2. The only evidence of a real Sir Patrick Spens is a burial mound in the Orkney Islands. It is said to be his, a victim of drowning, but there is no other record of such a person.

3. The events of the ballad are based on facts, however. They seem to be a combination of two real events: one, the marriage of a Scottish princess to a Norwegian King in August 1281; and the other, the death of a Norwegian princess in September 1290. Ballads sometimes muddled events because they were not written down. They were passed by word of mouth so some things were forgotten or muddled over time.

4. The events covered in "Sir Patrick Spens" were of crucial importance in the Scott

8. His death was a major blow to Scotland. His reign had been quite peaceful and prosperous but now he was dead and what has been described as "a golden age" came to an end.

11. Meanwhile, in September 1290, a fleet was despatched to bring home to Scotland the "Maid of Norway", the new ruler, although only 8 years old. However, during the voyage she took ill and she died in Orkney on arrival.

Some topics in this essay:
Maid Norway, Norway July, Background Abridged, Kinghorn Fife, King August, English Bannockburn, Patrick Spens, Orkney Islands, William Wallace, King Edward, maid norway, sir patrick spens, patrick spens, sir patrick, 1281 death, margaret eric, september 1290, margaret eric ii, eric ii, norwegian princess,