In the Beginning A long long time ago, long before the Roman Empire existed and millenia before any European set foot in the Americas, Ireland was an uninhabited and peaceful little outcropping on the west coast of Europe. By about 12000 BC it was already green, covered in acres of pasture that supported a wide variety of grazing animals. It was still connected to what would become England by a south land corridor until some time into the 11000s BC, when a rising water level would finally make Ireland an island. Over the next thousand or so years the land bridge to mainland Europe would occasionally re-appear and disappear (thanks to the havoc played on the water levels by the second Ice Age) allowing flora and fauna to migrate relatively freely between Ireland and England (which is why the two countries plant and animal life are so similar). It was about this time that the first Irish forests appeared. Indeed by 9000 BC the island was very much like it is today, green with heavy forestation and an abundance of mostly harmless and easily hunted animal life. In other words a paradise ripe for colonisation by the Stone Age tribes of mainland Europe. The Scottish Celts The first Celts came to Scotland around 700 BC. There were many different clans, all of whom owed alleigance to only their own clan leader. The country was in a constant state of turmoil for centuries as each clan fought with the other for dominance. They built many settlements, one of them, Din Eidyn, was to survive and thrive through the centuries until today it is known as Edinburgh. The inter-clan warfare would continue right up to the Roman invasion when, in 80 AD Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, used the inter-clan rivalries to divide Scottish resistance into pro and anti Roman factions. The south of Scotland fell easily, with two of the main Celtic tribes of southern Scotland, the Votadini and Damnonii, supporting the Romans in their attack on the other two main tribes in the south, the Selgovae and Novantae . Only the highlands stood in Agricola's way now, and the gateway to the Highlands was defended by one clan, the Caledonii. The forces of Agricola and of Calgacus, the leader of the Celts, met at the battle of Mons Graupius in AD 84. It was to be the decisive battle in the fight for Scotland, For months before the battle Calgacus' army had harrassed the Roman advance into the Highlands, nearly destroying one of Agricola's three divisions of troops in a daring night raid. Agricola knew that Calgacus had united all the Celts in the lower section of the Highlands under his banner for the sole purpose of resisting the Roman advance and that this was the largest army he was likely to face in Scotland, so it was vital that he force Calgacus into open battle. He pushed far into Caledonii land and set up camp at a place now called Fochabers and waited for Calgacus. Calgacus did not disappoint and threw his entire army at the Roman camp at the earliest opportunity. The battle could have gone either way, but in the end it all came down to which side had the most discipline. Calgacus did an amazing job in amassing such an army in the first place, considering the tradional distrust that different Celtic clans held for each other, but although he could bring them all to the battlefield as a unit he could not make them fight as one. The Celts attacked in an unordered mass, trying to overwhelm the Roman lines, but Agricolas' legions were well trained and disciplined soliders who merely held position until each Celtic charge was spent and then retaliated with heavy cavalry. The Celts had no answer to this tactic - indeed the Celts had no defense against tactics of any kind as they would not recognise a single commander in battle - and were easily defeated. Agricola had Scotland in the palm of his hands and with Scotland out of the way an Invasion of Ireland was the next logical step. It was at this most glorious stage in his military career, though, that Agricola finally met the only force that he had no strategy against: politics. The Rise of the Picts For some reason, on the eve of complete victory in Scotland, Rome recalled Agricola and most of his forces in 84 AD, immediately after the Battle of Mons Graupius. He was never to return, and Rome was never again to mount so successful a strike into Scottish territory. In 118 AD the new Emperor of Rome, Hadrian, decided that it was futile to attempt any future invasion of Scotlandand that the best policy of Roman Britain would be to construct a defensive wall that would protect the 'civilised' Romans in the south from the 'barbarian' savages of the North. Hadrian's Wall still stands to this day, a testament to Roman ingenuity but also a reminder of he ultimate fultility of all of Rome's attempts to defend it's conquered lands during he last days of the Empire. It was this defensive mindset of the latter Emperors which, starting with the recall of Agricola and ending with the complete recall of all the Roman forces from Britain in 410 AD, which allowed the Irish and the Scottish to prosper and, ultimately, to form a mutual bond that would one day give rise to a people that would be called the Ulster Scot, or Scots-Irish. During the centuries of relative peace that Hadrian's Wall afforded the Scottish a new clan gained prominence. They were called the Picts  and they lived in northern and eastern Scotland between 200 and 850 AD. They were a constant scurge to the Romans and, after 410 AD, to the Roman Britains that the Roman forces left behind after the recall. Their greatest moment, though, was in 367 AD when, in Alliance with Irish Celts and the European Saxons, the Picts took part in a massive co-ordinated invasion of Roman England in which Hadrian's Wall finally fell. It was a disaster for the Roman forces in Britain, and was probably the major reason for the recall of 410 AD. The Picts stormed the wall in their first attempt while the Irish and the Saxons landed on the West and East coasts simultaneously. The Romans found themselves attacked on three sides at once and, faced with an attack so well co-ordinated that they considered such a thing beyond the capabilities of the parties involved, the Romans floundered and were lost. The Picts drove southward almost unchallenged and, along with combined army of Irish Celts and European Saxons, laid seige to London. England was eventually retaken by the Roman army of Theodosius, but by this stage England was in ruins. The forces of Rome would never truly recover from the surprise attack of what would become known to historians as 'The Great Alliance'. The Picts of Scotland, though, had to pay the piper for the support of their new allies from the east. They gave some land around Kintyre to the Irish Celts, who set up a kingdom called 'Dal Riada'. Eventually the people of this settlement gave themselves a new name. Many knew them merely as 'the Sea Raiders'. They decided to adopt the name as their own. Sea Raiders, in their Gaelic tongue, was pronounced 'Scoti'. 3000 BC - 853 AD 3000 BC The Neolithic village of Skara Brae established in Orkney. 1000-600 BC Late Bronze Age people arrive in northern Britain from the Continent. c. 500 BC The voyages of the Carthaginian Himilco take note of the islands of Albion and Ierne. 350 BC Roman historian and adventurer Pytheas publishes his account of the Western isles off the coast of northern Europe, calling them "Pretanic." 60 AD Boadicea or Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, in Britain revolts against Roman rule killing many native British and Romans. 79-81 Roman general Julius Agricola invades "Albion" or "Caledonia" (Scotland) 84 At the Battle of Mons Graupius, the Roman armies defeat native tribesmen under Calgacus "the swordsman." The conquered land is called Caledonia, but less than twenty years later, the Romans are forced to withdraw. The Celtic tribes unite under Calgacus, but he is killed (among 10,000 men) when he meets the Roman army at Ardoch,   the earliest recorded battle in Scottish History between the Romans under Agricola and the united tribes of Caledonia. (Picts) 121 Construction begins of stone-built Hadrian's Wall as a defensive barrier across northern Britain.  It is defended by forts placed at strategic intervals and stretches from theBowness to Wallsend across the isthmus between the Tyne and Solway Firth. a distance of 72 miles (116 kilometres).   Intended to hold back the wild Caledonians, it never worked. 140 Stretching from the Clyde to the Forth, turf-built Antonine Wall separating Caledonia to the north from Britannia to the south, acts as the northernmost defensive line for the Roman armies, but it will soon be abandoned as impractical. Also known as Graham's Dyke. 150 Ptolemy refers to a group of five islands lying between what are now Scotland and Ireland, with a structural form  known as the broch, a fortified dwelling. The best-preserved example remains at Mousa, Shetland. 196 Roman armies again withdraw from Northern Britain, but attempt a re-conquest a dozen years later under Emperor Septimius Severus. 296 The Pictish people were first mentioned in Roman literature. The name "Pict" is said to have come either from a latin word meaning "Painted Ones" or another meaning "fighter". Both of these accurately depicted the Pictish people. 367 Marcellinus of Rome identifies the Scotti and Picti as members of a "Barbarian conspiracy" to attack the northern frontier of the Empire in Britain. 368 The Pict, Scot and Saxon tribes attack the Romans in London and plunder their treasures. 382 Roman commander Magnus Maximus defeats the Picts. 397 Death of Scottish monk St. Ninian, whose religious establishment at Whithorn, in Galloway, is called Casa Candida. 410 Romans leave British Isles 5TH & 6TH CENTURIES Invasions of the kingdom of Dalriada, Kintyre and the neighboring islands by the Scotti, from northern Ireland who will later give their name to the whole country. 500 The remaining Roman legions from Britain withdrawal and the Scots further establish and strengthen their hold by slowly winning lands away from the native Picts by invasions under Fergus MacErc and his brothers. 563 "Colum Cille"  St. Columba and a small band of Irish monks arrive to establish a monastery at Iona and to inaugurate Aidan as king of Dalriada.   