scotland 1998

Scotland is an amazing country full of folklore and real-life heroes that create an atmosphere of magic. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere that touched me so deeply or so quickly. It is an amazing place.

Here is a background about ancient and middle ages Scotland so you will understand a bit of it’s rich history and why so many historical events of Great Britain have centered around this small country.

• 5000 BCE to 100 AD - The area of “Scotland” is inhabited by peoples of the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. During the Iron Age, the Celtic peoples arrived, sharing a common language and religion.
• 79-84 AD - The Romans successfully invaded England in 55 BCE and moved progressively northward. In 79 AD, Julius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, advanced to Scotland, building strategic forts as he did so. The Caledonians (Scots), as the Romans called them, resisted the invasions. However, in 84 AD, at the Battle of Mons Graupius, 10,000 Caledonians were killed. Even so, the Romans found it difficult to control the Scottish territory.
• 296-360 AD - The Picts, the people who held the north and east of Scotland, were probably a Celtic people who left carved symbol stones at Aberlemno and Sueno’s Stone in Moray. The Scots, from the northern part of Ireland, did not use this name for themselves. They were so-named by the Romans. After the withdrawal of the Romans, the Picts and Scots, along with the Saxons, attacked the south, ravaging the Roman province of Britain and stealing all of the riches of London. Little of the Romans legacy remained in Scotland as it did in England.
• 400-1058 AD - This is where the current history of Scotland and it’s rich past truly begins. There were many tribal and inter-kingdom fighting in the early parts of this era between the Picts and Britons, the Picts and Scots, and the Scots and Angles.
  

  The year of 500 brought larger amounts of Scots from Ireland into the eastern sections of Scotland. Their kingdom was known as Dalriada and their King, Fergus MacErc, was the bringer of the Stone of Destiny, the seat of Kings, which resides in Edinburgh Castle to this day. At the same time, the Scots converted to Christianity.

  In 563, St. Columba, a Scot from Ireland, brought a Celtic form of Christianity to the Picts, converting most of them. He is said to have confronted the monster serpent at Loch Ness, this being the first mention of “Nessie” in Scottish history.

  In 733, the relics of St. Andrew were brought to Fife. The flag of Scotland, the white satire on a blue background represents the crucifixion of St. Andrew on an “X” shaped cross.

  During the years of 843-859, Kenneth MacAlpin united the crowns of the Scots and Picts, becoming the first true king of a united Scotland. Many kings followed, including Duncan, who was killed in battle by Macbeth. Macbeth became a strong king but was, eventually, killed by Duncan’s son, Malcolm Canmore.

• 1066-1286 - After the Battle of Hastings, in 1066, many Anglo-Saxons settled in the south of Scotland at the invitation of the Scottish king, Malcolm Canmore (Malcolm III). Celtic influence was thus reduced but Scotland was strengthened for the wars that would occur with England in later centuries.
• From 1174-1214, William the Lyon ruled Scotland. During an attack on Northumberland (to recapture it), William was captured by the English and was held in Normandy until he swore fealty to Henry II of England as his overlord, thus turning over Scotland to England. William regained Scotland’s independence in 1189 by paying Richard the Lionheart (of England) 10,000 merks. It was also during William’s reign that the Scottish Church was recognized by the Pope as separate from that of the English and that the lion rampant was used on flags. The lion rampant is still used on the Scottish Standard by the current monarch.
• Alexander III reigned from 1249-86, from the age of eight, managing to keep the peace with England through his marriage to Henry II’s daughter. In 1264, Alexander III attacked the island of Skye in an attempt to take the Hebrides back from Norway. In 1266, after a storm-affected battle, the Treaty of Perth was signed and Magnus IV of Norway ceded the Hebrides and the Isle of Man back to Scotland. In 1286, Alexander III died on a stormy night’s ride home. His death plunged Scotland into war and nearly saw his country and its people absorbed into England.
• 1289-1371 - Margaret, the Maid of Norway, granddaughter of Alexander II, was enroute to Scotland to rule and was arranged to be married off to Edward I’s (of England) son. A stipulation to this marriage was that homage should not be paid to an English monarch and all Scottish institutions should remain independent. Unfortunately, Margaret died on the boat and Edward I was asked to choose a king from the 13 claimants. Edward I demanded allegiance from those claimants and then chose John Balliol (over Robert Bruce) to be King of Scotland. Balliol tried to restore authority but faced interference from Edward I at every turn. In 1295, Scotland signed a treaty (Auld Alliance) with France, England’s supreme enemy, and this gave Edward I every excuse to crush Scotland.Edward I sent in 35,000 troops to invade Scotland at Berwick, then a rich Scottish burgh, slaughtering 16,000 men, women, and children. Later, a large, inexperienced Scottish army was defeated at Dunbar. At this time, Balliol surrendered and was stripped of his office. Edward I took over control of Scotland, installing English garrisons in many castles and claiming the Stone of Destiny (which was kept in Westminster Abbey until 1997 when it was FINALLY returned to the Scottish people, after 700 years, and now resides in Edinburgh Castle).

  William Wallace, a hero to the commoners of Scotland, along with Sir Andrew Moray, defeated a large English army at Stirling Bridge in 1297. Wallace went on to ravage much of the English army (Moray had died at Stirling). Edward I finally entered Scotland again, defeating Wallace at Falkirk. Wallace left Scotland to go to Europe to gather support and when he returned, he was betrayed, turned over to the English, and killed by being hanged and then drawn and quartered in 1305. Edward I, in killing Wallace, succeeded in creating a national hero.

• In 1306, Robert Bruce met with John Comyn, direct heir to the throne, to resolve their differences over their claims to the throne. They argued and Comyn was stabbed to death by Bruce. Bruce became a hunted fugitive, fled Scotland, and was excommunicated but declared himself King of Scots at Scone in 1306. Many members of his family were executed or imprisoned for his crimes. However, when Edward I died in 1307, Bruce was able to return to Scotland and won several battles where he crushed other claimants to the throne. During these battles, called the Wars of Independence, Bruce had a policy to destroy all castles so they couldn’t be held by the English any longer. Only a handful of castles still retain any semblance of their pre-15th century facades.
• By 1314, only Stirling Castle was held by the English and was besieged by the Scots. Edward II sent in a large army to relieve the castle. Although outnumbered three to one, the Scots won the Battle of Bannockburn. The battles continued with the Scots succeeding in most of them. Edward II and the Pope would still not recognize Scotland’s independence, however. A Declaration sealed by most of Scotland’s nobles, was drawn up at Arbroath Abbey, which urged the Pope to recognize Scotland as a free and independent country. This declaration, called the Declaration of Arbroath, was signed in 1320 and became the battle cry of the Scots.
  

  …for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.

• In 1328, Edward III recognized Scotland’s independence, a year before Bruce died, reportedly from leprosy. Bruce’s heart was removed from his body, as per his request, and taken on a crusade to Granada by James Douglas. However, it didn’t make it and was finally returned to be interred at Melrose Abbey. This act is still commemorated by the heart on the Douglas coat of arms.

While this is, of course, only a short history of Scotland, it will give you some sort of basis to understand the depth of the power that Scotland held over me. I have never felt more comfortable, or at home, in a place than I have there. At every turn, I was overcome by a feeling of peace. It is, easily, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited.