Rosalind K. Marshall - Böcker

A beautiful, informative book, illustrated with black and white and colour photographs.Sitting majestically atop the ridge of Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile, St Giles’ looks imposingly down upon Scotland’s capital. It has been at the centre to some of the most significant moments in Scotland’s history and centre-stage to some of its biggest players. This book, based on new research, tells the story of Scotland’s most famous church from its foundation in the 1120s through the 17th-century Prayer Book riot, the writing of the Covenant in 1638, the execution of Montrose and Argyll, becoming the seat of the Order of the Thistle to the current culmination of an ambitious thirty-year renewal programme which has brought colour and light to a living church. St Giles’ is home not only to its own congregation but also to regular civic and national services, not to mention nearly half a million visitors a year.

Mary, Queen of Scots: naïve, selfish, oblivious and self-indulgent fool who divided her nation and brought it to the brink of disaster? Or Mary, Queen of Scots: diligent, shrewd, wise and benevolent heroine who sacrificed herself as a martyr for her religion? Mary, Queen of Scots is one of the most famous and enigmatic Scots in history. The debate rages on as fiercely as ever. To some, Mary was a naïve fool who allowed her errant heart to rule her head. To others, she was a clever, strategic thinker who secured the Scottish throne and the direction of the British monarchy. Murder, infidelity and intrigue permeate this story of one of the most turbulent times in history. Rosalind Marshall is renowned for her work on Mary, Queen of Scots and she takes us through the key myths that surround this fascinating story.

The lives of the Scottish queens, both those who ruled in their own right, and also the consorts, have largely been neglected in conventional history books.One of the earliest known Scottish queens was none other than the notorious Lady MacBeth. Was she really the wicked woman depicted in Shakespeare’s famous play? Was St Margaret a demure and obedient wife? Why did Margaret Logie exercise such an influence over her husband, David II, and have we underestimated James VI’s consort, Anne of Denmark, frequently written off as a stupid and wilful woman? These are just a few of the questions addressed by Dr Marshall in her entertaining, impeccably researched book.

In this best-selling biography of John Knox, Rosalind K. Marshall traces the life of one of the Reformations' central characters. Following his career in Scotland, England, France, Switzerland and Germany, she explains in straightforward terms the issues and beliefs which concerned him so deeply. She also focuses on his relationship with the opposite sex, discussing the notorious First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, his dealings with Mary, Queen of Scots and the patient, revealing letters he wrote his mother-in-law.This book untangles truth from mythology in the life of this strange, complex and determined man and constructs a balanced picture of sixteenth century Scotland that places Knox clearly within the context of change and reformation which was sweeping the whole of Europe. The result is a richer and more complex portrayal of both Scotland and Knox than any hitherto available, and the first modern paperback of one of the most famous of all Scottish figures.