King David's Influence On American Society

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David the I ruled Scotland from 1124 until 1153. He was the youngest son of Malcolm the III Canmore and St. Margaret of Scotland. He is also often lauded as one of the most influential Kings in Scottish history. During his time as king, he founded several Burghs including Edinburgh, Roxburgh, Stirling, Perth, and Berwick. He was the first King of Scots to mint his own coins, a previously unheard of affair in Scotland in the Middle Ages. He revolutionized and centralized the Scottish government and brought about much reform to the church. There is no doubt in the mind of any historians or casual learner of David’s reign that King David the I had a profound effect on the future of Scotland and the Scottish government, however, it is not fair …show more content…

This intermarrying would lead to less Scottish control and more Anglo-Norman influence within the lands of Scotland. He introduced some of the most important names in Scottish history during this time of ‘modernization’, including the Bruce, Oliphant, Stewart, and Comyn families. All of these families will gain historical significance as the kingdom of the Scots grows and changes to accommodate the Anglo-Norman ideals and becomes more Europeanized. For instance, the Stewart family is one of the must well-known families in Scottish history as it had the longest ruling dynasty of any other family, and was the last ruling family of Scotland when King James the VII became King James I of Scotland. Anglo-Normans contributed so much to the future of Scotland, Europeanizing it from the very start of their integration into Scottish society. Scotland would definitely not be the country it was today if not for King David I’s integration of Anglo-Norman nobles into Scottish society at this …show more content…

History is written by the winners, and since the winners (the Anglo-Normans of England at that time) felt that their culture was more modern than that of traditional Scottish culture, they consider their efforts as those of modernization. In his book, Lynch says that ‘David, it has been rightly claimed, was a legend in his own lifetime. But the makers of the legend were his own clerks or (mostly English) chroniclers.’ Because his history was written by those that wanted his successes to be seen as altogether positive within the agenda of the Anglo-Norman conquerors, that is the impression that his story is given. It does not matter that much of what the Anglo-Normans accomplished only seemed to push away Scottish culture and turn it into an Anglo-Norman culture, or some hybrid between the two. The fact that there are sources like that in the ME1006 sourcebook that paint King David I as the ideal king, ‘beloved by God and humans’. This entirely biased account of King David’s life and accomplishments was written by Aelred of Rievaulx, an Anglo-Norman bishop of Rievaulx, a clearly French-sounding monastery. King David I tried to embody all of the values that Anglo-Normans of this time period had, and, because of that, he was painted as a legend. Even though Aelred admits that ‘David too sinned ‘, he uses language that draws David away

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