'Scotching the Brut' - The Early History of Britain
Roger A. Mason on the myths and power of Scotland's line of kings
In the picture gallery of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, there hang the portraits of 111 Scottish kings. Commissioned by Charles II in 1684 and painted by a Dutch artist, Jacob de Wet, this curious collection encompasses almost exactly two millennia of Scotland's royal history. For, beginning with Fergus I, whose foundation of the Scottish kingdom was alleged to have occurred in 330 BC, the portraits chronicle in unbroken succession each subsequent generation of the Scottish royal line down to Charles II himself and his brother, the future James VII and II.
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