A Thistle with Thorns

Is King Charles III Descended from Robert the Bruce? | The Royal Family’s Scottish Ancestry

In this episode of A Thistle with Thorns, Murdo & James trace the Royal Family’s Scottish ancestry: from the Stewart dynasty to the Glorious Revolution, the Act of Settlement, and the Act of Security. Discover just how Scottish the modern British monarchy really is.
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Richard Cameron, the Lion of the Covenant

The later Covenanter period saw the rise to prominence of the radical preacher and political revolutionary Richard Cameron, who despite his brief career and early death achieved legendary status.  How did someone who declared war on the King end up having a famous British Army regiment named in his honour?  Find out when James and Murdo explore the short life of Cameron, Lion of the Covenant.

The Pentland Rising

It is 1666, and the rule of Charles II is characterised by increasing oppression of the Covenanters. A reaction is inevitable, and it comes in the form of an armed uprising which seizes Dumfries and marches on Edinburgh. The Royalist General Tam Dalyell breaks off his card games with the devil to meet the rebels in battle at Rullion Green. Join James and Murdo for the thrilling and tragic story of the Pentland Rising.

The History of Clan Cameron

This week James and Murdo discuss the history of Clan Cameron, with special guest Donald, Lord Cameron of Locheil, 28th Chief of the clan. The Camerons were the staunchest of Stuart supporters and firm Jacobites, but at what cost did this loyalty come?  And why is the clan seat at Achnacarry so significant in WW2 history?

Mary, Queen of Scots: Final Judgement and the Fall of the Axe

 A letter, in Mary’s own hand, condemned her. It seemed to prove she had sanctioned the assassination of Queen Elizabeth I, the final piece Walsingham needed to bring her to trial. In the shadowed corridors of Elizabeth’s court, arguments flared: Cecil and Walsingham pressed for swift execution, while the Queen herself hesitated, paralysed by the thought of killing a fellow monarch. Yet the verdict came, and the scaffold was built. In this final episode of our Mary, Queen of Scots series, Murdo and James uncover the fierce debates within the English court, the deadly politics of the trial, and Mary’s defiant preparation for death as a Catholic martyr. This is the story of her final judgement, and the fall of the axe.

Mary, Queen of Scots: Secrets, Spies, and Escape Plots

Trapped in England, Mary, Queen of Scots refused to fade into the shadows. Instead, she wove a web of escape plots that reached from secret cells to the halls of Catholic kings, Florentine bankers, and even the Pope himself. But in the smoky backrooms of Elizabeth’s court, Cecil and Walsingham were already watching,  intercepting letters, turning allies, and staying one step ahead. How did England’s spies always seem to know Mary’s next move? And how close did she really come to freedom? Murdo and James unravel the cloak-and-dagger world of plots, spies, and betrayal in this episode of A Thistle with Thorns.

Mary, Queen of Scots: Prisoner of Europe’s Religious Storm

Europe was in turmoil during Mary, Queen of Scots’ long captivity. The Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation were tearing nations apart. Alliances shifted. Wars flared. Crowns toppled. Mary, Queen of Scots, former Queen of France, and a Catholic claimant to the English throne, became a potent symbol: a rallying point for Catholic hopes and a threat to Protestant regimes. Though locked away, her name stirred rebellions and haunted monarchs.
In this episode, we explore how Mary’s fate was shaped not just by her choices, but by the sweeping geopolitical forces of 16th-century Europe. Was she a pawn, a player, or something in between? Tune in to find out!

Mary, Queen of Scots - Life as a Prisoner

For 19 long years, Mary was held in captivity. But her prison wasn't always what you'd expect… Where did she stay? Who watched over her? And how did her health, and her hopes, hold up under pressure? In this episode, Murdo and James uncover the human side of history: the homes, the illnesses, and the relationships that shaped Mary’s life in captivity.

Mary, Queen of Scots - England's Response to Mary's Arrival

Join Murdo & James as they continue their series on Mary, Queen of Scots Captivity in England. In the second episode of this series, Murdo and James will explore how Queen Elizabeth I and the English Court responds to the news that Mary has arrived in England. Do they welcome or fear the arrival? Tune in to find out!

Mary, Queen of Scots - Escaping to England

Mary, Queen of Scots fled Scotland defeated and broken, seeking safety, and perhaps support, in England. But instead of refuge, she found imprisonment. 
In this first episode of our new mini-series,Murdo and James explore Mary’s fateful decision to cross the border. Was it a bold diplomatic move or a desperate gamble? Could she have taken another path? And was her eventual execution inevitable in a world of political intrigue, religious tension, and rivalry?
Drawing on Rosemary Goring’s Exile: The Captive Years of Mary, Queen of Scots, we trace Mary’s journey from battlefield defeat to captivity behind English doors, and ask how one queen’s downfall shaped the future of Britain.
Join us as we begin to unravel one of the most tragic and tangled stories in Scottish history!