Writing on a small island in the Firth of Forth in the 1440s, Walter Bower set out to tell the whole story of the Scottish nation in a single huge book, the Scotichronicon--'a history book for Scots'. It begins with the mythical voyage of Scota, the Pharaoh's daughter, from Egypt with the Stone of Destiny. The land that her sons discovered in the Western Ocean was named after her: Scotland. It goes on to describe the turbulent events that followed, among them the wars of the Scots and the Picts (begun by a quarrel over a dog); the poisoning of King Fergus by his wife; Macbeth's usurpation and uneasy reign; the good deeds of Margaret, queen and saint; Bruce's murder of the Red Comyn; the founding of Scotland's first university at St Andrews; the 'Burnt Candlemas'; and the endless troubles between Scotland and England.

Weaving in and out of the events of Bower's factual history, like a wonderful pageant, are other subjects that fascinated him: harrowing visions of hell and purgatory, extraordinary miracles; the exploits of knights and beggars, merchants and monks; the ravages of flood and fire; the terrors of the plague; and the answers to such puzzling questions as what makes a good king, and why Englishmen have tails.

• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction to Books III and IV
• The Manuscripts
• Content and Sources
• Methods of Editing
• Lists of Abbreviations
• I. Sigla
• II. Words
• III. Names of Counties
• IV. Publications
• Scotichronicon
  • Book III
    • 1 Fergus the son of Erc in alliance with the Picts recovers Scotland
    • 2 The expulsion of the Romans and Britons
    • 3 The cruelty of the defeat inflicted upon the Britons by the Picts and Scots: Grim’s Dyke
    • 4 The victory of the Roman legion and the Britons over the Scots and the death of King Fergus
    • 5 The succession of King Eochaid, who overthrew Grim’s Dyke along with his grandfather Grim
    • 6 The reconstruction of the wall which the emperor Severus had formerly ordered to be built, and the election of the first king of the Franks
    • 7 Destruction of the wall by the Scots and the defeat inflicted on the Britons
    • 8 The arrival of St Palladius in Scotland and of St Patrick in Ireland
    • 9 More about Palladius and other saints, and the sending of St Patrick to Ireland
    • 10 The destruction of the wall by the Scots and Picts and the subjection of the Britons of Albany
    • 11 The Britons write to the Romans for help
    • 12 In desperation the Britons together with their king Vortigern invite the pagan Saxons to help them against the Scots
    • 13 The first arrival of the Saxons and various slaughters etc.
    • 14 The succession of King Domangart and the alliance with Vortimer son of Vortigern
    • 15 The return of the Saxons after the death of Vortimer
    • 16 The succession of King Constantius and the division of Britain into eight kingdoms
    • 17 The alliance of Aurelius Ambrosius with Constantius king of Scots; the prophet Merlin
    • 18 The succession of King Comgall and the renewal of the treaty between the kings of Scots and Britain
    • 19 The first Christian king of the Franks
    • 20 The same continued. The date of their first beginnings. The Litany
    • 21 The succession of Gabran and the renewal of the treaty with Uther
    • 22 The historian Gildas and certain of his verse prophecies
    • 23 More prophecies of Gildas. St Brendan and St Machutes
    • 24 The death of King Gabran and Arthur
    • 25 The same Arthur, Modred and Gawain
    • 26 The accession of three kings of Scots
    • 27 The angel who brought a glass book to St Columba
    • 28 The assistance sent to Maelgwn king of the Britons through the agency of Aedan
    • 29 King Aedan sets out to help Cadwallon king of the Britons
    • 30 St Columba and St Kentigern
    • 31 The marvellous penitence of the prophet Merlin
    • 32 King Aedan is put to flight by Æthelfrith king of the Northumbrians after a battle
    • 33 More about Augustine teacher of the Angles and the vengeance exacted on those who insulted him
    • 34 How the dead man who had been excommunicated for tithes went out of the church
    • 35 The dead excommunicator brought to life again
    • 36 The motive of Gregory in sending Augustine to preach to the Angles
    • 37 More about Gregory. The commendation of monasteries and the carelessness of curates
    • 38 The prophecy of St Columba about the sons of King Aedan and about St Drostan
    • 39 The succession of Eochaid son of Aedan; St Gillen and St Columbanus
    • 40 The flight of Cadwallon coming to Scotland; St Oswald
    • 41 The succession of the kings Ferchar and his brother who was blessed by St Columba
    • 42 How Cadwallon killed those apostate kings and was himself killed by Oswald as a consequence
    • 43 How Oswald sent to Scotland for teachers to instruct the Angles
    • 44 The preaching of St Aidan and death of Oswald saint and king
    • 45 The succession of King Ferchar; the saints Finan etc.
    • 46 St Colman: his preaching and his return to Scotland
    • 47 The number of English bishops who were baptised by Scottish bishops and the bishops who baptised them
    • 48 The accession of Maeduin, king of Scotland. Tuda comes next after Colman as bishop. The plague
    • 49 The flight of Cadwallader the last king of the Britons and the reasons for God driving them away from the kingdom
    • 50 The same reasons and the future return of the Britons prophesied by an angel
    • 51 The succession of Eochaid IV and Eochaid V and the saints Cuthbert etc.