Iona becomes the ecclesiastical head of the Celtic Church in Britain and an important political center. June 9 597  St Columba died. 606 Death of king Aidan of Dalriada 664 At the Synod of Whitby, in northern England, the Celtic Church is forced to adopt the rule of St. Peter and the Church of Rome rather than that of St. Columba. May 20,  685  Battle of Nechtansmere, south of Forfar in Angus, The Picts, sorely pressed by both Celt and Gael,  as a result of the battle the Picts stopped the advance northwards of the Angles of Northumbria. The Picts under Brude defeat the Angles and establish Scotland's southern border.  Pictish King rejects the Celtic Church in favour of the Roman Church.   Not much time later the Picts disappear from history. 794 Beginning of the Norse (Viking) invasion of Scotland 802 Vikings (Danes) plunder Iona 843  Kenneth MacAlpin unites the Scots and Picts as one nation under his rule.   This was the first step in creating a united Scotland, a process not completed until at least 1034 and perhaps much later. 853 Kenneth MacAlpin dies.  King of Dalriada and the Picts, died at Forteviot.  He united Picts, Scots, Britons and Angles to create a kingdom of Scotland. 862-877 Reign of Constantine I 877-878 Reign of Aed 878-889 Reign of Eochaid 889-900 Reign of Donald II 900-942 Reign of Constantine II 937 Brananburgh - The Saxon King Athelstane defeated Danes and Britons near Solway. 942 Malcolm I crowned King (r. 943-954) 954-962 Reign of Indulf 962-966 Reign of Dubh 966-971 Reign of Culen 971 Edgar gives Lothian to Kenneth II Reign of Kenneth II 971-995 973 Luncarty - King Kenneth the 2nd defeated the Danish Vikings. 977 Battle of Luncarty. Reign of Kenneth III 997-1005 986 Last recorded Viking raid on Iona by Norse. August 14 1040 King Duncan I killed in battle at Pitgavney by Macbeth. August 15 1057 Macbeth killed in battle by Malcolm at Lumphanan. April 25 1058 Malcolm III (Canmore) crowned. November 13 1093 King Malcolm III (Canmore) killed. November 12 1094 King Duncan II died at Battle of Monthechin, Kincardine. June 21 1098 Priory at Coldingham founded. January 8 1107 King Alexander I crowned. April 23 1124  King Alexander I died at Stirling Castle, succeeded by David I. August 22 1138 Battle of the Standard at Northallerton in which King David I was defeated by the English. April 9 1139 Second Treaty of Durham in which David I is recognised as King of an independent Scotland by King Stephen of England. March 20 1141 King Malcolm IV born. May 24 1153  King David I died at Carlisle and Malcolm IV crowned at Scone. December 9 1165 King Malcolm IV died at Jedburgh Castle December 24 1165 King William I (Lion) crowned at Scone. May 9 1170 Arbroath Abbey dedicated to St Thomas à Becket. July 13 1174 King William surprised and captured by the English at Alnwick. December 4 1214 King William I (Lion) died at Stirling and was succeeded by his son Alexander II. December 6 1214 King Alexander II crowned at Scone. September 4 1241 King Alexander III born at Roxburgh. July 8 1249 King Alexander II died on Isle of Kerrara, Oban Bay. July 13 1249 King Alexander III crowned at Scone October 2 1263 Battle of Largs - Scots defeated the Vikings who were attempting to invade. December 15/16 1263 King Haakon of Norway (which at that time included Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles) died on Orkney at midnight on 15/16 December. July 2 1266 Treaty of Perth, Norway renounces claim on the Hebrides. July 11 1274  Robert the Bruce born at Turnberry Castle. October 14 1285 Second marriage of King Alexander III (to Yolanda de Dreux). March 12 1286 Queen Margaret, Maid of Norway (daughter of King Erik II) crowned. March 19 1286 King Alexander III died crossing the river Forth to Fife at Queensferry. January 21 1290 Sweetheart Abbey, near Dumfries, founded by Devorguilla, mother of John Balliol. September 26 1290 Queen Margaret, Maid of Norway ("Eiriksdotter") died, en route from Norway to Scotland, 1290. May 30 1291 Claimants to the Scottish throne met King Edward I of England at Norham on Tweed to resolve succession. November 17 1292 John Balliol acceded to Scottish throne. November 30 1292 John Balliol ("Toom Tabard" or "Turncoat") crowned. April 1 1295 Robert Bruce, "The Great Competitor" and grandfather of King Robert the Bruce, died. March 30 1296 King Edward I of England over-ran Berwick-upon-Tweed. April 27 1296 Scots defeated by the English defenders of Dunbar Castle at Battle of Dunbar. August 28 1296 Edward I of England held a parliament at Berwick to which he summoned all Scottish landholders to sign the "Ragman Roll". September 11 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge, Wallace (as famously portrayed by Mel Gibson in "Braveheart") defeats Edward I. October 11 1297 Letter from Wallace and Moray to the mayors of Lubeck and Hamburg saying that "The Kingdom of Scotland has, by God's Grace, recovered by battle from the power of the English". June 12 1298 William Wallace routs English at the Battle of Black Ironside. July 22 1298 William Wallace defeated by King Edward I at the Battle of Falkirk. August 23 1301 King Edward I lodged at the Convent of the Dominicans (the Black Friars) in the High Street, Glasgow. February 24 1303 Battle of Roslin in which invading English army led by Sir John Segrave was defeated by Comyn. May 20 1303 France