More than 6,000 years ago people came from the European mainland to be the first known to live in Scotland and in
1800 B.C. people called the Beaker Folk settled in northern Scotland. About 300 B.C., Celtic tribes from western
Europe invaded Scotland, they also introduced the use of iron there. In A.D. 80, a Roman army commanded by Gnaeus Julius Agricola
invaded Scotland or Caledonia as the Romans called it. They also called the people Picts
because they painted their bodies. Agricola defeated these people. He returned to Rome, but the Romans who stayed in
Scotland had little control over the Picts, which led them to build forts and walls to defend themselves. A famous wall, Hadrian's
Wall, was built in the A.D. 120s for this purpose. The Romans also built roads and towns before they left Scotland in
the early 400s.
A Celtic tribe called the Scots came from northern Ireland about A.D. 500 and settled on Scotland's
west coast. In 563, Saint Columba came to Scotland and after founding a monastery began to convert the Picts to Christianity.
The king of the Scots, Kenneth MacAlpin, became king of the Picts in 844 and he established Alba, the first united kingdom
in Scotland. In the next few decades, the scottish throne welcomed many new leaders. In 977-Kenneth III became king after
killing Constantine III. Then Kenneth III was killed and Malcolm II took the throne. Then came Duncan I, who was killed by
Macbeth(a general of his) and then Malcolm III(Duncan I's son) killed Macbeth. Malcolm III was greatly influenced by English
customs after marrying an English princess. He permitted those who didn't like the Normans (who conquered Scotland
after his rule in 1066) to live in Scotland. Malcolm III introduced feudalism, which is a type of a European political system, into
Scotland. He died in 1093.
For about 150 years, the Scottish kings kept fighting England, who wanted to control the entire island of Great Britain,
but the Scots preferred to stay independent and sided with France(England's enemy at the time) against the English. Scotland
advanced in many ways from 1249-1286 when Alexander III reigned. Agriculture and trade became more prominent, roads and bridges
were built, and England and Scotland became at peace when a border was established. After Alexander, his 3-year old granddaughter,
Margaret, followed him as ruler of Scotland, but she died four years later and people fought for the throne.
In 1292, Edward I of England recognized John de Baliol as king, but Baliol wouldn't recognize Edward as his superior
and then formed a military alliance with France instead. Edward won the important Battle of Dunbar and seized the Stone of
Scone, a scottish symbol of royal authority, and declared himself king of Scotland. William Wallace (Scotland's first popular
hero) won several victories but he wa caoruted and executed in 1305. After Wallace the revolt was led by Robert Bruce, who
defeated Edward II in the famous Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, but Edward II still refused to recognize Scotland's indeoendence.
The Scots declared their independence officially in 1320, and then finally in 1328 Edward recognized Bruce as King Robert
I of Scotland.
In 1371, David II(Bruce's son) died without an heir and the Scottish throne was claimed by several families. The struggle
was won by the House(family) of Stuart, who kept close ties with France and Robert II became king while continually fighting with
England. In 1503, James IV took a stab at peace, marrying Maragaret Tudor, who was an English princess, but instead
still kept his ties close with France. Anne of Brittany(queen of France at the time) wanted James IV to start a
war against Henry VIII of England, then James did invade England in 1513 but was killed in the Battle of Flodden Field
and the Scottish troups were defeated (again.) by the English in 1542. And that year, James IV's son, James V, died the same
year and then the ruler of Scotland was his daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots.
The Roman Catholic Church was the official church of Scotland before the 1560s. The Catholic Church's power
and France's influence on the church was resented by many Scottish leaders, so, John Knox helped the Scots to establish the
Presbyterian Church as the national church. This happened around th same time as the Reformation(religous movement that led
to Protestantism). Mary had to give up her throne because she was Catholic, but she gave it to her infant son James VI, but
Mary was captured and executed by Elizabeth I of England. Though, James VI was raised Protestant and the Presbyterian Church
became the national church of Scotland during his reign. The throne was inherited by James VI after the death of Elizabeth
I of England in 1603, he then moved to England and changed his name to King James I of England and he then ruled Scotland
and England as two seperate kingdoms. He wanted the establishment of Scotland colonies in Ireland and America and he
reorganized the Presbyterian Church.
Charles I (James' son) kept reforming the Church, but a treaty called the National Covenant stated that they
would keep the Presbyterian Curch as it was. In 1642, Puritans turned against Charles I and this caused a Civil War in
England. The Scottish supported the Puritans, which, when Charles I lost the war and fled to Scotland but the Scots caught
him, gave him to the Puritans who had him beheaded in 1649. Charles II was persuaded by the Scots to agree to the National
Covenant and they declared Charles the king, leaving Oliver Cromwell(leader of the Puritans in the dust. But Cromwell
defeated Charles and forced Scotland to unite with England. But finally in 1660 Charles became king and stopped the union
between England and Scotland and ruled the countries separately.
English and Scottish leaders realized that their countries must be united to keep peace and in 1707, the
two parliaments passed the Act of Union, which joined Scotland with England and Wales under one kingdom of Great Britain,
and Scottish laws and the Presbyterian Church remain unchanged. Scotland also
dissolved their parliament and just sent representatives to British Parliament. The last monarch of the House of Stuart, Queen
Anne, died in 1714 and then the House of Hanover came to power. But even with the new family on the throne, many Highland
Scots remained loyal to the Stuarts, these peopel were called Jacobites after their leader, James Edward Stuart who
was also known as the Old Pretender because he pretende to the throne(he claimed it.). And then in 1715, he and the
Jacobites led a rebellion to help restore the Stuarts as rulers, but the rebellion was crushed and James fled to France.
In 1745, the Highlanders revolted again and were led this time by Charles Edward Stuart(the Young Pretender),
and the Highlanders called him Bonnie Prince Charlie. His troops easily defeated England's troops who were in Scotland,
and then went off to England and in 1746, government troops defeated Charles in the battle on Culloden Moor. Charles then
fled back to the Highlands, and then to France which led to the English executing many clan chiefs. They also disarmed the
Highlanders, and outlawed kilts and bagpipes, but these laws were lifted in 1782 and more Jacobite rebellions were passed.
