No traces have yet been found of either Neanderthal or Homo sapiens presence in Scotland

The period of known as the Stone Age: hunter-gatherers hunted for fish and wild animals and gathered fruit, nuts, plants, roots and shells.

The first indications of humans in Scotland occurring only after the ice retreated in the 11th millennium.

Sea levels were lower than at present due to the large volume of ice. This meant that the Orkney archipelago and many of the Hebridean islands were attached to the mainland, as was the present-day island of Great Britain to Continental Europe.

At Cramond, near Edinburgh.

People first started cultivating and claiming ownership of the land in Scotland in the Neolithic period. They built permanent shelters, made pottery and stone axes, and created tombs to house the remains of their ancestors.

The remains of domestic and ritual buildings from this time make up the heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. Visit UNESCO for more information.

The arrival of metalworking signalled the start of the Bronze Age and a period of technological change. Ornaments made from exotic materials (such as gold, amber or jet) show that people were displaying their wealth and status, and that social hierarchies were starting to form.

Occupation of what may be the first Crannog or artificial islet residence, on the islet Eilean Domhnuill on Loch Olabhat in North Uist.

The myth goes: Scota was a Queen of Scotland, AND the daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh. She features in the foundation myth of Ireland and Scotland, and who Scotland is named after.

Her husband was a Greek king Gaythelos – hence Gaelic, and their son was known as Hiber – which gives us Hibernia.

According to myth, this royal family was expelled from Egypt during a time of great uprising. They sailed west, settling initially in Spain before travelling to Ireland and then on to the west coast of Scotland. This same race of people eventually battled and triumphed over the Picts to become the Scots – the people who united this country.

Though legends vary, all agree that a Scota was the ancestor of the Gaels, who traced their ancestry to Irish invaders, called Scotti, who settled in Argyll and Caledonia, regions which later came to be known as Scotland after their founder.

The Iron Age saw people making better tools and weapons. Communities also built defensive forts of timber, earth and stone to keep enemies at bay.

Emperor Claudius invaded Britain in AD43 and soon ventured north. Despite the Romans’ best efforts to fortify the border with Hadrian’s Wall in AD122, and central Scotland with the Antonine Wall 20 years later, they were fought back by the Caledonians and the Picts, and eventually retreated from Britain altogether by AD410.

The Picti, or the Picts, push the Romans back from Hadrian's Wall. "Picti" is the Romans' disparaging slang for their northern neighbours, meaning the painted (or tattooed) ones.

Read more about the picts

In 383, the usurper Magnus Maximus withdrew troops from northern and western Britain, probably leaving local warlords in charge.

Despite building two impressive fortifications – Hadrian’s Wall to defend the northern border, and the Antonine Wall across Central Scotland to advance it forward.

The Romans never truly conquered Caledonia. Unable to defeat the Caledonians and Picts, the Romans eventually withdrew.

Much of the 60km Antonine Wall survives and it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site

Increased migration from Ireland to Scotland leads to the establishment of the kingdom of Dalriada in what is now Argyll, with its capital at Dunadd in Kilmartin Glen.

King of Dalriada, Fergus Mor fights both the Picts to the east and the Britons of Strathclyde to the south for land.

10 March 520 - St Kessog, the original patron saint of Scotland, is killed at Bandry, on the western shore of Loch Lomond.

Saint Kessog was an Irish missionary active in the Lennox area and southern Perthshire. Son of the king of Cashel in Ireland, Kessog is said to have worked miracles, even as a child.

Using Monks' Island in Loch Lomond as his headquarters, he evangelized the surrounding area until he was martyred, supposedly at Bandry, where a heap of stones was known as St Kessog's Cairn.

St Kessog's church is in Luss.

20 May 685 The Battle of Dunnichen or Nechtansmere, near Forfar. King Ecgfrith of Northumbria is decisively defeated by the Picts, paving the way for the development of a separate Scottish nation.

795 is the first recorded Viking raid, on Iona, which is raided twice more in the following decade.

Vikings were accomplished seamen at this point in history, and around 800 AD they began migrating from Norway and Denmark, crossing the treacherous North Sea to trade and settle in Scotland.

While Vikings began to settle in the west, the Picts were forging a new kingdom; the Kingdom of Alba.

The Picts, who have controlled all of Scotland north of the Forth and Clyde except for Argyll, suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of the Vikings.

Most of the Pictish nobility is wiped out in the defeat, including King Bridei VI.

Kenneth MacAlpin becomes King of the Scots of Dalriada; and later becomes King of the Picts of Pictland as well, unifying the main groups in Scotland north of the Forth-Clyde line for the first time within the Kingdom of Alba.

Kenneth I began a campaign to seize all of Scotland and assimilate the Picts, for which he was posthumously nicknamed An Ferbasach ("The Conqueror")

Kenneth I is traditionally considered the founder of Scotland, which was then known as Alba.

Viking pressure leads to the relocation of the capital of Alba (Alba being the Scottish name for Scotland at the time) from Argyll to Scone, near Perth. The religious centre, and the relics of St Columba, moves from Iona to Dunkeld.

Kenneth MacAlpin is succeeded by his brother Donald (rather than his eldest son) as was the Pictish tradition of “tanistry”.

The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba states he died of a tumour. Kenneth was buried in Iona Abbey.

Donald becomes known as Donald I.

Constantine I was a son of Kenneth MacAlpin (therefore the nephew of his predecessor Donald I)

Donald I died in 862 of unknown causes.

Constantine I arranges the death of the King of Strathclyde in 872. He replaces him with his own brother-in-law, Rhun: effectively making Strathclyde a subordinate kingdom to Alba.

Constantine I is succeeded by his brother Aedh.

Constantine I died in Fife, during a battle against Norse invaders in 877.

King Aedh was king for barely a year before he was killed by his cousin Giric at Strathallan, North of Stirling.

Giric became a major influence in the reign of Aedh’s nephew Eochaid, hence the “joint ruling”.

Eochaid was the grandson of Kenneth MacAlpin, and son of the Strathclyde ruler Rhun whose father had been slain by Constantine.

In 889 Eochaid and Giric were expelled by Donald II, ending the influence of Strathclyde which then became a Scottish sub-kingdom.

889: Kings Eochaid and Giric are succeeded by Donald II.

Donald (Domnall mac Causantín) was the son of Constantine I. He annexed Srathclyde, establishling himself as King of the Scots.

He had some success against the Vikings in the West, but the North was dominated by Viking Sigurd the Mighty based in Orkney.

Donald II was killed in 900, possibly murdered, at Donnattar near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire.

He was buried on Iona

900: Donald II is succeded by Constantine II (Constantín mac Áeda) - the son of King Aedh.

He was king for over 40 years.

He incorporated several Viking settlers into the emerging Kingdom of Scotland, but his reign was dominated by Viking raids and northern conquests by the Wessex Kings Athelstan and Edmund of England.

