'Lords of Misrule', 'A Folly of Princes', and 'The Captive Crown'

In turbulent 14th century Scotland, the House of Stewart clings to the throne with an astonishing genius for survival. The Scots have always requires strong kings, and the early Stewarts failed to provide them. Descended from Robert the Bruce, the ruling House of Stewart was a house divided by hatred and jealousy. With the old King Robert II, the Bruce's grandson, feeble, weary, half-blind, and his tribe of tearaway sons running amok, many eminent and unscrupulous men attempted to fill the political power vacuum.

Chief among those were the Douglases - and when the second Earl thereof was slain at the Battle of Otterburn, the Stewarts were suspected of foul play. The deadly rivalry between the two Houses was to remain undiminished for the next two generations.

As the 15th century dawned, Scotland remained a wretched spectacle with the weak Robert III clinging to the throne, while his son and brother grappled for control of the kingdom. Who would become the eventual winners - and losers - in this endless struggle for power forms the fascinating subject of Nigel Tranter's enthralling trilogy.