A Protestant Lord in James VI's Scotland: George Keith, Fifth Earl Marischal (1554-1623) (St Andrews Studies in Scottish History, 8)

George Keith, fifth Earl Marischal, is an outstanding example of long-term successful Protestant Lordship in the reign of James VI. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen and the towns of Peterhead and Stonehaven, reputed to be the richest earl in Scotland, Marischal and his kindred were witness to a Scotland reeling from the consequences of the Protestant Reformation and coming to terms with their ambitious new king, who would be whisked away to England in 1603. This book explores Marischal's political struggles in the north east and at court, and his strategies in managing the kindred throughout these storms. He was economically active in estate improvement, shipping and finance, and was prominent in regional activities such as feuding and upholding local justice. An exploration of the Keiths' interaction with the Protestant Kirk redresses the notion of the "Conservative North East" of Scotland, but also reveals the conflict between earthly lordship and godly reform. Marischal, King James' "Little Fat Pork," is thus a perfect window into noble society, religion and politics in Jacobean Scotland. Dr MILES KERR-PETERSON is an affiliate in Scottish History at the University of Glasgow. A study of the life and career of one of Scotland's leading magnates during a turbulent period.George Keith, fifth Earl Marischal, is an outstanding example of long-term successful Protestant Lordship in the reign of James VI. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen and the towns of Peterhead and Stonehaven, reputed tobe the richest earl in Scotland, Marischal and his kindred were witness to a Scotland reeling from the consequences of the Protestant Reformation and coming to terms with their ambitious new king, who would be whisked away to England in 1603. This book explores Marischal's political struggles in the north east and at court, and his strategies in managing the kindred throughout these storms. He was economically active in estate improvement, shippingand finance, and was prominent in regional activities such as feuding and upholding local justice. An exploration of the Keiths'interaction with the Protestant Kirk redresses the notion of the'Conservative North East'of Scotland, but also reveals the conflict between earthly lordship and godly reform. Marischal, King James''Little Fat Pork', is thus a perfect window into noble society, religion and politics in Jacobean Scotland. Dr MILES KERR-PETERSON is an affiliate in Scottish History at the University of Glasgow. George Keith, fifth Earl Marischal, is an outstanding example of long-term successful Protestant Lordship in the reign of James VI. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen and the towns of Peterhead and Stonehaven, reputed tobe the richest earl in Scotland, Marischal and his kindred were witness to a Scotland reeling from the consequences of the Protestant Reformation and coming to terms with their ambitious new king, who would be whisked away to England in 1603.
This book explores Marischal's political struggles in the north east and at court, and his strategies in managing the kindred throughout these storms. He was economically active in estate improvement, shippingand finance, and was prominent in regional activities such as feuding and upholding local justice. An exploration of the Keiths' interaction with the Protestant Kirk redresses the notion of the "Conservative North East" of Scotland, but also reveals the conflict between earthly lordship and godly reform. Marischal, King James' "Little Fat Pork", is thus a perfect window into noble society, religion and politics in Jacobean Scotland.

Dr MILES KERR-PETERSON is an affiliate in Scottish History at the University of Glasgow. Frontcover 1 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 7 Acknowledgements 8 Conventions 10 Abbreviations 12 Introduction 18 1 Inheritance and Education, 1513–1582 30 2 Three Feuds and Jacobean Politics, 1582–1595 47 3 Service to the State, 1595–1623 89 4 Defending the Borders of the Earldom, 1595–1623 108 5 Family Strategies and Crises, 1595–1623 120 6 Lordship and the Reformed Kirk, 1560–1623 134 7 Economic Activities, 1581–1623 168 8 Marischal College, 1593–1623 184 Conclusion 206 Appendices: Genealogies 212 Bibliography 228 Index 245