But, having been defeated in two battles, Constantine abdicated and lived out the rest of his life as a monk in the monastery at St. Andrews, Fife.

Malcolm I (Máel Coluim mac Domnaill) was the son of King Donald II.

King Malcolm I did a deal with Edmund of England to retain sovereignty over Strathcylde and Cumbria (Edmund had conquered during Constantine II reign).

Despite many battles with vikings, Malcolm was killed defending the North of his kingdom by men of Moray at Fetteresso, near Aberdeen.

Edmund, a Danish King ruling Northumbria, gives Cumbria to Malcolm I of Scotland in return for military support.

Indulf (Ildulb mac Causantín) was Malcolm I’s cousin; the son of Constantine II.

It is interesting that Indulf is indeed a Norse name, and his sons also had Norse names (Olaf and Culen)

He was sub-king of Strathclyde during Malcolm I’s reign.

When he became King, the influence of the Scots was extended into Lothian, and he briefly occupied Edinburgh from the Northumbrians.

Indulf was killed in 962 in battle at Invercullen near Aberdeen during Viking challenges for Moray.

Duff (Dubh mac Mhaoil Chaluim) became king when Indulf was slain.

His rule was challenged by Indulf’s son Culen in battle at Duncrub, Perthshire.

King Duff was killed by his cousin Culen (Cuilén mac Ildulb) the eldest son of Indulf.

He challenged his cousin King Dubh in battle at Duncrub in 965, and was believed to be subsequently responsible for his murder after which he became king in 967.

King Culen was killed in 971 in Lothian by Amdarch (Riderich), son of Donald of Strathclyde, in revenge for Culen raping Amdarch’s daughter.

Kenneth II (Cináed mac Maíl Coluim) was the son of Malcolm I.

He faced a challenge from Culen’s brother Olaf. The challenge was ended when Kenneth II had Olaf killed in 977.

Kennith II was killed near Fettercairn by Fenella, daughter of the Mormar of Angus, in revenge for killing her son (in battle).

Constantine III (Causantín mac Cuiléin) the son of King Culen. He was known as Constantine the bald.

As stated above, Kenneth II was revenge killed by Lady Finella.

He reigned for just 18 months before he was killed at Rathinveramon near Scone by Kenneth III son of Dubh (King Duff).

Kenneth III (Cináed mac Duib) was the son of King Duff – he was responsible for the death of Constantine III. His son Giric took active part in rule during his 8 year reign.

The Battle of Monzievaird, 25 March 1005, takes place just north of Crieff. King Kenneth III and his son Giric are killed in the battle by his successor, Malcolm II (Kenneths cousin).

This rivalry contributed to the feud which resulted in Duncan, grandson of Malcolm II, being killed in 1040 by Macbeth who had married Kenneth’s grand daughter Gruoch (Lady Macbeth).

Malcolm (Máel Coluim mac Cináeda) was the son of Kenneth II.

Malcolm extended Scottish rule into Lothian and Northumbrian lands down to Berwick. In 1032 King Cnut King of England secured the southern part of Northumbria for England settling the border between Scotland and England.

Malcolm had no son so he had the grandson of Kenneth III murdered to ensure that his daughter son Duncan became heir to the throne.

Malcolm was assassinated at Glamis Castle, proceeding battle injuries, in 1034.

25 November 1034: Malcolm II is assassinated at Glamis and is succeeded by Duncan I. Duncan (Donnchad mac Crínáin) was the grandson Malcolm II. He was the first of the House of Dunkeld.

The hereditary rights of his two sons Malcolm and Donald were threatened by Macbeth of Moray who claimed the kingdom. The feud was temporarily settled in 1040 when Duncan was fatally wounded in battle at Pitgaveny near Elgin by Macbeth, who then became king.

Duncan’s sons escaped and both would later become kings.

15 August 1040 Duncan I tries to impose his will on northern Scotland, but loses to Macbeth of Moray and Earl Thorfinn of Orkney at the Battle of Pitgaveny, near Elgin.

Duncan is killed during the battle, and King Macbeth is crowned at Scone later in 1040.

Macbeth (Mac Bethad mac Findlaích) was the grandson of Malcolm II.

Immortalised forever in Shakespeare’s fictitious retelling, Macbeth is perhaps one of the best-known early Scottish kings.

Macbeth ruled as King of Alba for 17 years, from 1040 to his death in battle in 1057.

Macbeth was killed by Malcolm III in battle at Lumphanan in Mar, Aberdeenshire. His stepson Lulach became briefly king.

Lulach (Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin), also know as Lulach ‘The Fool’, was the stepson of Macbeth and son of Macbeth’s wife Gruoch by her first husband Gillacomgean.

Lulach was the first Scots king to be crowned at Scone, but was a weak ineffectual king.

His reigned lasted barely 8 months before he was killed at Essie, Strathbogie, by his successor Malcolm III.

15 August 1057: Malcolm Canmore, kills Macbeth at the Battle of Lumphanan; and kills king Lulach 8 months later.

He is crowned Malcolm III at Scone in 1058. Malcolm (Máel Coluim mac Donnchada), son of Duncan I, was known as Malcolm Cenn Mor or Canmore (meaning Big or Great Head). He was the first of the House of Canmore.

Peace with the North was achieved through Malcolm’s marriage to the daughter of Thorfinn, Jarl of Orkney (a Jarl is a Norse or Danish chief).

Malcolm’s second wife was Margaret, grand-daughter of Edmund King of England. She was a devout Christian who reformed the Celtic church through her familiarity with roman Christian practices, and was sanctified as St Margaret in 1250.

Malcolm gave sanctuary to Saxons fleeing the advancing Normans following the victory of William I ‘The Conqueror’ at Hastings in 1066.

Malcolm attacked Northumbria in 1070 and expanded his kingdom into Cumbria, but was swept aside by the forces of King William II as they marched into Scotland in 1092.

At Abernethy Malcolm was forced to submit to the Normans who took his son Duncan and brother-in-law into England as hostages. Malcolm launched another attack the following year but was killed in battle at Alnwick, Northumberland, and was buried at Tynemouth.

13 November 1093: Malcolm III is killed, along with his eldest son, by Arkil Morel (steward of Bamburgh) under Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria.

His second wife: Queen Margaret dies of grief (and later becomes St Margaret).

So Malcolm is succeeded by his younger brother, Donald, who becomes Donald III and jointly rules with Malcolm's son Edmund.

Donald III was called Domnall Bán or Donald Bane (Donald the Fair). He was in exile at the time of his bother’s death and rushed to claim the throne.

The Scots evict the many English who have gathered around the Anglicised court of Malcolm and Margaret, including their surviving children.

