The Steel Bonnets : The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers

From the 13th century to the middle of the 16th, outlaws and “border lords” reigned supreme on the contentious frontier between England and Scotland. Feud and terror, raid and reprisal, were the ordinary stuff of life, and power was held by the notorious border reivers: raiders and freebooters, plunderers and rustlers who robbed, murdered, and wreaked havoc. George MacDonald Fraser, author of the bestselling __Flashman__ novels, takes us back through three centuries of conflict, showing how the frontier society was born and grew; how the region fitted into the diplomacy of the bordering nations; and how, with surprising suddenness, the world of the reivers disappeared. Fraser has crafted a fascinating work of serious history and scholarship that’s as irresistibly compelling as any novel. From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, outlaws and border lords reigned supreme on the contentious frontier between England and Scotland. Feud and terror, raid and reprisal, were the ordinary stuff of life-and a way of survival. Power was held by the notorious border reivers: clan-loyal raiders, freebooters, plunderers, and rustlers who robbed, murdered, and wreaked havoc. These steel bonnets (named for their helmets), both fierce and fanciful, were the last opponents of the rule of law before the Acts of Union of 1707. George MacDonald Fraser takes us back through three centuries of conflict, showing how border society was born and grew; how the region affected the tense diplomacy between England and Scotland; how the reivers became known as ferocious soldiers and played important roles at Flodden and Solway Moss; and how, with surprising suddenness, the world of the reivers disappeared. In The Steel Bonnets, Fraser has crafted a fascinating work of serious history and scholarship that is as irresistibly compelling as any novel. From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, outlaws reigned supreme on the contentious frontier between England and Scotland. Feud and terror, raid and reprisal, were the ordinary stuff of life—and a way of survival. Power was held by the notorious border reivers (the'steel bonnets,'named for their flashy helmets), who robbed and murdered in the name of family: the famous clans (or'grains')—like Elliot, Armstrong, Charlton, and Robson—romanticized by Sir Walter Scott. In The Steel Bonnets, George MacDonald Fraser, author of the bestselling Flashman novels, and himself a borderer, tells the fascinating and bloody story of the reivers, their rise to power as ferocious soldiers of horse, and their surprisingly sudden fall from grace. From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, outlaws reigned supreme on the contentious frontier between England and Scotland. Feud and terror, raid and reprisal, were the ordinary stuff of life?and a way of survival. Power was held by the notorious border reivers (the steel bonnets, named for their flashy helmets), who robbed and murdered in the name of family: the famous clans (or grains)?like Elliot, Armstrong, Charlton, and Robson?romanticized by Sir Walter Scott. In The Steel Bonnets, George MacDonald Fraser, author of the bestselling Flashman novels, and himself a borderer, tells the fascinating and bloody story of the reivers, their rise to power as ferocious soldiers of horse, and their surprisingly sudden fall from grace Tells the story of the border reivers: clan-loyal raiders, freebooters, plunderers, and rustlers who worked the border between England and Scotland from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries