The Structure and Exercise of Power in Moray under Thomas Randolph, First Earl of Moray, 1312–32

Abstract

Political and social circumstances in fourteenth-century northern Scotland and the central Highlands have long received attention in late medieval Scottish history. However, compared with many studies on the late fourteenth century, discussions on the first half of the century are scarce, except from the perspectives of kingship and regnal politics. There has been little research on Moray under the Randolph family, though detailed examinations of other northern regions and baronial families have been made. In this article the structure and exercise of power in Moray under the first earl, Thomas Randolph is discussed. This paper demonstrates that the earl’s building ties with influential local families and utilising the pre-existing informal political network and formal royal administrative systems, were as crucial for the governance of his northern estates as acquiring proxy-royal, regalian, and judicial power. Indeed, the earl took the opportunity to reinforce his rule by migrating his southern followers and expressing his authority in a unique fashion. However, due to his dependence on the pre-existing power networks and structure, the local political society kept its continuity too. Moray under Thomas I was never free from disputes, but the relatively stable regional situation was the product of such continuity and change.