1094: Duncan, second eldest son of Malcolm III (who has been a hostage with the English court since Abernethy), becomes Duncan II after defeating Donald III and Edmund with Norman/English help.

His reign was brief as he was killed a few months later at the Battle of Monthechin, Kincardine, by Donald whom he had deposed.

12 November 1094: Duncan II is killed at Battle of Monthechin, near Kincardine. Donald III and Edmund return to the throne.

1097: Edgar, another son of Malcolm III and Margaret, invades as the head of another Norman/English army and becomes King Edgar.

Edgar has Donald III blinded and imprisoned. Donald died in prison at Rescobie, Forfarshire, in 1099. Edmund sent to a monastery.

King Edgars treaty with Magnus ‘Barefoot’ in 1098 allowed the Norse to regain many of the Western Isles. The marriage of his sister Edith to Henry I of England in 1100 brought peace and encouraged the settlement of Anglo Normans in the Scottish lowlands.

8 January 1107: Edgar died unmarried and was succeeded by his younger brother Alexander I.

Alexander (Alaxandair mac Maíl Coluim) was the 4th son of Malcolm III. He married Sybilla - the illegitimate daughter of Henry I. Sybilla was not well received by the Scots and said to ‘lack both beauty and modesty’.

Alexander helped Henry I in his campaigns in Wales, and earned the name ‘The Fierce’ for the way in which he put down an uprising in Moray.

He sought to continue the work of his mother Margaret and introduced English style reforms into the Church and reform of civil government introducing the offices of chancellor and sheriffs.

The earliest known Scottish coins dated from his reign.

He died without legitimate children and was succeeded by his brother David I.

23 April 1124: King Alexander I is succeeded by his younger brother, who becomes David I (the third of the son of Malcolm III and Margaret) to become King of Scots.

His impact on Scottish cultural development was considerable, and he is often known as David ‘The Saint’. He continued his brother’s introduction of reforms and introduced a feudal system and granted land to Anglo Norman incomers who soon anglicized the lowlands in Southern Scotland.

Norman English became the dominant language of court (while Gaelic was still spoken in the Highlands, and Norse in the far North and Isles).

David became involved in the struggle for succession in England, as he supported the succession of Henry I’s daughter the Empress Matilda. When Stephen usurped her and became king, David invaded England taking Carlisle and Newcastle before being defeated in the battle of the Standard near Northallerton, Yorkshire, in 1138. However Stephen faced with his own struggles in England granted David control of Northumbria under the Treaty of Durham in 1139 and recognised him as king of an independent Scotland.

His only son Henry died in 1152 leaving the succession to his young grandson Malcolm.

24 May 1153: David I is succeeded by his grandson, Malcolm IV, aged 12.

Malcolm IV did not marry and was named ’The Maiden’ after his vows of chastity.

Henry II of England sensing weakness in the boy king, reclaimed Northern England.

Malcolm died at Jedborough Castle in 1165, and was succeeded by his brother William.

Henry II of England rips up a promise given to David I in 1149 to allow the Scots all the land North of the River Tees. He summons the 16 year old Malcolm IV and persuades him to sign a treaty giving up Cumbria and Northumbria to the English.

9 December 1165: Malcolm IV dies, aged 24 and unmarried, and is succeeded by his younger brother William I.

William the Lionheart is nicknamed after his symbol, a red lion rampant on a yellow field that becomes the basis of one of Scotland's two flags.

King William I is crowned King of Scotland 24 December 1165.

He had a long reign but for much of it was subjugated by the English kings.

13 July 1174: William I is captured by the English at Alnwick while trying to retake Northumbria. King William signs the Treaty of Falaise to secure his release. This gives control of key Scottish castles to the English and acknowledges Henry II of England as his feudal superior.

In 1189 on the death of King Henry II of England, William bought back the sovereignty of Scotland for 10,000 merks from King Richard I who needed to finance his crusade to the Holy Land.

December 1214: William I is succeeded by his son, Alexander II (Alaxandair mac Uilliam)

He sought to win back Scottish independence and laid claim to Cumbria and Northumberland in Northern England. He enraged King John of England who tried to smoke out ‘the little fox cub from his den’ (referring to his red hair) by burning Berwick.

From 1217 to 1250 Malduin ruled the district of Lennox (known in ancient times as the "Levenax"). The Parish of Buchanan was a part of the Lennox.

In 1231 Gilbert de Buchanan, seneschal to the Earl of Lennox, receives a charter confirming Clareinch and other lands in Buchanan.

Alexander II signs the Treaty of York, giving up future claims to lands south of the modern border between England and Scotland.

Cross border tension with the English leads to the betrothal of the three year old future Alexander III, and four year old Margaret, daughter of Henry III.

6 July 1249: Alexander died of a fever on the island of Kerrera in Oban bay.

King Alexander II is succeded by his son Alexander III (Alaxandair mac Alaxandair) at the age of 8.

26 December 1251: Ten year-old King Alexander III marries Henry III of England's eldest daughter, Princess Margaret.

In 1259 Alexander assumed power and was determined to complete his father’s quest to conquer the Western Isles. Sending an army to attack the Norse in the Hebrides he provoked a Norwegian response in 1263 when King Haakon sailed his fleet to the west coast port of Largs. The battle was inconclusive but Haakon died on Orkney.

2 July 1266: In the Treaty of Perth the Norwegians cede the Western Isles and the Isle of Man to the Scots in return for guarantees about future Norwegian rights over Orkney and Shetland.

Relations with Norway improved when Alexander III’s daughter marries Haakon’s grandson Eric.

25 October 1268: The death of John Balliol. He was a leading Anglo-Scottish noble, father to future Scottish King, John Balliol

Alexander III's wife Margaret dies in 1275

Alexander III's younger son dies in 1281

Alexander III's eldest son (also named Alexander), dies aged 20 without children; 1284

Alexander III's daughter, Margaret, dies in 1283, leaving him with an infant granddaughter, also called Margaret, living in Norway.

Alexander III remarries to Yolande de Dreux 14 October 1285

19 March 1286: King Alexander III dies in a fall from his horse en route to be with his new bride Yolande de Dreux in Fife (aged 44).

Yolande miscarries so Alexander III’s granddaughter Margaret, "The Maid of Norway" becomes Queen of Scots at the age of three, having never set foot in Scotland.

26 September 1290: The death of the seven year old Margaret, Maid of Norway, Queen of Scotland. With her dies the House of Dunkeld that has ruled Scotland since 1058.

Her death left turmoil as there was no clear successor to the Scottish throne.

King Edward I of England oversees the selection between competing claims to the Scottish throne.

Scotland is without a king for 2 years.

13 competitors are narrowed down to two. John Balliol is selected over Robert Bruce and is crowned King of Scotland on 30 November 1292.

John Balliol was the descendant of David of Huntingdon – the younger brother of Malcolm IV.

