A Higher World (1707 – 1815)

Michael Fry
History, Non-Fiction
Pages: 394
Date Started: April 8, 2019
Date Finished: April 20, 2019
15h 50m 31s
Reason Book was Chosen:
My wife and I travel to Scotland nearly every year. I love the place. It has the most rugged beauty I have ever seen. The history also fascinates me. Every time we go to Scotland, I see this set of three books by Michael Fry that each cover a time frame of Scottish history. I purchased some of the books and ordered the rest during my last trip to Scotland and can't wait to read them all in order this year.

My Thoughts

Well, I wanted to dig in deep to Scottish history, and this book did that. Michael Fry delved into political, agricultural, cultural, societal, legal, and religious ideas from 1707 – 1815 in Scotland. This covers the period where Scotland goes from an underdeveloped to developing industrial nation.

Here are some things I learned that really stuck out to me:

  • The Jacobite rebellions (biggest ones in 1715 and 1745, but also one in 1708)
  • Scottish folk tunes and how Beethoven and Hayden used them in their pieces
  • Scotland attempted to repeal the Union (between England and Scotland) in the House of Lords in 1713, just 7 years after entering into it. It wouldn’t be attempted again until 2014.
  • The common law of England and Scotland had different historical roots.
  • Scotland had two languages (in addition to English) – Scots and Gaelic. Robert Burns is credited with largely keeping Scots alive.

This was the second of three books I’m reading about Scottish history between 1707 and 1914. It’s a fascinating history that I hope to continue to dig into throughout my life.

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