Important Events in the History of Scotland. 503 - 1999 A.D
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
For 500 BC and More Info, check out History of the Celts
503 : The Scots leave Ireland and build their kingdom of Dalriada in Argyll on the West coast of Scotland.
843 : Kenneth MacAlpin unites the Scots and Picts as one nation. This was the first step in creating a united Scotland.
1005 : Malcolm II kills Kenneth III and becomes King.
1018 : Malcolm II gains Lothian after defeating the Saxons at the Battle of Carham. Death of Owen-the-Bald, King of Strathclyde.
1034 : Duncan, already ruler of Strathclyde, kills his grandfather Malcolm II and becomes King of a (largely) united Scotland.
1040 : MacBeth (made famous by shakespeare) kills Duncan and becomes King.
1057 : Malcolm III (or Malcolm Canmore) kills MacBeth and becomes King.
1107 : On the death of Edgar, Scotland becomes disunited. Alexander I becomes King of Scots, but David I becomes King in Lothian and Strathclyde.
1124 : Unity was restored when, on Alexander's death, David becomes King of Scots. His reign is one of the most important in Scotland's history, extending Scottish borders to the River Tees, including all of Northumberland.
1295 : Signing of the "Auld Alliance" between Scotland and France - one of the world's oldest mutual defence treaties.
1296 : 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 was temporarily returned to Scotland in 1950 and permanently returned in 1996.Although much contention exists over whether or not this is the original stone.
1314 : Battle of Bannockburn (Scots under Robert the Bruce routed the English led by Edward II) resulting in Scottish independence.
1320 : The Declaration of Arbroath was drawn up to urge the Pope to recognise Scottish independence from England. The Pope accepted the Declaration.
1460 : King James II was killed by an exploding canon during the siege of Roxburgh.
1488 : King James III was murdered after being accused of surrounding himself with evil advisors who encouraged him to bring Englishmen into Scottish affairs.
1502 : 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 : Under the terms of a treaty with France (the "Auld Alliance") all Scottish citizens became French and vice versa.
1559 : John Knox's sermon at Perth - regarded as the start of the Reformation in Scotland.
1603 : James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England bringing about the Union of the Crowns.
1617 : James (on his only return to Scotland) returns briefly to scotland to extol the benefits of English culture.
1618 : James imposes 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 : Charles I becomes 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 : Charles attempted to further anglicise the Church of Scotland by introducing a new prayerbook, which caused riots at St. Giles in Edinburgh. Jenny Geddes throws a stool in St. Giles in protest.
1638 : 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 : Charles calls a General Assembly, effectively abolishing the unpopular Scottish Bishops. Agreement is reached through the "Treaty of Berwick".
1640 : Charles peace collapses; the Scots show force by marching on Newcastle.
1641 : Having no realistic chance of opposing the Scots, Charles negotiates a truce at Ripon.
1642 : Civil war breaks out in England. The Scottish Covenanters side with the English rebels who take power. The Earl of Montrose had sided with King Charles so civil strife also spilled into Scotland.
1692 : The massacre of Glencoe. Clan Campbell siding with the King murders members of Clan Macdonald.
1707 : Act of Union is passed; Scotland formally united with England to form Great Britain. In so doing, the Scottish Parliament voted itself out of existence.
1744 : The world's first Golf Club (the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers) was founded.
1745 : Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) returns to Scotland; Scottish victory at the Battle of Prestonpans; Scottish army advance as far south as Derby but then retreat.
1746 : Battle of Culloden, Charles escapes to France; the wearing of the kilt was prohibited.
1768 : The first edition of the "Encylopaedia Britannica" was published in Edinburgh by William Smellie.
1826 : Scotland's first commercial railway was opened between Edinburgh and Dalkeith.
1860 : Scotland hosted the first Open Golf Championship.
1879 : Tay Bridge Disaster (bridge collapsed in storm taking the train with it - an enquiry revealed corners had been cut during construction to reduce costs).
1890 : Forth Rail Bridge opened, it took six years to build.
1896 : Opening of the Underground Railway (the "shooglie") in Glasgow. It remains the only underground in Scotland.
1915 : Britain's worst train disaster took place near Gretna Green, south of Dumfries, killing 227 people.
1937 : The largest ocean liner ever built, the Queen Elisabeth, was launched in Clydebank.
1943 : 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 : Scottish Nationalists steal 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.
1964 : Forth Road Bridge opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It was the longest suspension bridge in Europe.
1965 : Tay Road Bridge opened - for a short time the longest bridge in the world, at just over one mile.
1967 : The Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) was launched in Clydebank. It was the last of the great clyde-built passenger liners.
1968 : David Macleod was born on the Isle of Lewis. :-)
1975 : The first oil was piped ashore from the North Sea at Peterhead.
1996 : A gunman kills 16 five-year-old chidren, their teacher and himself in the Primary School at Dunblane in Perthshire. This is the worst tragedy of its type in the U.K.
The "Stone of Destiny", Scotland's Coronation Stone, is returned from London to Edinburgh Castle, 700 years after being stolen by Edward I.
1999 : A Scottish Parliament is re-instated after 292 years, following the devolution of powers from London through the Scotland Act, 1997.