and England make peace, releasing forces to attack Scotland. July 20 1304 Stirling Castle, the last of the Scottish castles to be captured by Edward I. August 5 1305 William Wallace betrayed and captured by the English. August 23 1305 William Wallace executed. August 24 1305 King Alexander II born. February 10 1306 Robert the Bruce murdered Red Comyn. March 27 1306 King Robert I ("The Bruce") crowned at Scone. June 19 1306 Army of Robert the Bruce routed at Methven. August 11 1306 Battle of Dalry, Robert I, attacked and defeated John MacDougall of Lorne, kinsman of John Comyn. May 10 1307 Battle of Loudon Hill, near Darvel. King Robert I comprehensively defeated English forces under de Valence. July 7 1307 Death of King Edward I of England. December 24 1307 Battle of Inverurie in which Robert the Bruce defeated the troops of John Comyn. (The date for this battle is disputed by historians). August 15 1308 Battle of the Pass of Brander in which John MacDougall of Lorne who was supporting King Edward II, was defeated by King Robert I. November 8 1308 Scholar and philosopher John Duns Scotus died. His dry subtleties led to the word "Duns" or "dunce" meaning dull and incapable of learning. Beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1993. March 16 1309 King Robert the Bruce convened his first parliament, at St Andrews. October 29 1312 Treaty of Inverness with Norway. February 7 1313 Robert the Bruce captured Dumfries. May 18 1313 Robert the Bruce invades Isle of Man. June 24 1314 Robert the Bruce defeated Edward II at Battle of Bannockburn. September 12 1315 Thomas Dun, a privateer, sailed into Holyhead, captured an English ship and over-ran the island of Anglesay. March 2 1316  King Robert II born in Paisley. May 2 1316 Edward Bruce, brother of King Robert the Bruce, crowned High King of All Ireland. March 28 1318 King Robert the Bruce captured Berwick on Tweed. October 14 1318 Edward Bruce, brother of Robert the Bruce, killed in a battle near Dundalk, Ireland. April 6 1320 Declaration of Arbroath - "For we fight not for glory nor for riches nor for honour, but only and alone for freedom, which no good man surrenders but with his life". March 5 1323 King David II born. September 21 1327 King Edward II of England died , succeeded by Edward III. March 17 1328 Treaty of Edinburgh between King Robert I and Edward III which recognised Scotland's independence, ending the 30 years of Wars of Independence. June 7 1329 Robert the Bruce died, Cardross Castle. November 24 1331 David II (aged 7) crowned at Scone. The Black Death: Bubonic Plague In the early 1330s an outbreak of deadly bubonic plague occurred in China. Plague mainly affects rodents, but fleas can transmit the disease to people. Once people are infected, they infect others very rapidly. Plague causes fever and a painful swelling of the lymph glands called buboes, which is how it gets its name. The disease also causes spots on the skin that are red at first and then turn black.  In October of 1347 several Italian merchant ships returned from a trip to the Black Sea, one of the key links in trade with China. When the ships docked in Sicily, many of those on board were already dying of plague. Within days the disease spread to the city and the surrounding countryside. An eyewitness tells what happened: "Realizing what a deadly disaster had come to them, the people quickly drove the Italians from their city. But the disease remained, and soon death was everywhere. Fathers abandoned their sick sons. Lawyers refused to come and make out wills for the dying. Friars and nuns were left to care for the sick, and monasteries and convents were soon deserted, as they were stricken, too. Bodies were left in empty houses, and there was no one to give them a Christian burial." The disease struck and killed people with terrible speed. The Italian writer Boccaccio said its victims often "ate lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise." By the following August, the plague had spread as far north as England, where people called it "The Black Death" because of the black spots it produced on the skin. A terrible killer was loose across Europe, and Medieval medicine had nothing to combat it. In winter the disease seemed to disappear, but only because fleas--which were now helping to carry it from person to person--are dormant then. Each spring, the plague attacked again, killing new victims. After five years 25 million people were dead--one-third of Europe's people. Even when the worst was over, smaller outbreaks continued, not just for years, but for centuries. The survivors lived in constant fear of the plague's return, and the disease did not disappear until the 1600s. Medieval society never recovered from the results of the plague. So many people had died that there were serious labor shortages all over Europe. This led workers to demand higher wages, but landlords refused those demands. By the end of the 1300s peasant revolts broke out in England, France, Belgium and Italy. The disease took its toll on the church as well. People throughout Christendom had prayed devoutly for deliverance from the plague. Why hadn't those prayers been answered?  