's Poet And The Inauguration Of Alexander III, By J. Bannerman

In his article "The King's Poet and the Inauguration of Alexander III" J. Bannerman argues the relevance of the King's Poet and we are encouraged to consider whether or not his role and attendance was important in key events. Throughout this article Bannerman addresses the poet who was present during the inauguration of Alexander III at Scone (1249). His work is predominantly based on ‘word picture’ by John of Fordun (c. 1387) and at times he makes an effort to compare and contrast this with other documented accounts. This is to encourage us to ascertain the quality of his argument and ideas of the true importance of the Poet. This piece will highlight several points that Bannerman makes to back-up his argument of how the poet's attendance
Perhaps suggesting that the King's Poet wasn't as important after all. Similarly, Bannerman later goes on to say that there is little evidence to support the argument that the poet had such duties at the inauguration of Alexander III. The Seal only shows Alexander holding the sceptre, there is no information to show who gave it to him or how it was given to him. Suggesting that the role of the King's Poet may not be as important as one would think. However, when looking at Walter Bower's 'revamped' works of Fordun's account we notice that he opposes with Fordun at certain points. Bower suggests to the readers that the ceremony was performed almost exactly like a pre-twelfth century ceremony. This creates the idea that the inaugural ceremonies were not related to the Norman conquest of England. He then goes on to say that after knowing the poet was present at the event, there is little or no doubt that he would have been the one chosen to give Alexander III the sceptre. This reinstates the idea of the poet's attendance being of great importance, as Alexander would not have been recognised as King until he was properly presented with the
John of Fordun names several Bishops and Earls who also attended the event. These people, of considerable importance, were also included on the Scone Abbey Seal. This highlights their power and authority during this historical period. When considering this, we become aware of the idea that the King's Poet must be of some importance, otherwise he would not likely have been included in the Scone Abbey Seal. This forces us to consider that he was viewed as no less than a nobleman