In contrast hawking was done on foot without weapons as large birds of prey were used to catch small animals and birds. Specialist falconers were responsible for training the birds and were held in high regard, while a well-trained falcon was a prized possession of the owner.
People who lived in medieval Scotland enjoyed a number of sports that would take place in their own towns and villages. Popular events included. Religion and what people believed in the middle ages was extremely important to them all over Europe and none more so than in Medieval Scotland.
Those who were the most dedicated would give up everything to take holy vows to become a monk or a nun, while others would work in monasteries in a lay capacity. When it came to places of worship Medieval Scotland was littered with churches, monasteries, cathedrals, shrines, holy wells and burial grounds. Ordinary folk would go on pilgrimages to holy shrines in order to receive special graces from God. Their greatest fear was that of the devil and hell therefore prayer and sacrifice became a mainstay of their lives.
Nobles would sponsor pilgrimages, while pilgrims would sow lead pilgrim badges into their clothing in order to gain protection from a saint. Throughout the year there were many festivals and religious feasts celebrating the lives of saints with the patron saint of Scotland being Saint Andrew who was a Christian apostle.
Inside churches bible stories were depicted in wall paintings and embroideries as well as in stone carvings. Medieval plays were also acted out regularly and were very popular with the masses. As Christianity took over from pagan religions pagan sites were transformed into Christian sites, while wealthy folk made sure of their place reserved in heaven by donating plenty of money to the church! The Black Death first took hold in England and the Scots were very smug about it saying it was the revenge of God upon the English.
This of course was not the case and soon the disease that knew no boundaries arrived in Scotland just before the Scots were about to launch an invasion of England. Scottish society was badly hit including ordinary people and peasants alike. Just like in England the peasants who survived the plague began to demand higher wages as labour was scarce.
Churches and cathedrals put on plays called the dance of death. The kingdom of Alba which emerged by AD is seen as the dominant force in central Scotland during this period, but is only one of several regional power players. In the middle of all this change sits the forgotten 11th century. We like tidy historical periods, but Scotland in the 11th century does not fit comfortably in any of them. In other ways, we see the beginnings of later medieval developments, like the first towns being established.
The 11th century seems to lack a coherent archaeological footprint. This is despite the major changes that are known from the historical record. The Battle of Carham in effectively ended Northumbrian control beyond the Tweed, where the border sits today. During these disruptions, the traditional power centres and religious sites of Scotland seem to be in flux.
Turning to our National Collection, I have been struck by how few artefacts are dated specifically to the 11th century. Cameron Taylor. Carden Holiday Cottages. Flying Mirrors. Visit Scotland. Burghead Headland Trust. They list several tribes, of which the Caledonii are the most important.
Picts and Scots: 3rd - 9th century AD. With the frontier of the Roman empire established along the line of Hadrian's Wall , the tribes to the north are free to engage in their own power struggles largely undisturbed by Roman interference. Gradually a new tribal group establishes a dominant position. They are the Picts, first mentioned in a Roman document of the 3rd century as the Picti.
This may be a version of their own name for themselves, or it may mean that they tattoo their bodies picti , Latin for 'painted people'. Theirs seems not to have been an Indo-European language, so they may have been indigenous people asserting themselves over the Celtic intruders.
The Picts, in their turn, are subdued by Celts - not from within Scotland but from overseas. In the 5th century a Celtic tribe from northern Ireland begins to settle on the west coast of Scotland. They are the Scots. It is one of the endearing oddities of British history that the original Scots are northern Irish.
The Scots establish a kingdom, by the name of Dalriada, on both sides of the water. By the 9th century Dalriada in Ireland has succumbed to raids by Vikings. But from within Dalriada in Scotland there emerges the first Scottish dynasty. The kings of this line establish themselves, over two centuries, against constant Viking pressure from all sides. The Vikings and the British Isles: 9th - 10th century. The coasts of the British isles are now dotted with monasteries, not yet rich by the standards of medieval monasticism but with sufficient wealth to attract Viking marauders.
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