A new period of political turmoil and philosophical questioning lay ahead. DISASTER STRIKES Estimated population of Europe from 1000 to 1352. 1000 38 million 1100 48 million 1200 59 million 1300 70 million 1347 75 million 1352 50 million 25 million people died in just under five years between 1347 and 1352. The Bubonic plague has had a major impact on the history of the world. Caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis, and transmitted by fleas often found on rats, bubonic plague killed over 50 million people over the centuries. Burrowing rodent populations across the world keep the disease present in the world today. Outbreaks, though often small, still occur in many places. In Medieval times, with the unknowing help of humans, bubonic plague exploded into a pandemic. Known as the Black Death, it decimated Europe in 1350, killing 1/3 of the population. It disrupted government, trade, and commerce. July 19 1332 Battle of Halidon Hill in which the Scottish army led by Archibald, lord of Douglas, attacked the army of King Edward III, beseiging Berwick Castle and were routed. August 11 1332 Battle of Dupplin near Perth in which Edward Balliol defeated the Regent, Earl of Mar. June 8 1333 King Edward III orders the capture of the Isle of Man from the Scots. August 14 1337 King Robert III born at Scone. April 17 1341 Edinburgh Castle captured from the English. October 7 1346 Battle of Neville's Cross during which King David II was captured by the English King Edward III. October 3 1354 Treaty of Berwick, freeing David II from imprisonment by the English. May 31 1366 King Robert II married Annabel Drummond. February 22 1371 King David II died at Edinburgh Castle. March 27 1371 King Robert II crowned at Scone. October 28 1371 Treaty of Vincennes creating a Franco-Scottish alliance. April 4 1373 Parliament held by King Robert II at Scone, resolved that his son, the Earl of Carrick should succeed his father as King (as Robert III although he was baptised John). April 4 1384 John of Gaunt, son of Edward III attacks Scotland. August 5 1388 James, Earl Douglas, died out of sight of his army, in a bush, at Battle of Otterburn in which Scots defeat Henry Percy, (Hotspur) but with the loss of the Earl of Douglas. April 19 1390 Robert II, grandson of Robert the Bruce, died at Dundonald Castle. June 17 1390 Wolf of Badenoch burns Elgin Cathedral. August 14 1390 King Robert III crowned at the Augustinian abbey of Scone. September 25 1396 "Battle of the Clans" between clans Chattan and Kay on the North Inch, Perth, in front of King Robert III. June 2 1398 Prince Henry St Clair (Sinclair) landed in Nova Scotia, having sailed from Orkney. September 14 1402 Scots led by 4th Earl of Douglas defeated at the Battle of Homildon Hill by English army led by Percy 'Hotspur'. July 24 1411 Battle of Harlaw near Inverurie in which Donald, Lord of the Isles fought an indecisive but bloody battle against the Earl of Mar. At the time, both sides thought they had lost, their descendants both thought they had won. March 22 1421 A Scots army in France defeated an English force at Baugé December 4 1423 Treaty of London, releasing James I from his 18 years captivity in England. February 13 1424 King James I married Joan Beaufort. May 2 1424 King James I crowned at Scone February 20 1437 King James I murdered in Perth by a group led by Sir Robert Graham. March 25 1437 Coronation of King James II. November 29 1440 6th Earl of Douglas and his brother David murdered at the "Black Dinner" in Edinburgh Castle in front of the 10-year-old King James II. October 23 1448 Battle of Sark in which an invading English force under the Earl of Northumberland was repulsed by the Scots led by Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde, near Gretna. December 31 1448 Franco-Scottish alliance renewed at Tours. February 22 1452 King James II killed William Douglas at Stirling. August 3 1460 King James II killed by an exploding cannon at the seige of Roxburgh Castle. August 10 1460 King James III crowned at Kelso Abbey, 1460. February 13 1462 Treaty of Westminster-Ardtornish between the Lord of the Isles and Edward IV, the King of England. February 20 1472 Orkney and Shetland annexed from Norway. August 24 1482 Berwick on Tweed finally ceded to England (Edward IV) after changing hands 12 times. June 11 1488 Battle of Sauchieburn during which King James III died attempting to subdue a group of rebel barons. June 26 1488 James IV crowned king at the age of 15 at Scone. He reigned until 1513 when he fell with the flower of Scotland's nobility at the Battle of Flodden Field. November 29 1489 Margaret, Queen of Scotland, born. August 8 1503 King James IV married Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England. April 15 1512 King James V born. September 9 1513 James IV killed in battle at Flodden Field, near Branxton, in the English county of Northumberland. September 21 1513 King James V crowned at Stirling Castle 1513. July 25 1526 Battle of Melrose in which Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch attempted to rescue King James V from the clutches of Douglas, Earl of Angus. February 29 1528 Patrick Hamilton, a Protestant martyr, was burned at the stake in St Andrews. January 1 1537 King James V married Magdalene of