A Thistle with Thorns

Henry Frederick, eldest son of James VI & I was a youth of great promise who tragically died at 18, meaning his younger brother Charles would take the Crown. In this episode, Murdo and James discuss Henry’s life and untimely death, and debate what sort of King he would have become, and how different the history of the 17th century would have been had he lived.

The 45’ Jacobite Rising is one of the most romanticised parts of Scottish history, meaning it has developed many myths that don’t stand up to scrutiny.
In this episode, Murdo & James explore the childhood of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the geopolitics of Europe in the 1740’s, and how the merging of these resulted in Charlie landing in Scotland in July 1745.
What does the decision to travel to Scotland tell us about Bonnie Prince Charlie? Was he reckless or brave? 
Tune in to find out!

Could Scotland, a country wrecked by famine & economic starvation, really launch an imperial expedition & establish a colony on the other side of the world? Or was it always doomed to fail due to the presence of Spain; England’s economic interests; and the difficulties of cross-Atlantic communication at the end of the 17th century? 
Join Murdo & James as they discuss what caused the collapse of the Darien Scheme and look at the consequences it has had on Scottish politics then and today.

After launching their expedition, the Scots expected to land on the land of milk and honey. Reality, however, was much different. 
In our second episode of our three-part series on the Darien Scheme, Murdo and James will discuss where everything went wrong. The Spanish wanted to maintain their dominance of the America’s. The English wanted to protect their trade. And the Scot’s had incompetent leadership, which included a rotating presidency on a weekly basis. We will explore how all of these combined to ensure the first Darien Scheme ended in catastrophe! 
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Why would thousands of ordinary Scots invest their savings in a colony on the other side of the world—believing it could rescue their nation from poverty and transform Scotland into a global trading power?
In the first episode of our three-part series on the Darien Scheme, Murdo Fraser MSP and James Bundy explore the political, economic and psychological forces that made empire feel like Scotland's only path to prosperity. From famine and frustration to the extraordinary vision of William Paterson, discover how a nation became captivated by an idea that promised everything.
Because before you can understand why Darien failed, you first have to understand why so many Scots believed it would succeed.

In the second and concluding episode on Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, we find the clan chief restored to his title, but torn between his Jacobite heart and his Hanoverian head.  Will he survive the ‘45 or face a final gala performance on Tower Hill for his loyalty to Bonnie Prince Charlie?

One of the most notorious figures in early 18th century Scotland, Lovat was a clan chief who had to fight for his land and title, an alleged rapist, a prisoner of Louis XIV, a Jacobite sympathiser and a Hanoverian double agent. In the first of two episodes we look at the early life of this remarkable character.

In the early 18th century, both Scottish and English identities were shaped by their national church. So how did both nations reconcile their differences to become the Kingdom of Great Britain? Join Murdo and James as we discuss the a key element of the compromise which allowed for the creation of a new state!

Following Celtic’s league victory earlier this year, some fans descended on the Trongate area in Glasgow to ‘celebrate’. Writing about these events, Scottish Columnist, Kevin McKenna, mentioned St John Ogilvie, who was martyred at the Trongate on 10th March 1615. But who was St John Ogilvie? Why was he sentenced to death? Why is he recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church? And what does his tragic story of bravery tell us about Scotland’s relationship with religious pluralism?

In the second of our episodes on the life of Archibald Campbell, Marquis of Argyll, we look at how he tried to navigate the power struggles between King and Cromwell, how he crowned Charles II, and what led to his downfall.
Join Murdo and James for this exciting new chapter.