It was a short and difficult reign, caught between the English King and the Scottish nobles who humiliated him. He was called Toom Tabbard (‘Empty Coat’).

A treaty is agreed between King John Balliol and King Philippe IV of France that marks the start of the long-standing "Auld Alliance" 23 October 1295. Read more here

30 March 1296: King Edward I of England attacks Berwick-upon-Tweed – approximately 12,000 men, women & children are massacred.

The Scots, under William Wallace, retaliate at the Battle of Biggar a year later. Read more on our list of battles.

8 July 1296: King John Balliol resigns his kingdom to Edward I.

Edward I takes the Stone of Scone back to London after the Scottish nobility have signed their loyalty to him.

John Balliol was forced to abdicate on 10th July 1296 and there followed a 10 year interregnum during which Scotland was ruled remotely by Edward. John Balliol was imprisoned in the Tower of London but freed in 1299 to go into retirement in Normandy where he died around 1313.

May 1297: William Wallace sacks Lanark Castle, killing the Sheriff and other English in the town. It is the spark for more widespread rebellion.

11 September 1297: Edward I’s army planned to cross the River Forth at Stirling Bridge; the Scots seized the opportunity to attack at the crossing of the River Forth, the Stirling Bridge, forcing the English army to retreat.

William Wallace and Andrew Murray comprehensively defeat the English army. Murray subsequently dies of wounds suffered during the battle.

At the battle of Stirling Bridge, William Wallace earns his place in the history books forever.

Read more in our list of battles

29 March 1298: William Wallace is titled "Guardian of Scotland", but still acts in the name of King John Balliol

22 July 1298: William Wallace is badly defeated by Edward I at the Battle of Falkirk.

Wallace subsequently resigns as Guardian and drops out of sight.

3 August 1305: William Wallace is captured near Glasgow after periods spent as guerrilla and abroad.

He is tried in London on 23 August, then executed.

10 February 1306: Robert the Bruce (grandson of the Robert Bruce who had competed with John Balliol for the crown in 1292), murders John III Comyn, the Red Comyn, head of one of the most powerful familes in Scotland and his only rival as future king.

Robert the Bruce crowns himself King Robert I.

King Robert the Bruce is the 19th great-grandfather to Elizabeth II - current Queen of England

King Robert was twice defeated in 1306, at Methven, near Perth, on June 19, and at Dalry, near Tyndrum, Perthshire, on August 11.

His wife and many of his supporters were captured, and three of his brothers executed.

But members of Clan Buchanan aided Roberts escape, moving him to the remote island of Rathlin off the north Irish coast.

7 July 1307: King Edward I of England dies.

Independence was made easier by the death of Edward I; Bruce set about removing the English from Scotland and by early 1314 Stirling was the only castle in English hands.

War between the English and the Scots rages until 1314, when Robert the Bruce’s army defeats Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn.

Robert the Bruce invades Ireland and his brother – Edward Bruce, is declared high King of Ireland.

A letter written in Latin, signed by Scottish Barons and Nobles, and sent to Pope John XXII.

The Declaration proclaimed Scotland’s status as an independent sovereign state and have the Pope recognise Robert the Bruce as King of Scotland (and remove Roberts excommunication, following his murdering of Red Comyn in a church).

Though its effect was largely symbolic, the powerful declaration remains an important document in Scottish history – defining the relationship between the Scottish King and the Scots people.

Read more

17 March 1328: The First War of Scottish Independence ends with the Treaty of Edinburgh and Northampton, under which the English Crown recognises that the Kingdom of Scotland is fully independent.

Robert Bruce died at his house in Cardross of a serious illness described by some as leprosy.

7 June 1329: Robert the Bruce is succeeded by his five year old son, David II.

David was married at the age of 4 to Joan the 7 year old daughter of King Edward II. David II was crowned at Scone in 1331.

11 August 1332: Edward Balliol and his English army inflicts a severe defeat on Scottish supporters of the infant King David II at the Battle of Dupplin Moor near Perth.

24 September 1332: Edward Balliol is crowned King of Scots at Scone. This leaves Scotland with two kings: Edward Balliol and David II.

David II flees to France as guests of King Phillip VI.

In 1341 the Scottish nobles under Robert Stewart gained the upper hand and David II was able to return to Scotland and were restored to the throne.

Five years later in 1346 David attacked England in support of France while Edward III was away fighting in France. The Scots were defeated at Nevillie’s Cross near Durham where David was injured and taken prisoner. He was held captive in England for 11 years until 1357 when under the Treaty of Berwick he was allowed to return to Scotland for a ransom of 100,000 merks ‘A King’s Ransom’. The full amount was never paid.

1349: The Black Death reaches Scotland, killing as many as 200,000 people out of 1 million over the following two years. 20%

20 January 1356: Edward Balliol relinquishes his claim to the Scottish Crown to King Edward III of England in exchange for an English pension.

3 October 1357: The Treaty of Berwick ends the Second War of Scottish Independence and releasing King David II from English captivity.

22 February 1371: King David II is succeeded by his nephew, Robert Stewart who becomes King Robert II, of the Stewart dynasty that is to rule Scotland for most of the next three hundred years.

Robert II is the grandson of Robert the Bruce.

He was 54 when he succeeded to the throne, but he was weak king and did not rule well over the nobles who were critical of him leading to a loss of prestige of the crown.

November 1384: An ailing Robert II is sidelined in favour of his own eldest son and heir, John, Earl of Carrick, who becomes Guardian of the Kingdom.

John was timid, retiring and badly injured following a kick from a horse. He took the name Robert because his name John was considered a bad omen after the hated John Balliol. So, he became known as King Robert III

The reign was beset by problems including rivalry between the Highlanders, his brothers and the lords of the isles. His brother Robert Duke of Albany may have been responsible for the death of Robert III’s son David.

December 1388: John, Earl of Carrick, who has been injured while riding, is replaced as Guardian of the Kingdom by his younger brother Robert, Earl of Fife.

19 April 1390: The death of King Robert II.

He was succeeded by his eldest son John Stewart, to be known as Robert III, King of Scots, at about the age of 53.

Robert III was the eldest son of Robert II and Elizabeth Mure and was legitimized by the second marriage of his parents and by papal dispensation in 1349.

17 June 1390: Alexander Stewart – youngest son of Robert II (therefore younger brother of John, Earl of Carrick (now Robert III) and Robert, Earl of Fife) destroys Elgin Cathedral in reprisal against Bishop Alexander Bur. Alexander becomes known as the "Wolf of Badenoch".

24 July 1394: Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan, the Wolf of Badenoch dies mysteriously.

Robert III's eldest son, David, is created 1st Duke of Rothesay and Robert III's younger brother, Robert, Earl of Fife, is created 1st Duke of Albany.