France. November 24 1542 Rout of Solway Moss in which King James V sent a force of 10,000 into England which was defeated by an English force led by Sir Thomas Wharton. December 8 1542 Mary, Queen of Scots, born Linlithgow Palace. "It cam wi' a lass; it gang wi' a lass" December 14 1542 James V died at Falkland Palace. July 1 1543 Treaty of Greenwich, between Henry VIII and Earl of Arran, Regent of Scotland, agreeing betrothal of Mary Queen of Scots (aged 6 months) and Edward Prince of Wales (aged 6 years). The treaty was repudiated by the Scots Parliament. September 9 1543 Mary Queen of Scots crowned at Stirling Castle. July 3 1544 Battle of the Shirts between members of the Clan Fraser and Clans Ranald, Cameron and Donald. One of the bloodiest clan battles - only 12 men out of 1,000 combatants are said to have survived. February 17 1545 Battle of Ancrum Moor in which Scottish forces, led by Earl of Douglas, defeated an English army twice their size. September 10 1547 English defeated Scots at Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, near Edinburgh. The battle was sparked by English demands that Edward VI of England (aged 10) should marry Mary Queen of Scots (aged 5) - an event known as the "Rough Wooing". It is estimated that 15,000 Scots were killed, 1500 captured and English losses amounted to only 500. July 7 1548 Treaty of Haddington, between France and Scotland, confirming the betrothal of Mary Queen of Scots and Dauphin of France. April 24 1558 Mary, Queen of Scots, married French Dauphin, Francis Valois (he was aged 14) at Notre Dame in Paris. April 28 1558 Walter Mylne, burned to death in St Andrews, the last pre-Reformation martyr. July 10 1559 King Henri of France died. Mary Queen of Scots' husband, Francis, becomes King of France. February 27 1560 Second Treaty of Berwick between England and Scotland, providing English assistance to remove French forces of Mary of Guise from Scotland. June 6 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh between France and England, recognising sovereignty of Mary Queen of Scots and her first husband Francis II. December 5 1560 King Francis II of France, husband of Mary Queen of Scots, died. July 6 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh between Scotland and England. August 19 1561 Mary Queen of Scots lands at Leith on her return from France, after the death of her husband, King Francis II February 14 1565 Mary Queen of Scots meets Lord Darnley for the first time. They married in July 1565. June 19 1566 Mary Queen of Scots gives birth to the future King James VI of Scotland and I of England. February 10 1567  Lord Darnley, husband of Mary Queen of Scots, assassinated. May 15 1567 Mary, Queen of Scots, married Earl of Bothwell (at 4am). June 15 1567 Mary Queen of Scots' last night in Edinburgh, at the house of Sir Simon Preston, the Lord Provost, on the Royal Mile,  prior to her imprisonment at Loch Leven castle. May 2 1568 Mary Queen of Scots escaped from Loch Leven castle. May 13 1568 Mary, Queen of Scots, defeated at Battle of Langside. January 23 1570 James Stewart, the Regent Moray on the abdication of Mary Queen of Scots, murdered in Linlithgow, triggering civil war. April 1 1571 Dumbarton Castle, under siege since January 1570, captured by Captain Thomas Crawford scaling the walls. December 12 1574 Anne of Denmark, wife of James VI, born. July 10 1576 First Bible (New Testament) printed in Scotland by Bassandyne. June 2 1581 James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, beheaded in Edinburgh Grassmarket, accused of the murder of Lord Darnley. April 14 1582 University of Edinburgh founded. December 13 1585 William Drummond, poet, born. June 16 1586 Mary, Queen of Scots recognised Philip II of Spain as her heir. February 8 1587 Mary Queen of Scots beheaded at Fotheringay Castle. February 7 1592 Earl of Moray murdered at Donibristle. December 6 1593 Battle of Dryffe Sands between the Border families of Maxwell and Johnstone, one of the bloodiest "clan" fights. October 3 1594 Battle of Glenlivet, George Gordon, Earl of Huntly, defeated a Royalist force under 7th Earl of Argyll. November 19 1600 King Charles I born. February 7 1603 Battle at Glenfruin when the MacGregors slaughtered a number of Colquhouns - the origins of the banning of the MacGregor name. March 24 1603 Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland on the death of Queen Elizabeth I and the succession of King James VI of Scotland. April 2 1603 King James VI leaves Edinburgh to travel to London. March 21 1613 Lord Maxwell executed for the murder of the head of the Johnstone family (the son of the Johnstone involved in the Battle of Dryfe Sands in December 6, 1593 above). September 29 1621 Charter granted to Sir William Alexander of Menstrie to colonise the "Baronetcy of Nova Scotia". May 29 1630 King Charles II born. June 19 1633 Coronation of King Charles I at Holyrood. March 28 1642 The Scots Guards Regiment formed. September 1 1644 Battle of Tippermuir, in which Marquis of Montrose defeated Covenanters . September 13 1644 Battle of Aberdeen, in which the Marquis of Montrose captured the city. October 13 1644 Battle of Aberdeen, James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, sacked