    • 52 The succession of Ainbcellach etc.
    • 53 The succession of Eochaid VI and of Muiredach. The state of affairs at that time
    • 54 The kings Aed Find, Carloman, etc.
    • 55 King Eochaid, Fergus and the poisoning of Fergus by his jealous wife
    • 56 The succession of Selbach
    • 57 King Achay makes the first treaty of alliance with the Franks etc.
    • 58 Messengers of the Scots are sent to Charlemagne in order to ratify the same alliance
    • 59 The accursed treachery of the Northumbrians against their kings
    • 60 The foundation of the University of Paris by the Scots
    • 61 The description of the stature and strength, the eating habits liberality, justice, religious observance and bodyguard of Charlemagne
    • 62 More about Charlemagne and his ancestors
    • 63 Those who wish to make a passage to wage war against the pagans ought to observe the rules written out below
    • 64 The kings Conall and Dungal renew the war against the Picts
    • Notes for Book III
  • Book IV
    • 1 The rule of succession observed by the preceding and subsequent kings of the Scots up to the time of Malcolm son of Kenneth
    • 2 The accession of King Alpin and his victory over the Picts. An instance of impatience
    • 3 The accession of King Kenneth son of Alpin and the cunning he used against the Picts
    • 4 Kenneth’s victories against the Picts and his winning of their kingdom
    • 5 Advice for the benefit of kings
    • 6 The same
    • 7 The same and salutary examples
    • 8 The same continued; Rome’s original position of power and present day lack of it because of its sins
    • 9 The final victory of King Kenneth over the Picts and his death
    • 10 Some preliminary remarks concerning the list of the kings of the Picts
    • 11 The list of the kings of the Picts
    • 12 The list continued. The conversion of Brude by blessed Columba. The foundation of the church of Abernethy
    • 13 The king in whose person the kingdom of the Picts came to an end. Hungus and Athelstan
    • 14 The slaying of King Athelstan. [Hungus] caused his head to be impaled
    • 15 The accession of Kings Domnall and Constantine
    • 16 The death of Constantine at the hands of the Danes and the accession of his brother Aed Wing-foot
    • 17 King Giric who subjugated to himself the whole of Ireland and almost the whole of England
    • 18 The death of Giric and the county of Flanders
    • 19 The philosopher John the Scot and Arnulf who was devoured by lice
    • 20 The accession of King Donald son of Constantine and his death
    • 21 Constantine son of Aed who gave Cumbria to Eochaid
    • 22 The fountain of blood and the Jews who inflicted a new passion on an image of the Crucified
    • 23 The same
    • 24 More about Constantine and the savage battle of Brunanburh
    • 25 The death of Constantine and the losses inflicted on the Scots by this battle
    • 26 King Malcolm son of Donald to whom Edmund king of England handed over Cumbria as a possession in perpetuity
    • 27 The death of Malcolm and the accession of King Indulf
    • 28 The accession of King Duf. After his death the sun did not shine until his hidden corpse was found
    • 29 The accession of King Culen
    • 30 Kenneth son of Malcolm
    • 31 The same
    • 32 Kenneth and a novel change in the law of succession for the emperors and kings of Scotland
    • 33 King Edgar’s exhortation to the clergy
    • 34 The king’s sermon continued
    • 35 The death by treachery of King Kenneth through a woman’s wiles
    • 36 His death through treachery and the elevation of his son
    • 37 The accession of Kings Constantine the Bald and Grim son of Kenneth
    • 38 The aforesaid Malcolm underking of Cumbria refuses to pay tribute to the Danes
    • 39 The state of the English observed in the ‘Polychronicon’ and a certain prophecy
    • 40 The reason for the defeat inflicted by the Danes upon the English
    • 41 The slaying of King Grim by Malcolm son of Kenneth
    • 42 Kingship is due to anyone by fourfold right or by one or other of those rights
    • 43 King Malcolm and his daughter Bethoc, who was married to the Abthane of Dull
    • 44 More about Malcolm and the foundation of the bishopric at Mortlach, which has now been transferred to Aberdeen
    • 45 Edmund Ironside and the amazing story of Lupold
    • 46 The contest of King Malcolm and Cnut for Cumbria
    • 47 The vice of treachery, worst of all vices
    • 48 The liberality or rather prodigality of King Malcolm who kept back nothing for himself
    • 49 King Duncan grandson of Malcolm and his death
    • 50 The duty of a king is threefold
    • 51 The accession of King Macbeth and expulsion of the sons of Duncan
    • 52 Pope Gregory and the aforesaid Emperor Henry
    • 53 Berengar the Lollard renounces his heresy; the sacrament of the altar
    • 54 The outlawing of the thane of Fife because of his friendship with the sons of Duncan
    • 55 The first coming of Malcolm to the king of England
    • Notes for Book IV
• Index