Alexander the Glorious

By: Jane Oliver

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Synopsis: In ALEXANDER THE GLORIOUS, Jane Oliver takes as her subject that thirteenth-century Alexander who brought a golden age of order to the chaos and violence that marked medieval Scotland. His story is that of the evolution of a frightened and lonely boy into a wise and just ruler. Crowned king when he was only seven, forced into a marriage with Margaret--daughter of Henry III of England--while they were still children, and considered by his elders as little more than a pawn in their own quest for power, he successfully resisted the intrigues of both his father-in-law and his lords to usurp his prerogatives. As social and military leader of his people, he raised them to great heights and found his reward in the satisfaction of seeing his child bride grow into a loving, and beloved, wife and mother. But if his middle years were full of joy, his later years were doomed to personal tragedy. Just when he should have been able to enjoy the fruits of his labors, he was forced into an ill-fated second marriage in order to provide a new heir to the throne. Only in the light of this period, during which Edward I of England was already casting a covetous eye upon Scotland, can the long years of darkness that would overtake Alexander's people upon his death be properly understood, years that would see his nation placed under an English rule that would not end until the emergence of Wallace and Bruce.