the city. February 2 1645 Battle of Inverlochy, Marquis of Montrose defeated Covenanters, killing 1,300. May 4 1645 Marquis of Montrose victorious at Battle of Auldearn. August 15 1645 Battle of Kilsyth where the Marquis of Montrose was again victorious. In 1645 Edinburgh was struck by bubonic plague. The city was so overwhelmed by the numbers of dead and dying, that the government quarantined all plague victims into one single location: Mary King's Close. Until then, the close had been used for waste disposal. It is said that hundreds of people were locked into the narrow passageway, and left there to die. The victims suffered horrifically for weeks, until their pleas and cries fell silent, indicating that they had all finally died. The bodies of the victims remained in the close throughout the winter, and were finally removed and buried during the spring thaw. From that moment on, Mary King's Close was said to be among the most haunted places in Edinburgh. No one would go near the site, so eventually the government filled in the close and built what is now the City Chambers over it. August 17/19 1648 Battle of Preston in which Duke of Hamilton at the head of an army of 20,000 crossed into England in support of Charles I. Scots defeated by Cromwell, 2,000 killed, 8,000 captured and Hamilton surrendered on 25 August (and beheaded in March 1649). January 30 1649 King Charles I executed. April 27 1650 Battle of Carbisdale, Montrose's last battle. May 21 1650 James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, executed at Mercat Cross, Edinburgh. September 3 1650 Cromwell defeated Scots at Battle of Dunbar. January 1 1651 Charles II crowned at Scone, the last coronation on Scottish soil. June 17 1652 Great Fire of Glasgow, destroying nearly one third of the city. December 16 1653 Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland. May 29 1660 King Charles II returned to England. Royal Oak Day. June 19 1660 "Day of Public Thanksgiving" on Restoration of Charles II as king. April 23 1661 Charles II crowned at Westminster Abbey. February 6 1665 Queen Anne, last of the Stuart monarchs, born. August 6 1678 First Glasgow/Edinburgh coach service began from White Horse Inn, Edinburgh. September 23 1678 Earl of Mar raises a regiment which later becomes the Royal Scots Fusiliers. November 25 1681 General Tam Dalyell raises a regiment which later became the Royal Scots Greys. February 4 1685 King Charles II died and James VII crowned. May 29 1687 Order of the Thistle founded by King James VII. February 17 1688 James Renwick, last Covenanter to be executed. June 10 1688 James Francis Stuart born. In honour of the "Old Pretender", this is known as "White Rose Day" in Jacobite circles. November 5 1688 William of Orange landed in South-West England. January 22 1689 William of Orange and Mary become joint sovereigns of the UK. March 18 1689 Earl of Leven raises a Border regiment which later becomes the King's Own Scottish Borderers. April 4 1689 Scottish Parliament declared that James VII had forfeited the Scottish throne. July 27 1689 Battle of Killiecrankie in which Viscount Dundee (John Graham of Claverhouse) leading a force of Jacobite Highlanders overcame the forces of King William, led by General Hugh Mackay. Viscount Dundee was killed leading the charge. August 21 1689 Battle of Dunkeld when the newly formed Cameronians defended the town against 3,000 Highlanders. May 1 1690 Battle of Cromdale, Jacobites defeated by government troops. July 12 1690 William III defeated James VII in the Battle of the Boyne, Ireland, 1690 February 13 1692 Massacre of 38 of the Clan Macdonald by government order at Glencoe. June 26 1695 Darien Company formed to set up a Scottish colony in Panama. November 1 1695 Bank of Scotland founded by an Act of the Scottish Parliament. July 12 1698 Darien expedition left Leith for Panama. November 3 1698 The Darien Expedition landed at "Caledonia" in Panama. April 11 1700 Scottish settlement in Darien, Panama, abandoned. October 3 1706 Last Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh before the Union with Westminster. January 8 1707 Earl of Stair, held responsible for the massacre of Glencoe, died. March 25 1707 Last meeting of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh - until 1999. May 1 1707 Act of Union of English and Scottish parliaments proclaimed. May 25 1713 John Stuart, Earl of Bute, Britain's first Scottish Prime Minister, born. September 12 1715 Jacobites defeated government forces at Battle of Sheriffmuir. November 13 1715 Battle of Sherifmuir in which a force of Jacobites led by John, 6th Earl of Mar, fought an inconclusive battle against a Hanoverian force led by John, 2nd Duke of Argyll. December 22 1715 James Stuart, the Old Pretender, arrived at Peterhead. June 10 1719 Battle of Glenshiel, Jacobites with Spanish assistance, and government forces clashed. September 1 1719 Marriage ceremony of Prince James Francis Edward Stewart (the Old Pretender) and Princess Maria Clementina Sobieska. The Polish Princess had been kidnapped on her way to the original wedding, escaped and had married James by proxy earlier in 1719. December 31 1720 Charles Edward Stewart born in Rome. June 22 1725 Malt