The General Council takes power from Robert III, now in poor health, and gives it instead to David Stewart, 1st Duke of Rothesay, who they make the King's Lieutenant.

David Stewart, 1st Duke of Rothesay (the oldest son of King Robert III of Scotland and heir to the throne) is captured by his uncle Robert, Duke of Albany and imprisoned.

On 26 March 1402 David Stewart is murdered on the orders of his uncle, Robert Stewart.

4 April 1406: Following the murder of David Steward, the Kings Lieutenant, 7-year-old James goes into hiding.

February 1406: An army of King James I (now Twelve year old) supporters is defeated by the 1st Duke of Albany; James is taken for safety to the continent.

But King James I is captured by pirates while en route to sanctuary in France.

They hand him over to Henry IV of England.

4 April 1406: King Robert III dies after hearing the news of his son James' capture by the English. James therefore succeeds to the throne as James I at the age of 12 and as a prisoner of Henry IV of England.

1406: Robert, Duke of Albany becomes Governor of Scotland in his nephew's absence

1407: The Duke of Albany negotiates a renewal of Auld Alliance (the long standing treaty of mutual support against England with France).

Robert, Duke of Albany dies and is succeeded as Governor of Scotland by his son, Murdoch.

The marriage takes place in London between King James I of Scotland and Lady Joan Beaufort, a close relative of King Henry VI of England.

The Treaty of London provides for the release of King James I after eighteen years as a prisoner of the English.

James I was 30 when he took over as king.

James arrests many members of the Albany family, descendents of his uncle, Robert.

Murdoch and three others are executed and the family is virtually extinguished.

James I summons Alexander, Lord of the Isles and other highland clan chiefs to a meeting in Inverness, and has them arrested. Three are executed as an example, but others including Alexander are later released.

In 1427 James I started defaulting on payments of his ransom (from 1423) and began spending large sums on Linlithgow palace and luxuries for the court which cause discontent among the nobles.

Alexander, Lord of the Isles, attacks and destroys Inverness. James I retaliates and captures Alexander releasing him again two years later.

King James I is assassinated in the Dominican Monastery in Perth by supporters of Walter Lord of Atholl. Queen Joan escapes with their son James, now James II.

Queen Joan ensures that the conspirators, including relatives of James I, are identified and executed.

James II is crowned in Edinburgh, aged 6.

He was nicknamed ‘Fiery Face’ after a large birthmark on his face.

3 July 1449: James II takes formal control of his kingdom following his marriage to Marie, niece of the Duke of Burgundy.

The University of Glasgow was founded in 1451.

22 February 1452: James II invites the dangerously powerful 8th Earl of Douglas to Stirling Castle under a safe-conduct, where he stabs him and throws his body out of a window. Followers of the Earl subsequently sack the town of Stirling.

James II completes his subjugation of the Black Douglas family by taking their land and castles in south-west Scotland.

3 August 1460: James II is killed (during a siege, when an artillery piece explodes) and is succeeded by his 8 year old son James – crowned James III of Scotland.

His mother Marie of Gueldes ruled in his minority until her death in 1463.

James III was weak and unpopular.

July 1466: The Boyd family kidnap James III now 14, and use his influence to enhance their own power, including a marriage to the King's sister.

10 July 1469: James III, now 18, marries 13 year old Margret of Denmark, Princess of Norway and Denmark and assumes his full powers over Scotland. Part of her dowry is mortgaged against Orkney and Shetland.

But James also had several close male friends.

November: Parliament upholds charges of treason against Sir Alexander Boyd for the kidnap of James III in 1466. Sir Alexander Boyd is executed and family land and property is seized.

20 February 1472: Following James II dowry for marring Margret, Princess of Denmark and Norway, Shetland and Orkney formally become part of Scotland under an Act of Parliament

October 1474: Marriage is arranged between James III's one year old son James and Lady Cecilia, King Edward IV of England's three year old daughter.

11 June 1488: James III seeks to capture his eldest son, James (now Duke of Rothesay), who at 15 is becoming a focus for dissent in the kingdom.

The Scottish nobles became increasingly disaffected by James’ weakness and bisexuality, and when he conferred an earldom on his boyfriend John Ramsay they called for James’ 15 year old son James to be proclaimed king.

Following the Battle of Sauchieburn the injured James III fled to Milltown where he was fatally stabbed by a man dressed as a priest.

James III son is named King James IV (age of 15), he is considered the first effective monarch of the House of Stewart.

James was a Renaissance King who spoke several languages including Gaelic, English and French and was keen on arts and learning. Aberdeen University was founded, the printing press came to Scotland and education was made compulsory for barons and wealthy landowners. He spent lavishly on the court and built new halls in Edinburgh and Stirling castles. Edinburgh became main burgh and centre of government and justice.

1493: John MacDonald II Lord of the Isles is tried by James IV and the lordship taken over by the king: ending a dynasty that has effectively ruled much of Western Scotland and the Isles for nearly 350 years.

24 January 1502: A "Treaty of Perpetual Peace" is agreed between King James IV of Scotland and King Henry VII of England.

The peace turns out to be considerably shorter than "perpetual".

8 August 1503: James IV marries Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry.

This does little to interrupt James IV's succession of mistresses and illegitimate children.

26 July 1513: King James IV responds to pleas for assistance from France and gives notice to his brother in law, King Henry VIII, that he is going to invade Northumberland.

9 September 1513: At the Battle of Flodden, up to 10,000 Scots are killed, including James IV himself (compared to 1,700 English losses). Read more about battles

King James V is crowned at the age of just one.

Once again the Scottish nobles fought for power during the King’s infancy.

6 August 1514: Margaret Tudor (mother of 2-year-old King) marries Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus who becomes the young James V's despised stepfather.

April 1526: James V assumes his full powers at the age of 14, but is taken captive by Margaret Tudor's second - but by now estranged - husband; James V’s own stepfather

James V escapes his stepfather's clutches and commences his true period of rule. His first act is to exile the Earl of Angus to England and seize his lands.

James ruled with authority but was sympathetic to the needs of the poor of Scotland. He is said to have like travelling incognito in his kingdom disguised as the ‘Gudeman (farmer) o’Ballengeich’.

Read about his encounter with Buchanans

June : James V marries for a second time (following the death of his first wife Madeline). His wife is Marie de Guise, adopted sister of his first wife Madeleine.

8 December 1542: Marie de Guise, gives birth to a daughter, Mary

14 December 1542: Following the defeat at Solway Moss on the Scottish borders, James V dies of despair. But probably cholera.

6 days after his daughter was born.

So is succeeded by his daughter, Mary Queen of Scots at the age of nine months.

May 1544: King Henry VIII of England commences a period of "rough wooing" designed to impose the marriage of his son to Mary Queen of Scots.

Known as the Treaty of Greenwich, but no sooner had the treaty been arranged than Catholic Scottish nobles opposed the plan and she was betrothed to Francis son of Henry II King of France.

