‘Daunting’ The Isles, Borders, and HighlandsImperial Kingship in John Bellenden’s

By the end of the fifteenth century, Scotland was declared an empire and the king emperor within his own realm; this supported the Stewart monarchy’s assertions of suzerainty and territorial independence from foreign countries. Moreover, it is highly likely that the imperial concept gave the Stewart monarchs grounds for their assertion of authority and their acquisition of territories within the nation. By examining two vernacular translations of Hector Boece’s Scotorum Historia, the Chronicles of Scotland by John Bellenden and the so-called Mar Lodge Translation, this essay argues that these texts identify the idea of ‘daunting’ local regions under the rule of local magnates, especially troubled regions such as the Isles, Borders, and Highlands, as an essential factor to enhance the perception of the Stewart monarchy as an imperial kingship.