Riots, Glasgow - against higher taxes imposed on Scottish malt. January 8 1729 Two women arrested in Edinburgh for wearing men's clothing. March 20 1729 John Law, financier and founder of New Orleans, died aged about 57. December 28 1734 Rob Roy McGregor died. August 19 1745 Charles Edward Stuart, raises his standard at Glenfinnan, at the start of the '45 uprising. September 14 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie, Charles Edward Stuart, occupied Edinburgh. September 21 1745 Charles Edward Stuart victorious at Battle of Prestonpans. The Jacobite army of just over 3,000 under Bonnie Prince Charlie heavily defeated the English Royal forces led by Sir John Cope. December 6 1745 Charles Edward Stewart's entry into Derby. January 16 1746 Retreating Jacobite army defeated Hanoverian forces at Battle of Falkirk. April 16 1746 Charles Edward Stewart defeated at Battle of Culloden. April 21 1746 City of Glasgow held a cake-and-wine banquet to celebrate the defeat of the Jacobites and offer the Duke of Cumberland the freedom of the city. April 9 1747 Lord Lovat beheaded on Tower Hill for high treason. August 1 1747 Proscription Act introduced, banning tartan and the carrying of weapons. November 1 1753 Tremors from an earthquake in Lisbon are felt in Scotland. January 1 1766 James Stewart the "Old Pretender" died. August 15 1771 Novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott born. August 3 1773 Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange executed, after defending Edinburgh Castle on behalf of Mary Queen of Scots from May 1568 to May 1573. September 15 1773 The "Hector" leaves Loch Broom, near Ullapool, to sail to Pictou, Nova Scotia, carrying emigrants escaping from the "Clearances". September 23 1779 Battle of Flamborough Head in which Scots-born John Paul Jones fought an engagement against the British navy. His ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard sank but he boarded and captured HMS Serapis. July 1 1782 Proscription Act Repealed, thus allowing again the wearing of tartan and the carrying of weapons  (banned as a result of the 1745 Uprising in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie). January 22 1788 Robert Byron (later Lord Byron) born. He moved to Aberdeen at the age of four and attended Aberdeen Grammar School. January 31 1788 Charles Edward Stewart, "Bonnie Prince Charlie" died. March 5 1790 Flora Macdonald, who helped to save Prince Charles Edward Stewart during his flight after the defeat at the Battle of Culloden, died in Kingsburgh, Skye (in the same bed in which Bonnie Prince Charlie had slept during his escape). April 19 1825 Robert Byron (later Lord Byron) died at Missolinghi, Greece. June 28 1838 Queen Victoria crowned at Westminster Abbey. September 7 1842 Queen Victoria's first visit to Edinburgh. March 23 1848 First Scottish settlers arrive Dunedin, New Zealand. August 13 1849 Queen Victoria visited Glasgow, the first monarch to visit the city since James VI in the 16th century. Having visited the "second city of the Empire" she is reputed to have said that she did not wish to repeat the experience... October 22 1861 Foundation stones of main Post Office and National Museum of Scotland laid by Prince Albert in his last public engagement before his death. January 14 1872 Greyfriar's Bobby died after staying by his master's grave for 14 years. November 15 1873 Statue to Greyfriar's Bobby, who stayed by his master's grave for 14 years was unveiled, 1873 April 17 1882 Battle of the Braes in which crofters in Skye fought 50 policemen during a dispute over land rights. June 24 1886 Crofters' Holding Act passed providing limited security of tenure. June 25 1887 Wallace statue unveiled at the Wallace National Monument, Stirling. November 11 1918 Armistice Day - World War I ends on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. January 31 1919 "Bloody Friday" Riot - mass rally of strikers in Glasgow's George Square repeatedly charged by police. February 1 1919 Tanks and army patrol the streets of Glasgow after "Bloody Friday" when 20,000 strikers gathered in George Square. August 25 1930 Actor Sean Connery born. March 24 1936 An estimated one million people watch the Queen Mary leave the Clyde for the first time. May 27 1936 Maiden voyage of liner Queen Mary. May 8 1945 Victory-in-Europe Day, end of World War II in Europe. December 25 1950 Stone of Destiny removed from Westminster Abbey. January 22 1972 UK joins the European Common Market (now called the European Union). February 11 1972 Island of Rockall, 300 miles west of mainland Scotland, formally annexed as part of Scotland. December 21 1988 Pan Am 747 blew up and crashed at Lockerbie, Dumfries, killing 243 passengers, 16 crew and 11 Lockerbie residents. March 13 1996 Sixteen primary school children and their teacher murdered in Dunblane. September 11 1997 Referendum on Devolution, which approved the creation of a new Scottish Parliament by a substantial majority. April 6 1998 Celebration of Tartan Day approved by the US Senate, in recognition of the monumental achievements and invaluable contributions made by Scottish Americans. May 12 1999 Scottish Parliament convened for the first time since 1707. "Start of a new song".