There used to be this idea that david, partly because he is a bit of an interloper, kind of supports this by bringing new people as well. And in fact, bringing new people that he gives land to and asks them to hold it on a slightly different basis. So instead of just being a lord and you've got your land, the traditional idea was that actually David said, well, you can have this large amount of land. But instead of its being now that's yours, you have to hold it from me and perform service to me.
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