Scott Dempsey Awarded 2020 David Berry Prize

Scott Dempsey Awarded 2020 David Berry Prize
Thursday 23 July 2020

 The Royal Historical Society has announced overnight that our very own, Scott Dempsey has been awarded the 2020 David Berry Prize. 

The David Berry prize is awarded to the best journal article relating to Scottish history, and was in relation to Scott's article: 'Legitimating Edward I’s Adjudication of the Scottish Succession: Two Notes on the Great Cause’. 

Judges’ citation: Technically brilliant, this is an introduction to an intellectual history of the Scottish wars of Independence. It describes how Edward’s eventual claim to the Scottish throne was based on a relentless exploration of the idea of lordship in Roman law which he considered integral to kingship. Yet at the same time the article demonstrates the intellectual eclecticism of these islands in the late thirteenth century in that Edward borrowed from the late Roman republic the composition of the prestigious centumviri court to decide the Scottish succession. The piece shows that taking seriously the justifications that Edward offered for his actions during 1291-2 – which is distinct from blindly accepting them as truthful or even sincere accounts- sheds new light on both Scottish and English history at this time.

Congratulations to Scott on this amazinga achievement!

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