Scotland

HISTORY

The words 'Scot' and 'Scottish' were originally used, in Old English, to refer to the Gaelic people of medieval Ireland.

There is a grave in County Kerry in Ireland that is the supposed burial ground of an Ancient Egyptian princess called Scotia, who led settlers named ‘The Scots’ (After the princess) to Scotland after whom the country is now supposedly named.

The history of Scotland is often taken to begin with the crowning of the semi-mythical Kenneth MacAlpin as the country's first king around 843 AD.  The dynasty that ruled Scotland for much of the medieval period claimed descent from him, and the current British monarch, is descended from him through Malcolm III, Robert the Bruce and James VI and I.

Kenneth MacAlpin by Jacob Jacobsz de Wet II 

On September 25, 1237 Henry III of England and Alexander II of Scotland signed the Treaty of York, establishing the English-Scottish border, which mostly remains the same today.

The Orkney and Shetland Isles were pawned by Norway to Scotland on February 20, 1472 in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark.

In 1502, James IV of Scotland and Henry VII of England signed a 'Treaty of Perpetual Peace'. The treaty was broken in 1513 when James declared war on England.

The Christian apostle and martyr Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, was crucified on an X-shaped cross in 60 AD by order of Roman governor Aegeas. The Flag of Scotland is a white X-shaped cross, which represents the cross of Saint Andrew, on a blue sky.

The use of a blue background for the Saint Andrew's Cross (it was originally red) is said to date from at least the 15th century, with the first certain illustration of a flag depicting such appearing in Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount's Register of Scottish Arms, circa 1542.

The Raid of the Redeswire in 1575 was the last major battle between the kingdoms of England and Scotland. It ended in a Scottish victory.

Oliver Cromwell's Act of Grace was proclaimed at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh on May 5, 1654. The Act was a general pardon for all Scottish people who had taken part in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms against the English Commonwealth. However, the Act was not without conditions, as it required the Scots to recognize the authority of the English Parliament and to pay compensation to any English soldiers or civilians who had suffered losses during the conflict. Despite these conditions, the Act of Grace was an important step towards the eventual union of Scotland and England under the Commonwealth.

In 1707, the parliament of Scotland joined with the parliament of England to become the Parliament of Great Britain.

For years King George IV's habit of cavorting around in highland dress did not endear himself to the English public. However his visit to Edinburgh in full Highland rig in 1822 led to the revival, if not the creation, of Scottish tartan dress as it is known today.

Wikies idealized depiction of George IV, in full Highland dress in 1822

In 1997, a majority of voters in Scotland chose to have their own Scottish Parliament, which was set two years later.

In 2007, the Scottish Parliament teamed up with the Tourist Board of Scotland to pay £125,000 for the new Scottish slogan: Welcome to Scotland.

On September 18, 2014, Scotland held a historic referendum on whether to become an independent country or remain part of the United Kingdom. The question on the ballot was: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Voters had the choice to select "Yes" or "No." Approximately 55% voted "No" to independence, while around 45% voted "Yes," meaning that Scotland continued to be a part of the United Kingdom,

SONGS 

"Scots Wae Nae," the unofficial Scottish anthem, written by Robert Burns was inspired by Robert the Bruce's marching song "Hey Tutti Taitie" which was sung by his troops during Bannockburn.

Bruce addresses troops from Cassell's History of England

The haunting melody of "Scotland the Brave" is a hymn to rebel Jacobites. The tune dates back several centuries, and is considered a traditional Scottish folk-tune, the same tune is also used for the song "My Bonnie Lassie".

However the lyrics were written comparatively recently by the Scottish journalist Cliff Hanley in around 1951. He wrote the song for Robert Wilson, a performer and producer who owned a music shop in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. Wilson needed a song to conclude a musical review he was performing at the Glasgow Empire Theatre. "Scotland the Brave" quickly became a hit and has since become one of Scotland's unofficial national anthems.

FUN SCOTLAND FACTS

Scotland's 282 Munros, mountains over 3,000ft (914m) in height, were named after Sir Hugh Munro, who first listed them in 1891. Sir Hugh climbed them all bar two.

At its widest the Scottish mainland is 154 miles across, from Buchan Ness in the East to Applecross in the West. It narrows to just 25 miles from the Forth to the Clyde.

English is spoken by most people in Scotland, with only a small number, mostly in the Western Isles, speaking Gaelic. Gaelic began declining in the late Middle Ages when Scottish kings and nobles preferred English.

Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads in the world - 13% of the population have red hair.

Scotland were the world champions of Elephant Polo in 2004. The unusual sport was invented by Scotsman Nathan Mochan in 1983.

The national animal of Scotland is the Unicorn.

Sources Daily Express, Daily Mail