A SHORT HISTORY OF SCOTLAND

 

8000 BC

Neolithic people were mining bloodstone on the Isle of Rum in the Hebrides, some of which was traded as far away as Nice in the south of France.

 

3000 BC

A people known as the Iberians introduced bronze to Scotland and built imposing stone circles in Orkney and Lewis, possibly for religious and astronomical purposes.

 

2000 BC

The Beaker people, so-called because of their beaker pots settled on the Scottish east coast in the Aberdeen area. The "Prospectors" arrived from the Mediterranean, probably in search of gold, copper and river pearls.

 

1000 BC

Scotland was now trading with the Mediterranean. A gold route from Ireland to the Baltic crossed from Galloway to the Forth, possibly for resale to Egypt.

 

900 BC

Tall, blonde Goedelic Celts appeared in Scotland from the Alps, speaking an Ayran language mixed with the Berber-like language of the Iberians they conquered, which developed into Old Gaelic. "Alba", the Gaelic name for Scotland, believed to have meant "high mountain pasture" is derived from the Alps, and the surname MacAlpine is directly related. Many Celtic remains have been found in the Alpine area, as well as in Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia.

 

500 BC

Short, dark Brythonic Celts called the Cymry (Welsh) settled in Scotland as far north as the line between the Forth and the Clyde. Some of the earliest sagas date from this settlement and give detailed accounts of battles and momentous events.

 

80 AD

Julius Agricola advanced across the River Clyde fighting off bands of warring Celts.

 

84 AD

The Celtic tribes united under Calgacus, but he was killed (along with 10000 men) when he met the Roman army at Ardoch.

 

296 AD

The Pictish people were first mentioned in Roman literature. The name "Pict" is said to have come either from a Latin word meaning "painted ones" or another meaning "fighter". Both of these accurately depicted the Pictish people.

 

360 AD

Roman literature described the warring tribe based in Ireland as the "Scots".

 

368 AD

Pict, Scot and Saxon tribes attacked the Romans in London, plundering their treasures.

 

503 AD

The Scots left Ireland to found the kingdom of Dalriada in Argyll on the Scottish west coast.

 

597 AD

St. Columba, who introduced Christianity to Scotland from Ireland, died.

 

843 AD

Kenneth MacAlpin united the Scots and Picts as one nation. This was the first step in creating a united Scotland, a process not completed until at least 1034.

 

1005 AD

Malcolm II killed Kenneth III and became King.

 

1018 AD

Malcolm II gained Lothian after defeating the Saxons at the Battle of Carham. Death of Owen-the-Bald, King of Strathclyde.

 

1034 AD

Duncan, already ruler of Strathclyde, killed his grandfather Malcolm II and became King of a (largely) united Scotland.

 

1040 AD

MacBeth killed Duncan and became King.

 

1057 AD

Malcolm III (or Malcolm Canmore) killed MacBeth and became King.

 

1107 AD

On the death of Edgar, Scotland became disunited. Alexander I became King of Scots, but David I became King in Lothian and Strathclyde.

 

1124 AD

Unity was restored when, on Alexander's death, David became King of Scots. His reign was one of the most important in Scotland's history, extending Scottish borders to the River Tees, including all of Northumberland.

 

1295 AD

Signing of the "Auld Alliance" between Scotland and France - one of the world's oldest mutual defence treaties.

 

1296 AD

Annexation of Scotland by England. Scotland's Coronation Stone - the "Stone of Destiny" or "Stone of Scone" - was removed to Westminster Abbey (in London) by the English King Edward I. The stone briefly returned to Scotland in 1950 and permanently returned in 1996.

 

1314 AD

Battle of Bannockburn (Scots under Robert the Bruce routed the English led by Edward II) resulting in Scottish independence.

 

1320 AD

The Declaration of Arbroath was drawn up to urge the Pope to recognise Scottish independence from England. The Pope accepted the Declaration.

 

1411 AD

University of St. Andrews founded.

 

1451 AD

University of Glasgow founded.

 

1460 AD

King James II was killed by an exploding cannon during the siege of Roxburgh.

 

1488 AD

King James III was murdered after being accused of surrounding himself with evil advisors who encouraged him to bring Englishmen into Scottish affairs.

 

1494 AD

University of Aberdeen founded.

 

1497 AD

Declaration of the Education Act, introducing compulsory schooling for all Scottish children.

 

1502 AD

King Henry VII of England gave his daughter in marriage to James IV of Scotland. This gave rise to the Union of the Crowns in 1603.

 

1512 AD

Under the terms of a treaty with France (the "Auld Alliance") all Scottish citizens became French and vice versa.

 

1559 AD

John Knox's sermon at Perth - regarded as the start of the Reformation in Scotland.

 

1582 AD

University of Edinburgh founded.

 

1600 AD

Scotland adopted Gregorian Calendar.

 

1603 AD

James VI of Scotland became James I of England bringing about the Union of the Crowns.

 

1617 AD

James (on his only return to Scotland) tactlessly lectured his countrymen on the "superiority of English civilisation".

 

1618 AD

James imposed Bishops on the Presbyterian Church of Scotland in an attempt to integrate it with the Church of England. This move was deeply unpopular with the Scots.

 

1625 AD

Charles I became King on the death of his father. Although born in Scotland, Charles had no interest in the country and dealt with Scottish affairs with even less tact than his father, causing discontent.

 

1637 AD

Charles attempted to further anglicise the Church of Scotland by introducing a new prayerbook, which caused riots at St. Giles in Edinburgh. Jenny Geddes threw a stool in St. Giles in protest.

 

1638 AD

Charles regarded protests against the prayerbook as treason, forcing Scots to choose between their church and the King. A "Covenant", swearing to resist these changes to the death, was signed in Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh. The covenant was accepted by hundreds of thousands of Scots.

