Review: The King's Only Champion, by Dominic Pearce

 One of the perks of being an author published by Amberley Books is the opportunity to receive review copies of their new books. Recently I was lucky to receive an advance review copy of The King's Only Champion: James Graham, First Marquess of Montrose by Dominic Pearce. 

I knew a little about James Graham, later Marquess of Montrose, and knew him to be a champion of Charles I, i.e. a Royalist. What I did not realise was that he started his political career as a Covenanter and was not initially especially impressed by Charles I, king of England and Scotland.

This very readable book explains how all that changed, how Montrose began to disagree with the hardline stance of his fellow Covenanters and the events that led to his (almost) changing sides, and fighting for Charles in the Civil War in Scotland. I say 'almost' because there were aspects of Montrose's beliefs and aims which never changed, and he often sought to stress that he was not wholly opposed to everything his fellow countrymen were fighting for. Nor did he always have an easy relationship with the king, who constantly failed to keep his promises to send support.

Dominic Pearce has done a sterling job of piecing together everything that is known about Montrose's life (even apologising that he couldn't bring us more detail about Montrose's wife, but she remains a shadowy figure, barely documented). 

What emerges is a portrait of a man, well-connected, rich, youthful, who follows his conscience, never behaves in an unnecessarily brutal way, attempts negotiation wherever possible, saves towns from sacking when and where he can, and remains highly principled. We also see, in great but accessible detail, how he outsmarted his enemies on the battlefield time and again.

One might argue that his last foray into battle was the result of hubris and which led to his downfall, but loyalty and a highly-refined sense of duty impelled him to return to Scotland and attempt to fight to avenge the death of his king.

Even in defeat, he seems to have kept calm, courteous, and courageous. Whichever side you root for in this most turbulent period of Scottish and English (and indeed Irish) history, you can't fail to be impressed by this man.

It was interesting to read more about the Scottish events than ever was taught in school, where modules on the Civil Wars focused almost exclusively on events in England. These are touched upon, but only when necessary to round out the narrative or provide context where events south of the border influenced what was happening further north.

I've had a couple of books on this period (One on Montrose himself, one on his ally Alasdair MacColla/Alexander Macdonald) for some years but found them both quite hard reads. This new biography of Montrose has given me greater insight and understanding and left me feeling that I have got to know this extraordinary pair of military leaders.

I was also profoundly shocked to learn of the brutality meted out by both sides on the so-called camp followers. This was not something I'd been aware of and these details were sobering. The author recounts these events in an unsensational way, nevertheless adding plenty of peripheral detail and showing how these wars affected everyone, not just the uppermost tiers of society.

We learn what happens to various other players, and though there is quite a sizeable cast, characters are introduced well, and while I struggle sometimes to make sense of the various ranks and names of the Scottish nobility, I was never left confused and knew at all times who featured in which part of the story.

There is a lot of documentary evidence for this period, there are many names to learn, and a lot of political and military action. That the author has managed to convey all this in such a readable way is a triumph. Highly recommended.