503 : The Scots leave Ireland and build their kingdom of Dalriada in Argyll on the West coast of Scotland.
843 : Kenneth MacAlpin unites the Scots and Picts as one nation. This was the first step in creating a united Scotland.
1005 : Malcolm II kills Kenneth III and becomes King.
1018 : Malcolm II gains Lothian after defeating the Saxons at the Battle of Carham. Death of Owen-the-Bald, King of Strathclyde.
1034 : Duncan, already ruler of Strathclyde, kills his grandfather Malcolm II and becomes King of a (largely) united Scotland.
1040 : MacBeth (made famous by shakespeare) kills Duncan and becomes King.
1057 : Malcolm III (or Malcolm Canmore) kills MacBeth and becomes King.
1107 : On the death of Edgar, Scotland becomes disunited. Alexander I becomes King of Scots, but David I becomes King in Lothian and Strathclyde.
1124 : Unity was restored when, on Alexander's death, David becomes King of Scots. His reign is one of the most important in Scotland's history, extending Scottish borders to the River Tees, including all of Northumberland.
1295 : Signing of the "Auld Alliance" between Scotland and France - one of the world's oldest mutual defence treaties.
1296 : 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 was temporarily returned to Scotland in 1950 and permanently returned in 1996.Although much contention exists over whether or not this is the original stone.
1314 : Battle of Bannockburn (Scots under Robert the Bruce routed the English led by Edward II) resulting in Scottish independence.
1320 : The Declaration of Arbroath was drawn up to urge the Pope to recognise Scottish independence from England. The Pope accepted the Declaration.
1460 : King James II was killed by an exploding canon during the siege of Roxburgh.
1488 : King James III was murdered after being accused of surrounding himself with evil advisors who encouraged him to bring Englishmen into Scottish affairs.
1502 : 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 : Under the terms of a treaty with France (the "Auld Alliance") all Scottish citizens became French and vice versa.
1559 : John Knox's sermon at Perth - regarded as the start of the Reformation in Scotland.
1603 : James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England bringing about the Union of the Crowns.
1617 : James (on his only return to Scotland) returns briefly to scotland to extol the benefits of English culture.
1618 : James imposes 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 : Charles I becomes 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 : Charles attempted to further anglicise the Church of Scotland by introducing a new prayerbook, which caused riots at St. Giles in Edinburgh. Jenny Geddes throws a stool in St. Giles in protest.
1638 : 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 : Charles calls a General Assembly, effectively abolishing the unpopular Scottish Bishops. Agreement is reached through the "Treaty of Berwick".
1640 : Charles peace collapses; the Scots show force by marching on Newcastle.
1641 : Having no realistic chance of opposing the Scots, Charles negotiates a truce at Ripon.
1642 : Civil war breaks out in England. The Scottish Covenanters side with the English rebels who take power. The Earl of Montrose had sided with King Charles so civil strife also spilled into Scotland.
1692 : The massacre of Glencoe. Clan Campbell siding with the King murders members of Clan Macdonald.
1707 : Act of Union is passed; Scotland formally united with England to form Great Britain. In so doing, the Scottish Parliament voted itself out of existence.
1744 : The world's first Golf Club (the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers) was founded.
1745 : Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) returns to Scotland; Scottish victory at the Battle of Prestonpans; Scottish army advance as far south as Derby but then retreat.
1746 : Battle of Culloden, Charles escapes to France; the wearing of the kilt was prohibited.
1768 : The first edition of the "Encylopaedia Britannica" was published in Edinburgh by William Smellie.
1826 : Scotland's first commercial railway was opened between Edinburgh and Dalkeith.
1860 : Scotland hosted the first Open Golf Championship.
1879 : Tay Bridge Disaster (bridge collapsed in storm taking the train with it - an enquiry revealed corners had been cut during construction to reduce costs).
1890 : Forth Rail Bridge opened, it took six years to build.
1896 : Opening of the Underground Railway (the "shooglie") in Glasgow. It remains the only underground in Scotland.
1915 : Britain's worst train disaster took place near Gretna Green, south of Dumfries, killing 227 people.
1937 : The largest ocean liner ever built, the Queen Elisabeth, was launched in Clydebank.
1943 : 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 : Scottish Nationalists steal 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.
1964 : Forth Road Bridge opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It was the longest suspension bridge in Europe.
1965 : Tay Road Bridge opened - for a short time the longest bridge in the world, at just over one mile.
1967 : The Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) was launched in Clydebank. It was the last of the great clyde-built passenger liners.
1968 : David Macleod was born on the Isle of Lewis. :-)
1975 : The first oil was piped ashore from the North Sea at Peterhead.
1996 : A gunman kills 16 five-year-old chidren, their teacher and himself in the Primary School at Dunblane in Perthshire. This is the worst tragedy of its type in the U.K.
The "Stone of Destiny", Scotland's Coronation Stone, is returned from London to Edinburgh Castle, 700 years after being stolen by Edward I.
1999 : A Scottish Parliament is re-instated after 292 years, following the devolution of powers from London through the Scotland Act, 1997.