Armies invade from the south and from the sea near Edinburgh.

7 August 1548: After many incursions and battles for her control, Five year-old Mary Queen of Scots sets sail for France to escape Henry VIII's English troops.

24 April 1558: Fifteen year old Mary Queen of Scots marries fourteen year old Francoise, Dauphin of France in Paris. The wedding is accompanied by an agreement that will unify the crowns of Scotland and France if there are children of the marriage, and hand over the crown of Scotland to France if there are not.

November 1558: Following the death of King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth succeeds to the crown of England.

Her parents' marriage follows Henry VIII's earlier divorce so is in the view of the Catholic Church, Elizabeth is illegitimate.

So in Catholic eyes, especially in Scotland and France, Mary Queen of Scots is the rightful claimant to the English crown.

10 July 1559: Francis, the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, becomes King Francis II of France.

August 1560: The Scottish Parliament prohibits the practise of the Latin Mass in Scotland and denies the authority of the Pope, in effect implementing the Reformation across Scotland.

The Reformation was a turning point in Scottish history. At the religious level it signified the end of five hundred years of dominance by the Roman Church, leaving in its place a unique brand of radical Presbyterian Protestantism.

At the political level it broke centuries of close cultural and military links with France and replaced them with even closer, though often very uncomfortable, links with England.

5 December 1560: King Francis II of France (husband of Mary, Queen of Scots), dies of an infected ear and is succeeded by his brother, Charles IX of France.

The Treaty of Edinburgh (also known as the Treaty of Leith) was a treaty drawn up on 5 July 1560 between the Commissioners of Queen Elizabeth I of England with the assent of the Scottish Lords of the Congregation, and the French representatives of King Francis II of France (husband of Mary Queen of Scots) to formally conclude the siege of Leith and replace the Auld Alliance with France with a new Anglo-Scottish accord, while maintaining the peace between England and France agreed by the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis.

19 August 1561: Mary Queen of Scots, aged eighteen and now a widow, has little choice but to accept an invitation to return to a now Protestant Scotland as Queen.

29 July 1565: Mary Queen of Scots marries her cousin Lord Darnley in a Catholic wedding.

26 August 1565: Mary Queen of Scots leads an army to supress a rebellion led by her half brother James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, who is opposed to her marriage

9 March 1566: Mary Queen of Scots' private secretary, David Rizzio, is murdered by a group including her husband Lord Darnley.

18 March 1566: Earl of Bothwell provides Mary Queen of Scots with an army to hunt those responsible for the murder of her private secretary David Rizzio.

A group of her advisers convince Mary that Lord Darnley is thoroughly unsuitable as a husband.

1567: Lord Darnley is murdered.

Public suspicions grow that the Earl of Bothwell, and possibly Mary Queen of Scots herself, are involved in the murder.

The Earl of Bothwell is tried for the murder of Darnley and found not guilty (but few believe the trial to be fair).

1567: James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, kidnaps Mary Queen of Scots and takes her to Dunbar Castle, where, assuming Mary is an unwilling participant, he rapes her.

However, they agree to marry. 🧐

James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell divorces his wife, Jean Gordon, to clear the way for his planned wedding to Mary, Queen of Scots.

On the 15 May 1567 Mary Queen of Scots marries the Earl of Bothwell in a Protestant wedding. They then flee from widespread dissent to Dunbar Castle.

Scottish nobles intent on retrieving Mary Queen of Scots from James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, meet the couple (with a thousand supporters). After a day long stand-off Mary agrees to the nobles' demands and sends Bothwell away. They never meet again.

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Mary is taken away to imprisonment in Lochleven Castle on an island in Loch Leven, near Kinross. Lords visit Mary Queen of Scots and insist she abdicates immediately or be killed. She abdicates.

One year old Charles James is crowned King James VI of Scotland in a Protestant ceremony

2 May 1568: Mary Queen of Scots escapes from Lochleven Castle and revokes her abdication. She gathers an army and moves towards Dumbarton, but is defeated.

Mary Queen of Scots' rejects supporters' advice (to return to France) and chooses instead to flee to England and seek the mercy of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, who still fears Mary might make a claim to the Crown of England.

After 10 years and 3 regents, James VI (the only child of Mary Queen of Scots and her second husband, Lord Darnley) takes over the government of Scotland at the age of 12.

28 September 1582: The death of George Buchanan, a historian and scholar who was persecuted for his Protestant views.

11 August 1586: Mary Queen of Scots is arrested after writing a letter approving of a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth. She is tried for treason and beheaded.

Her son, James VI, briefly breaks off diplomatic relations with England.

20 August 1589: James VI marries Anne of Denmark, daughter of King Frederik II of Denmark.

The marriage is by proxy and her subsequent efforts to sail to Scotland see her blown back by storm to Norway, allegedly as a result of witchcraft.

When King James VI and Anne of Denmark finally return to Scotland, Anne is crowned Queen of Scotland and James begins a witch-hunt that will claim over a thousand lives in the following hundred years.

July 1596: James VI's efforts to have himself declared heir apparent to the English throne lead to the Treaty of Berwick, a formal alliance with England.

24 March 1603: Queen Elizabeth I of England dies. Two days later the news reaches 36 year old James VI of Scotland that he is now also King James I of England.

He styles himself "King of Great Britain" and the crowns of Scotland and England are unified under the Stewart dynasty, though increasingly the family name is now spelled "Stuart".

King James VI of Scotland moves south to London to become James I of England.

The growth in use of the English language King James Bible by Scottish Protestants helps weaken the Gaelic language.

1616: The Scottish church sets up schools in every parish to teach children “godliness and knowledge”: and to read and write in English and not Gaelic, which it considers “the chief cause of the barbaritie and incivilitie of the people”

27 March 1625: King James I/VI dies at the age of 58 and is succeeded by his younger son, Charles (as James’s eldest son, Prince Henry, had died in 1612).

Charles I (aged 24) believes that his ruling is a Divine Right direct from God.

18 June 1633: The Scottish coronation of King Charles I is accompanied by an Anglican service, a sign of the conflict to come.

28 February 1638: The National Covenant is signed by thousands of Scots: seeking to preserve distinctive Scots cultural and religious practices, against the increasingly arbitrary approach of Charles I.

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland begins a month-long meeting, effectively declaring themselves as rebels against the King.

14 August 1641: Charles I visits Scotland in an effort to placate opposition and buy off critics. He ends up flailing. The weakness of Charles in Scotland leads to Catholic revolt in Ulster, only suppressed with help from Protestant troops from Scotland.

Charles I, having failed to suppress or coerce the English Parliament by his will, takes it on by military might. The English Civil War begins.

Scotland offers to support the Parliamentary side in the Civil War in return for the acceptance by the English of a "Solemn League and Covenant", in effect exporting Presbyterianism to them.

