Part of a series that offers a survey of the major aspects of Scotland's history and culture. Each of the volumes explores a single theme, presenting information on a distinctive facet of the country's heritage whilst encouraging the reader to discover more. This volume looks at the monarchs who ruled Scotland from the earliest kings of Picts and Scots to James IV and the time of the union with England. It follows the expansion of their domain and the fluctuating relations with the monarchs to the south. It looks at the role of their families - the great dynasties - and of the church in the development of their reign and examines how government was achieved, and how much real power they exercised. A look at their cultural and recreational pursuits rounds off this picture of what it meant to be a monarch of the Scottish realm.