Kingdom of Scotland Facts for Kids

The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England. It suffered many invasions by the English, but under Robert I it fought a successful War of Independence and remained an independent state throughout the late Middle Ages.

In 1603, James VI of Scotland became King of England, joining Scotland with England in a personal union. In 1707, the two kingdoms were united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain under the terms of the Acts of Union.

Mary Queen of Scots reigned over Scotland from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567

Following the conquest of the Northern Isles from the Kingdom of Norway in 1472 and final capture of the Royal Burgh of Berwick by the Kingdom of England in 1482, the territory of the Kingdom of Scotland corresponded to that of modern-day Scotland, bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest.

The Crown was the most important element of government. Edinburgh developed as a capital city in the second half of the 15th century. The Crown remained at the centre of political life and in the 16th century emerged as a major centre of display and patronage, until it was effectively dissolved with the Union of Crowns in 1603.

The Scottish Crown adopted the conventional offices of western European monarchical states of the time and developed a Privy Council and great offices of state. Parliament also emerged as a major legal institution, gaining an oversight of taxation and policy.

In the early period, the kings of the Scots depended on the great lords, but from the reign of David I, sheriffdoms were introduced, which allowed more direct control and gradually limited the power of the major lordships. In the 17th century, the creation of Justices of Peace and Commissioners of Supply helped to increase the effectiveness of local government.

Scots law developed in the Middle Ages and was reformed in the 16th and 17th centuries. Under James IV the legal functions of the council were rationalised, with Court of Session meeting daily in Edinburgh. In 1532, the College of Justice was founded, leading to the training and professionalisation of lawyers. David I is the first Scottish king known to have produced his own coinage. At the union of the Crowns in 1603 the Pound Scots was fixed at only one-twelfth the value of the English pound. The Bank of Scotland issued pound notes from 1704. Scottish currency was removed by the Act of Union, however to the present day, Scotland retains unique banknotes.

The earliest image of Scottish soldiers wearing tartan - 1631 German engraving

Geographically, Scotland is divided between the Highlands and Islands and the Lowlands. The Highlands had a relatively short growing season, which was further shortened during the Little Ice Age. From Scotland's foundation to the inception of the Black Death, the population had grown to a million; following the plague, it then fell to half a million. It expanded in the first half of the 16th century, reaching roughly 1.2 million by the 1690s.

Significant languages in the medieval kingdom included Gaelic, Old English, Norse and French; but by the early modern era Middle Scots had begun to dominate. Christianity was introduced into Scotland from the 6th century. There were a series of religious controversies that resulted in divisions and persecutions.

The Scottish Crown developed naval forces at various points in its history. Land forces centred around the large common army, but adopted European innovations from the 16th century; and many Scots took service as mercenaries and as soldiers for the English Crown.

Kingdom of Scotland c843-1707	Succeeded by: Kingdom of Great Britain 1707-1801	Succeeded by: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1921	Succeeded by: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1921

Images for kids

James VI, whose inheritance of the thrones of England and Ireland created a dynastic union in 1603
The Regiam Majestatem is the oldest surviving written digest of Scots law.
Institution of the Court of Session by James V in 1532, from the Great Window in Parliament House, Edinburgh
Penny of David II (1329–71)
A bawbee from the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots
The topography of Scotland.
Plan of Edinburgh in 1764, the largest city in Scotland in the early modern era
Dundrennan Abbey, one of the many royal foundations of the 12th century
John Knox, one of the key figures in the Scottish Reformation
The riots set off by Jenny Geddes in St Giles Cathedral that sparked off the Bishops' Wars
Tower of St Salvator's College, St Andrews, one of the three universities founded in the 15th century
A woodcut showing John Mair, one of the most successful products of the Scottish educational system in the late 15th century
Andrew Melville, credited with major reforms in Scottish Universities in the 16th century.
A carving of a birlinn from a 16th-century tombstone in MacDufie's Chapel, Oronsay, as engraved in 1772
A model of the Great Michael in the Royal Museum
Scottish soldiers in the period of the Hundred Years' War, detail from an edition of Froissart's Chronicles
The earliest image of Scottish soldiers wearing tartan; 1631 German engraving.
Sculpture of Saint Andrew, Freemasons Hall, Edinburgh
The Royal Standard of Scotland used, with minor variations, between 1603 and 1707.

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Kingdom of Scotland facts for kids

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