The Covenanting north of Scotland, 1638–1647

Abstract

In the current historiography of the Civil Wars of the midseventeenth century it remains under-appreciated that the National Covenant gained widespread support in the north of Scotland. This article offers a corrective to this. It examines the extent to which the Covenant was championed at all levels of northern society and looks at how levels of allegiance and commitment to the cause may have changed over time. The article also argues that the Covenanters of the north played a vital part in bringing about the defeat of armed Royalism in Scotland during the 1640s.