A Scottish Covenanter army of 20,000 men move south to support the Parliamentary Army.

King Charles appoints the Marquis of Montrose, who with other moderate Covenanters is now on the Royalist side, as head of Royalist forces in Scotland.

30 January 1647: The Scottish Covenanters march back to Scotland having handed Charles I over to the English in return for a payment of £200,000.

8 July 1648: The moderate arm of the Covenanters come to a secret agreement with Charles I, now in English custody, and 20,000 Scots move into England at the start of the Second Civil War.

30 January 1649: Charles I is executed in London. So the Scots Parliament proclaims Charles II as King. But the English Parliament declares England to be a Republic.

March 1650: In an effort to regain power by military means, Charles II seeks help from the Marquis of Montrose, who lands in Orkney with 500 Scandinavian mercenaries before moving on to Caithness, reinforced by Orcadian volunteers.

Charles II and the Scots Royalists are defeated and Chrales II retreats to England, France and then Holland.

1652 "Tender of Union" is announced : giving Scots 30 seats in a united Parliament in London.

1 January 1660: General George Monck, the Military Governor of Scotland, leads troops into London to restore Charles Stewart - Charles II - to the throne. In May Charles II is proclaimed King of England, Scotland and Ireland while still in Holland.

January 1661: The Scottish Parliament meets under its Commissioner, the Earl of Middleton and on 28 March it revokes every law passed since the year of Charles I's accession, 1633. This rolls back the Covenants and restores ultimate power to the King in London.

A number of extreme Presbyterians are executed.

Charles II also executes many of those responsible for his father's death: and even Oliver Cromwell's body is exhumed and symbolically beheaded.

6 February 1685: Charles II dies after conversion to the Catholic Church on his deathbed and is succeeded by his brother James Stewart, Duke of York as James II of England and VII of Scotland (James Stewart has been a convert to Catholicism for some time)

June 1687: James VII/II issues an Indulgence giving complete religious toleration to all denominations. The Scots see it as a precursor to greater Roman Catholic influence.

10 June 1688: James VII/II and his wife Mary of Modena have a son, christened James Francis Edward. Many Scots - and English - are concerned by the prospect of a continuing Catholic Stewart dynasty.

So a group of Protestant nobles asks William of Orange to travel to England to overthrow King James VII/II. William of Orange’s is King James VII/II son-in-law (wife Mary is James VII/II's daughter) and until the birth of James Francis Edward was the heir to the throne.

James VII/II sails to France after a largely bloodless coup by William and Mary. English convention declares that James VII/II has abdicated; and sets out the basis for Mary and William to succeed to the throne.

A Scottish Convention is divided between Williamite supporters of William and Mary, and Jacobite supporters of James VII/II. But ultimately the Convention decides James has forfeited his right to the crown

But this leads to Jacobite unrest.

11 May 1689: William II/III and Mary II jointly accept the crown of Scotland.

1 July 1690: William of Orange defeats James VII/II at the Battle of the Boyne, north of Dublin in Ireland. James returns to France from Ireland, and the hopes of Scottish Jacobites of his return to Scotland evaporate.

June 1691: Highland Clan Chiefs who have been opposed to William are offered bribes and an amnesty on condition they swear oaths of allegiance to him.

26 June 1695: The establishment by an Act of the Scots Parliament of the "Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies," which is better known as the "Darien Company" with powers to colonise and make trade treaties. The Scheme attracts between a quarter and a half of all available wealth in Scotland, to set up “new Caledonia”.

12 July 1698: The ships of the first Darien expedition sail from Leith with 1,200 settlers, bound for Panama. Only 300 survive, fleeing to America

April 1699: King William prohibits English colonies trading with the Scots in New Caledonia.

September 1699: The second Darien expedition sets sail from Scotland. 12 days later news arrives that the colony has been abandoned.

12 April 1700: After a skirmish with the Spanish, Scottish colonists finally abandon the failed settlement at Darien in Panama.

Remember, this has cost scotland and its establishment 50% of its wealth!

16 September 1701: James VII/II dies in France. His claim to the throne and the Jacobite cause pass to his 13 year old son, James Francis Edward Stewart (to become known as "The Pretender").

He is recognised by the French King as King James VIII/III of Great Britain, in effect declaring war on King William.

8 March 1702: King William III/II dies after a fall from his horse. He is succeeded by his sister in law, Queen Anne, who becomes the last Stuart monarch.

1707

The Act of Union

The Scottish Parliament agrees the Treaty of Union by 110 votes to 67. The debate preceding it is carried out against a backdrop of growing anti-union unrest across Scotland. The outcome is driven by economic necessity, by overt compensation for Scotland's national debts and the losses of Darien investors, and, allegedly, by covert bribes for key participants.

The Scottish Parliament adjourns, and is dissolved three days later. It will not reconvene for 292 years, until 12 May 1999.

Queen Anne becomes the first sovereign of the Kingdom of Great Britain.

The Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Act was an Act of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland which was passed to ensure that the status of the Church of Scotland would not be affected by the Union with England.

“Presbyterian” derived their name from the presbyterian form of church government by representative assemblies of elders.

23 March 1708: James Francis Edward Stuart "The Pretender"/ "King James VIII" seeks to land an invasion force of 5,000 French allies in Fife. They are repelled without landing.

1 August 1714: Queen Anne dies and is succeeded by George, Elector of Hanover (Germany), under the terms of the 1701 Act of Settlement.

IE: Anne's only child died at age 11 on 30 July 1700. To address the succession crisis and preclude a Catholic restoration, the Parliament of England enacted the Act of Settlement 1701, which provided that, failing the issue of Anne and of William III, the Crown of England and Ireland would go to Sophia, Electress of Hanover, and her Protestant descendants. Sophia was the granddaughter of James VI/I through his daughter Elizabeth, who was the sister of Anne's grandfather Charles I.

BUT, the Electress Sophia had died on 28 May (two months before Anne), so the Electress's son, George, Elector of Hanover, succeeded…

George I cannot speak English and is not popular in England.

6 September 1715: John Erskine, the 23rd Earl of Mar raises a standard for "King James VIII" that attracts widespread support in north-east Scotland. John Erskine then leads Jacobite forces to take Perth.

But many smaller Jacobite uprising are quelled.

January 1916 James Francis Edward Stuart arrives in Perth to find that the 1715 Jacobite uprising is effectively already over.

4 February 1716: Prince James and the Earl of Mar board a ship at Montrose and leave Scotland for the continent.

The Jacobite army simply disbands and dissolves. "The 1715" is over.

1 September 1719: The marriage takes place James Francis Edward Stuart, "The Old Pretender", and the Polish Princess Maria Clementina Sobieska at Montefiascone in Italy.

