does not not pull you along, good information in it
- DJK 62Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy addition to the books about Edward 1.
I thoroughly enjoyed David Santiuste work on Edward 1. I could hardly put the book down and it was read in a matter of days. The reason I feel is the author's style of writing , clear and concise, making the information easy to absorb and remember.
The author at the end of the epilogue came to the conclusion that Edward's famous epitaph, the Hammer of the Scots, was not really a tribute to the King, but rather a tribute to his Scottish enemies. I must say with the greatest of respect that I came to a different conclusion. The words painted on Edward's tomb , probably in the sixteenth century was written at a time when England and Scotland were still fierce enemies. I could not imagine the English wanting to pay tribute to the Scots on the tomb of one of their greatest King's. The epitaph was clearly a tribute ta Edward1 and Edward 1 alone.
I must say to me that it seemed somewhat bizarre to conclude in his book with a tribute to Bruce, Comyn, Wallace and Murray in a work about Edward 1. Bruce's success's still lay in the future and the other Scot's mentioned had all failed in their stance against Edward 1.
That said, this book will be read again and again and is a worthy addition to my books about Edward1 by Marc Morris and Michael Prestwich.
- anthony mccoyReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars Hammer of the Scots
Well written book,informative of a period in time which was shaping Britain.i enjoyed the feeling and atmosphere that the book portrayed.