 

1639 AD

Charles called a General Assembly, effectively abolishing the unpopular Scottish Bishops. Agreement was reached through the "Treaty of Berwick".

 

1640 AD

Charles' peace collapsed; a Scots army marched on Newcastle.

 

1641 AD

With no realistic chance of opposing the Scots, Charles negotiated a truce at Ripon.

 

1642 AD

Civil war broke out in England. The Scottish Covenanters sided with the English rebels who took power. As the Earl of Montrose had sided with the King, civil strife spilled into Scotland.

 

1682 AD

The National Library of Scotland, one of the UK's four copyright deposit libraries was founded.

 

1692 AD

Clan Campbell, siding with the King, murdered members of Clan McDonald at Glencoe.

 

1695 AD

Bank of Scotland founded (still operating to this day).

 

1707 AD

Act of Union was passed despite riots in Edinburgh; Scotland formally united with England to form Great Britain.

 

1715 AD

First Jacobite rebellion; Jacobites defeated at the Battle of Sheriffmuir.

 

1744 AD

The world's first Golf Club (the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers) was founded.

 

1745 AD

Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) returned to Scotland; Second Jacobite rebellion began; Scottish victory at the Battle of Prestonpans; Jacobite Scottish army advanced as far south as Derby but then retreated.

 

1746 AD

Battle of Culloden (Jacobite Scots routed by the Government troops); Charles escaped to France; the wearing of the kilt was prohibited.

 

1768 AD

First edition of the "Encylopaedia Britannica" published in Edinburgh by William Smellie.

 

1770 AD

The Clyde Trust was created to convert the River Clyde, which was at that time an insignificant river, into a major thoroughfare for maritime communications. This required a major programme of excavation and dredging.

 

1826 AD

Scotland's first commercial railway was opened between Edinburgh and Dalkeith.

 

1843 AD

Disruption of the Church of Scotland. 474 ministers signed the Deed of Demission and formed the Free Church of Scotland (the "Wee Free").

 

1846 AD

Famine swept the Highlands with many deaths and 300,000 people on the verge of starvation. The Clearances reached their peak; thousands of evicted Highlanders emigrated to Canada.

 

1860 AD

Scotland hosted the first Open Golf Championship.

 

1870 AD

The first Rugby International was played between Scotland and England.

 

1872 AD

The Scottish Football Association and Rangers Football Club were founded.

 

1879 AD

Tay Bridge Disaster (the bridge collapsed in a storm taking a train with it - the enquiry revealed that corners had been cut during construction to reduce costs).

 

1888 AD

Celtic Football Club was founded.

 

1890 AD

Forth Rail Bridge opened. It took six years to build.

 

1896 AD

Opening of the Underground Railway (the "shooglie") in Glasgow. It remains the only underground in Scotland.

 

1915 AD

Britain's worst train disaster took place near Gretna Green, south of Dumfries, killing 227.

 

1937 AD

The largest ocean liner ever built, the Queen Elisabeth, was launched in Clydebank.

 

1941 AD

Hitler's Deputy Rudolf Hess parachuted from a plane just south of Glasgow.

 

1943 AD

More than 1000 people were killed over two days in Clydebank and Southern Glasgow during the only sustained German Luftwaffe attack on Scotland during the Second World War.

 

1950 AD

Scottish Nationalists stole the "Stone of Destiny" from Westminster Abbey. This was Scotland's Coronation Stone, taken by the English in 1296. By tradition all British Monarchs have to be crowned while sitting on it. It was eventually recovered from Arbroath Abbey, although some claim this was a copy, and the original remains in Scotland.

 

1959 AD

Scotland's first nuclear power station was opened at Chapelcross in Dumfriesshire.

 

1964 AD

Forth Road Bridge, longest suspension bridge in Europe, opened by Queen Elisabeth.

 

1965 AD

Tay Road Bridge opened - briefly the longest bridge in the world at just over one mile.

 

1967 AD

The Queen Elisabeth II (QE2) was launched in Clydebank. It was the last of the great Clyde-built passenger liners.

 

1971 AD

66 people were killed in Scotland's worst football disaster, when part of the stadium collapsed at Ranger's ground in Glasgow after a match with Celtic.

 

1975 AD

The first oil was piped ashore from the North Sea at Peterhead.

 

1988 AD

Scotland's worst terrorist incident occurred when a bomb exploded on board a Boeing 747 air liner on course from Frankfurt to New York. It crashed on the village of Lockerbie in Dumfriesshire, killing all on board, a total of 275 people, and a number on the ground.

1990 AD

Scotland defeated England to win the Rugby "Grand Slam".

 

1996 AD

A gunman killed 16 five-year-old children, their teacher and himself in the Primary School at Dunblane in Perthshire. This was the worst tragedy of its type in the U.K.

The "Stone of Destiny", Scotland's Coronation Stone, was returned from London to Edinburgh Castle, 700 years after being stolen by Edward I.

 

1997 AD

The Scottish people voted overwhelmingly to restore the Scottish Parliament. Many Scots believed this to be the first step towards the break-up of the United Kingdom and the establishment of an independent Scottish state.

Well, that was pretty interesting....hey got a question...do you have any idea what the connection is between firefighters and Scotland? I always see firefighting stuff at highland games and fire departments have the pipe and drum corps and they all wear kilts. So far, no one has been able to answer this question. Did organized firefighting start in Scotland or something?

I would say first off New York City since they seemed to be the first to do this sort of thing,

or,

as every one knows its the Scottish people that came up with the idea of how to fight fires,

and how we taught Wilbur and whats his name to fly and how we made it possible for modern medicine to have Penicillin.

 

Not a clue sorry

Thought I'd ask anyway....lol