1725: The Disarming Act forbids Highlanders from carrying arms in public, a long standing custom.

1730: The first systematic emigration begins from highland areas to American colonies, largely in response to rent increases.

February 1744: A French fleet intending to invade southern England is caught by the Royal Navy then dispersed by a storm. On board the failed invasion fleet is Charles Edward Stuart, the "Young Pretender" AKA Bonny prince Charlie.

5 July 1745: Charles Edwards Stuart sails from France for Scotland with two ships. The ship carrying his military supplies and gold, is badly damaged in an encounter with a Royal Navy ship and has to turn back. So Charles Edward Stuart lands at Loch nan Uamh on the mainland with just eight supporters, no supplies, and no funds.

On 4 September 1745 The Jacobite army takes Perth and two weeks later they take Edinburgh without a fight.

Charles Edward Stuart moves south (despite views among his supporters that it would be better to retain Scotland and wait for a promised French invasion of England) and take Carlisle.

4 December 1745 Charles Edward Stuart and the Jacobite army reach Derby (150 miles north of London). In London, there is total panic and it is reported that George II is preparing to flee.

But In the absence of the promised French, and in the light of very limited support from English Jacobites, Charles withdraws from Derby and retreats into Scotland, taking Stirling.

But Charles Edward Stuart, who is increasingly drunk since Derby, fails to take strategic advantages.

The Jacobites now face of increasingly strong government forces under the Duke of Cumberland.

16 April 1746: The Jacobite and Government armies meet at the Battle of Culloden, east of Inverness.

The Jacobites are defeated.

Bonnie Prince Charlie flees to Arisaig where he stays for a week. The City of Glasgow hosts formal celebrations to mark the defeat of the Jacobites, and awards the Duke of Cumberland the freedom of the city.

Four days after Charles leaves Arisaig, the French ships carrying supplies and funds arrive in an effort to help him.

1 August 1747: The Act of Proscription prohibits the wearing of highland garb, in particular tartans and kilts (except within the army) and clan chiefs had their rights to jurisdiction removed.

14 May 1754: Golf is formalised at St Andrews with the foundation of the St Andrews Society of Golfers.

1755: A census by the Reverend Alexander Webster puts the population of Scotland at 1,265,380. England's population is five times larger.

1760: The Highland Clearances gain momentum. The pressure on highlanders through increased rents and more direct means to leave the land results in 20,000 emigrating by 1773, many for Canada and other colonies.

25 October 1760: King George II dies: he is succeeded by King George III

31 July 1786: Robert Burns publishes Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect.

31 January 1788: The death in exile in Rome of Charles Edward Stuart, better remembered as "Bonnie Prince Charlie", "The Young Pretender".

25 January 1817: The Scotsman newspaper publishes its first edition in Edinburgh.

29 January 1820: King George III dies: he is succeeded by King George IV.

9-15 August 1822: King George IV visits Edinburgh, the first visit to Scotland by a reigning monarch since Charles II.

26 June 1830: King George IV dies: he is succeeded by King William IV.

20 June 1837: The death of King William IV: he is succeeded by Queen Victoria.

18 May 1843: In what becomes known as "The Disruption", 121 ministers and 73 elders walk out of the Church of Scotland General Assembly to form the Free Church of Scotland.

14 December 1861 : The death of Queen Victoria's Consort, Prince Albert.

7 March 1876: Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for the telephone by the US Patent Office.

22 January 1901: Queen Victoria dies of a cerebral hemorrhage. She was succeeded by Edward VII – who was seen as a fashionable socialite before becoming king. He is thought to have as many as fifty-five mistresses.

11 July 1902: Arthur Balfour becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

1904-1913: Some 600,000 Scots, 13% of the population, emigrate for North America, the Commonwealth and elsewhere in the UK, taking with them a disproportionate share of Scotland's skills and education.

Between 1921-1931 a further 400,000 Scots leave the country.

May 6, 1910 Edward VII dies and was succeeded by his son George V. When Edward died he was in the midst of the constitutional battle, but his son George continued his role in the passage of the Parliament Act of 1911, which deprived the House of Lords of its absolute power of veto on legislation.

1911: The population of Scotland reaches 4,761,000.

4 August 1914: Britain declares war on Germany.

11 November 1918: The First World War comes to an end. During the war 140,000 Scots are killed.

1928: All women over 21 are given the vote: married women over 30 were given it in 1918.

28 September 1928: Scot - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.

1930: Unemployment in Scotland reaches 25% during the depression years.

20 January 1936: King George V dies. He is succeeded by King Edward VIII, who abdicates 325 days later in order to marry Mrs Simpson. He is succeeded by his brother Albert, who becomes King George VI.

3 September 1939: The Second World War is declared.

8 May 1945: V-E, or Victory in Europe day marks the end of the war in Europe.

1947: The first Edinburgh Festival is held.

25 December 1950: Scottish Nationalists steal the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey in London, where it has been kept since Edward I took it from Scone in 1286.

1951: The population of Scotland reaches 5,096,000.

6 February 1952: King George VI is succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II. There are protests in Scotland that she should be titled Queen Elizabeth I of the United Kingdom.

1967, North Sea Oil . The drilling of the first North Sea oil well was considered a major industrial achievement of the time, creating a huge supporting industry in Scotland and giving the UK access to oil made at home for the first time.

1 March 1979: The Scots vote on devolution. 51.6% of those voting vote "yes", but the turnout is only 63.8%. As a result, only 39.2% of the whole Scottish electorate votes "yes", less than required under the Scotland Act. The Scottish National Party then tables a motion of no confidence in Labour Prime Minister Jim Callaghan, which it wins by one vote. In the General Election that follows in May 1979, Margaret Thatcher becomes Prime Minister of a Conservative government.

1991: The population of Scotland stands at 4,962,000, or 134,000 below the 1951 figure.

11 September 1997: A referendum asks Scots two questions. The first is whether there should be a separate Parliament for Scotland. The second is whether that Parliament should have the power to vary levels of taxation.

74.3% vote yes to the first question, and 63.5% vote yes to the second question.

6 May 1999: Elections are held for the Scottish Parliament.

Dr Winifred M Ewing MSP opens the new Scottish Parliament with the words: "The Scottish Parliament which adjourned on the 25th of March in the year 1707 is hereby reconvened".

The Scottish Parliament building at the foot of the Royal Mile officially opened on October 9, 2004.

In 2012, the Edinburgh Agreement was signed by Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. It paved the way for a once in a generation referendum on Scottish independence in 2014 by confirming the Scottish Parliament’s power to hold a vote that will be respected by both governments.

On the 18 September 2014, the people of Scotland voted. In response to the question, 'Should Scotland be an independent country', 1,617,989 (45%) voted Yes and 2,001,926 (55%) voted No.

It is estimated that there are 5/5 million Buchanans worldwide