Historians of mediaeval scotland would emphasize the continuity and change aspect of David's reign. A lot of clergy that he is advancing into senior bishoprics within the kingdom are scots. They are not foreigners that are being brought in. And as alis wal say right back at the start, he isn't booting out the natives to make room for colonists. There's a lot more accommodation. It's piecemeal or there's an opportunity, there's nobody better.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the impact of David I of Scotland (c1084-1153) on his kingdom and on neighbouring lands. The youngest son of Malcolm III, he was raised in exile in the Anglo-Norman court and became Earl of Huntingdon and Prince of Cumbria before claiming the throne in 1124. He introduced elements of what he had learned in England and, in the next decades, his kingdom saw new burghs, new monasteries, new ways of governing and the arrival of some very influential families, earning him the reputation of The Perfect King.
With
Richard Oram
Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling
Alice Taylor
Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London
And
Alex Woolf
Senior Lecturer in History at the University of St Andrews
Producer: Simon Tillotson