Historical Note

The inspiration for this story began with one woman: Queen Margaret of Scotland. As the daughter of exiled Edward Atheling (son of Edmund Ironside, King of England), she was born in either 1045 or 1046 in Hungary. She and her family returned to England in late 1056 or early 1057 when Edward the Confessor named his nephew, Margaret’s father, his heir. However, Edward Atheling died shortly after his and his family’s arrival in England. Edward the Confessor then kept Margaret and her siblings under his guardianship until his death.

Margaret’s brother, Edgar, did not have the necessary support to become king and upon his great-uncle’s death, Harold, son of Godwin, became king. His reign was short-lived, with the Battle of Hastings giving way to Duke William of Normandy being crowned king in 1066, despite Margaret’s brother’s legitimate claim to the throne.

William did not view young Edgar and his family as a threat, and for a time, they remained in his care. Things changed, however, and the family sought shelter in Scotland over the winter of 1068. It is believed that Margaret brought the Holy Rood (a fragment from the cross on which Christ was crucified) with her at this time. She eventually married the King of Scotland, Malcolm, in 1070.

Queen Margaret is the only Scottish royal to become a saint and was known for her religious convictions. The Holy Rood (also known as the Black Rood) likely never left Scotland until it was taken by Edward the 1st of England (the Hammer of the Scots) during his reign in 1296. Eventually, it was lost to history. To this day, the whereabouts of Scotland’s Holy Rood remain unknown.

King David (Margaret and Malcolm’s youngest son) was indeed inspired by a vision to build Holyrood Abbey; however, other aspects of his life are invented in the story. Namely, Isobel herself. King David and his wife, Matilda (as I call her, Mattie) had two daughters, Claricia and Hodierna, and a son, Henry, Earl of Northumberland. Isobel Campbell is a completely invented character. In real life, David’s grandson, Malcolm IV, did inherit the throne at (or around) age eleven.

Alexander MacKinnon is a fictitious character, but MacKinnons did inhabit Mull and Iona, though their early history is not well documented (at least not that I have found). MacKinnon abbots served at the abbey and MacKinnon warriors are buried in Reilig Odhràin, the burial grounds by Iona Abbey. Queen Margaret did travel to Iona during her husband’s reign and initiated repairs on the monastery. She also provided the religious community with an endowment. However, she did not, by any known accounts, grant the stewardship of Iona to the MacKinnons.

During the period that my story is set, there would have been a Columban community on Iona (so named for the followers of St Columba, the Irish monk that founded a religious community on Iona in AD 563), but it was in decline. In 1164, Somerled, Lord of the Isles (also styled King of the Isles), brought an Irish abbot to Iona, but he died the same year and the community was not renewed again until 1200. At this point in history, Ranald, Lord of the Isles (Somerled’s son), invited Benedictine monks to establish a community on Iona. An Augustinian nunnery was also founded, and Ranald installed his sister, Bethoc (Beatrice) to be the nunnery’s first prioress. Here I played with the timelines to fit the needs of my story.

The Macleans did call Mull home. However, the first reference to a clan by that name does not come until 1367. Also of import to note is the title of Earl of Angus. It is considered one of the oldest mormaerdoms (a medieval term for a regional ruler) in Scotland. The title is associated with a region, not a clan, but I opted to pair the title to an invented clan for simplification. The title of Bishop of Edinburgh is real today, but it did not exist at the time of my story. Another invented title is the Duke of Lincoln. There is, however, the title of Earl of Lincoln.

Another adjustment to history is the gallowglass (or galloglass) men-at-arms and their swords. These individuals were elite warriors that existed between the early 1200s and the fifteenth century. I played with time to allow Uncle William to be one of these soldiers. The sword is also important to note, as this would not have been the weapon of choice in the isles at this time. Rather, an axe or bow would have been more commonly used.

My story is set after the Second Crusade (1145-1149). Scots on crusade is a fascinating topic, but one that I found to have little documentation. I first learned of Scotsmen traveling on crusade when I visited Pitlochry’s Moulin churchyard in Perthshire, Scotland. In the graveyard, there rests an old, presumably medieval, flat stone with a two-handed sword engraved on its surface. This is thought to be the grave of a 12th century crusader. This prompted me to do research, and I found information about Scots going on the second crusade, including those that sailed for Lisbon, Portugal. Scotsmen are referenced throughout historical accounts of the crusades, most often (in such contexts) being referred to as “barbarians from the north.”

As to who reigned over the areas described in the book, it is true that allegiance to the Scottish king was not common for islanders. The Lord of the Isles, Somerled, a Gaelic-Norse warlord, was indeed in control over much of the western isles. However, for the purposes of the story, I made Alex allegiant to King David and the Lord of Isles.

Throughout the book, I refer to places that existed at some point in history. However, these places may not have existed during the time of my story or my description of them may not be entirely accurate. For instance, construction of St. Andrews Cathedral did not begin until 1160, a few years after my story takes place. Another example of such adjustments can be seen with my reference to Stirling Castle as a stone structure. The first known reference to the castle comes in 1107-15, when Alexander I makes an endowment to a chapel at Stirling. While a castle (or fortification) would have existed in 1153, it isn’t clear exactly how the castle would have looked at this time.

There is one food item I must mention, because it likely did not exist in the form I refer to within the story. Gingerbread, as a ginger-spiced cake, was not present until sometime in the 1400s. Prior to this time, the term referenced preserved ginger (in various forms). When I lived in England, gingerbread treats were readily available, and I would go so far as to liken gingerbread biscuits in the UK to chocolate-chip cookies in America. I suppose incorporating it into the story is a nod to my life abroad.

My goal, throughout the novel, was to keep things historically accurate wherever possible, while giving myself the license to bend timelines to suit the needs of my story. I hope the result is a tale enriched by the setting and history of medieval Scotland.