Considering the vast historical literature that has come into being on the subjects of knighthood, chivalry, and late medieval Scotland, a book on the subject of knighthood and chivalry in late medieval Scotland may seem somewhat redundant. In fact, however, quite the opposite is true. This is a groundbreaking study that offers a fresh perspective on the late medieval Scottish realm under the first four Stewart monarchs (James I to James IV, 1424-1513) and its engagement with European chivalric culture. Knighthood and chivalry undoubtedly represent neglected topics where medieval Scotland is concerned. This lack of attention is due in large measure to the fact that the historical scholarship on late medieval Scotland has tended to focus principally on kings, nobles, crown-noble interactions, and wars, leaving issues of knighthood and chivalry largely to one side. (Perhaps curiously, much of the impetus toward an examination of late medieval Scottish chivalry has come from scholars working in the Renaissance period). Stevenson, building in part upon important studies by scholars like A.A. MacDonald and Carol Edington, has produced an important, well-written, cogently argued, and well- documented study of the impact of European chivalric ideals upon the late medieval Scottish knightly order, one that succeeds in not only taking into account the considerable historiography for the period, but that also manages to contribute to our understanding of it in a substantial way by virtue of its fresh perspective.
Using the seminal work of Maurice Keen as a touchstone for defining what constituted European chivalric ideals, Stevenson systematically explores the bestowal of knighthood in Scotland; Scottish tournaments; Scottish knightly piety; chivalry in Scottish literature; and the crown's use of chivalry. Apart from investigating a variety of tournaments held in Scotland under the Stewart kings, the major contribution of the study is a nuanced examination of the ways in which chivalry was put to use by the Stewart kings. Stevenson demonstrates that, far from remaining static in the course of the fifteenth century, chivalry was manipulated by these kings to suit their political needs and ambitions: James I, for example, utilized an emphasis upon chivalry and knighthood as a means of unifying his political community by ensuring that his knights were bound to him through an honorific relationship, thus enabling him to further his own political goals. He especially used the men he knighted at his coronation in this way, giving them important administrative, diplomatic and judicial duties (179). Thus, the book manages to contribute not only to our understanding of chivalry and knighthood in a Scottish context, but also to show how these important aspects of late medieval culture in turn influenced political culture and helped to shape crown-magnate relations, thereby feeding back into the mainstream of historical scholarship for the period.
Despite the use of Keen's now classic definition of chivalry as a touchstone throughout the work, Stevenson avoids an overly simplistic approach; indeed, one of the strengths of the work is the manner in which subtle changes and fluctuations in the chivalric ideal are examined within the Scottish context (e.g. ch. 7). The author is also quick to point out ways in which Scotland differed from other regions of Europe, though the picture is, for the most part, one of conformity. This is, in sum, a refreshing new perspective on late medieval Scottish history, one that simultaneously moves beyond the dominant paradigms of late medieval Scottish historiography, while still contributing something to the debates on political culture that dominate the field. In fact, this is a book that may be read with profit by students not merely of late medieval Scotland but of late medieval Europe as a whole. One minor criticism is the relative neglect paid to the period pre-1424: while the chronology of the study is well defined by the era of the Stewart monarchs and the sources for this era are considerably more abundant than for the preceding era, it is a bit of a shame that the early history of knighthood and chivalry in Scotland (say 1093 to 1306 or thereabouts) still awaits a comprehensive treatment.