Timeline of Scottish history facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This is a timeline of important events in the history of Scotland, from ancient times to today. It shows how Scotland changed over many centuries, including big legal changes, new territories, and major political moments. You can also learn more about the background of these events in the History of Scotland article.

Early Scotland: Roman Times to the Picts

Roman Visitors and Early Kingdoms

97 The Romans fought and defeated the Caledonians at the Battle of Mons Graupius.
122 The Romans built Hadrian's Wall to mark the edge of their empire.
143 The Romans built another wall, the Antonine Wall, further north.
163 The Romans moved back south to Hadrian's Wall.
300 The word "Pict" was first used to describe the tribes in Scotland that the Romans fought.
397 It's believed that Saint Ninian started a Christian mission in Whithorn.
470 The Votadini people formed the kingdom of Gododdin in the area north of the River Tweed.

Rise of New Kingdoms

547 The Angles took over Bamburgh and started the kingdom of Bernicia.
563 Saint Columba founded a monastery on the island of Iona. He began teaching Christianity to the northern Picts.
574 Áedán mac Gabráin became king of the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata.
575 Western Scotland became independent from the Irish Dalriada after a meeting near Derry.
580 Riderch I of Alt Clut ruled the area that later became the kingdom of Strathclyde.
584 Bruide, son of Maelchon, a Pictish king, died.

Battles and Changes in the 600s

604 Æthelfrith joined the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira to create Northumbria.
638 The Northumbrians captured Edinburgh from Gododdin.
685 The Pictish King Bruide mac Bili won a big battle against Ecgfrith of Northumbria at the Battle of Dun Nechtain. This stopped Northumbria from expanding further north.
697 Bruide mac Der-Ilei, another Pictish king, signed an important law called the Cáin Adomnáin.

The Kingdom of Alba Begins

Picts and Scots Unite

717 Nechtan mac Der-Ilei, King of the Picts, asked the clergy from Iona to leave Pictland and adopted Roman Christian practices.
732 Óengus mac Fergusa became King of the Picts.
735 Óengus mac Fergusa attacked Dál Riata and burned their royal center, Dunadd.
741 Dál Riata was defeated and taken over by Óengus mac Fergusa.
794 Records show that Vikings attacked "all the islands of Britain."
802 Iona was burned by Vikings.
806 Vikings attacked monasteries under Iona, killing 68 monks.
839 Eóganan mac Óengusa and his brother were killed in a battle with Vikings.
858 Kenneth mac Alpin, King of the Picts, died. His reign is traditionally seen as the start of the "union of Picts and Scots."
870 Dumbarton Rock, a stronghold of the Strathclyde Britons, was captured by Viking leaders Amlaíb Conung and Ímar after a long siege.
889 Domnall mac Causantín, Kenneth's grandson, became king.

Scotland in the 900s

900 Causantín mac Áeda became king.
937 The Battle of Brunanburh was a big English victory against a combined army of Norse-Gaels, Scots, and Strathclyde Britons.
943 Causantín mac Áeda gave up his throne to become a religious hermit at St Andrews.
954 Indulf captured Edinburgh from Northumbria.

Medieval Scotland: Kings, Wars, and Independence

New Kings and Feudalism

1058 Máel Coluim III became king after defeating Mac Bethad and Lulach.
1124 David I became king and brought the feudal system (a way of holding land) to much of Scotland.
1128 David I founded Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.
1156 Somerled defeated the Norse King of Mann and the Isles, becoming a powerful ruler of the Hebrides.
1174 William I signed the Treaty of Falaise, promising loyalty to Henry II of England.

Fighting for Freedom

1237 The southern border of Scotland was officially set in the Treaty of York.
1263 The Scots defeated the Norwegians in the Battle of Largs.
1266 Norway gave the Hebrides and Isle of Man to Scotland in the Treaty of Perth.
1292 Edward I of England got involved in Scottish affairs and put John Balliol on the Scottish throne.
1297 Andrew de Moravia and William Wallace led the Scots to victory over England at Stirling Bridge.
1305 William Wallace was executed in London.
1314 Robert the Bruce famously defeated the English at Bannockburn.
1320 Scottish nobles declared Scotland's independence in the Declaration of Arbroath.
1328 The Treaty of Northampton was signed, and England officially recognized Scottish independence.
1329 Robert the Bruce died, and his 5-year-old son, David II, became king.
1371 Robert II became the first Stewart king.

Education and Land Changes

1413 The University of St Andrews was founded.
1451 The University of Glasgow was established.
1468 Denmark gave Orkney and Shetland to Scotland.
1488 James IV was crowned king after his father, James III of Scotland, died in a rebellion.
1493 The powerful Lordship of the Isles was ended.
1495 The University of Aberdeen was created.
1496 The Education Act 1496 made education compulsory for wealthy landowners.

Scotland and the Reformation

Kings, Queens, and Religious Change

1513 James IV and many Scots were killed at the Battle of Flodden.
1532 The College of Justice and the Court of Session were created.
1542 James V died.
1559 John Knox returned to Scotland to promote Calvinism, a type of Protestantism.
1560 The Scottish Parliament passed laws for the Protestant Reformation of the Church of Scotland.
1561 Mary, Queen of Scots returned from France.
1568 Mary, Queen of Scots fled to England after her army was defeated at the Battle of Langside.
1579 James VI took over the government from his regent.
1582 The University of Edinburgh was established.
1587 Mary, Queen of Scots was executed by order of Queen Elizabeth I of England.
1589 James VI married Anne of Denmark.
1592 James VI passed the "Golden Act," which recognized the power of Presbyterianism within the Scottish church.

Union of Crowns and Civil Wars

One King for Two Kingdoms

1603 The Union of the Crowns: James VI of Scotland also became James I of England, uniting the crowns but not the parliaments.
1614 John Napier invented logarithms, a new way to do math calculations.
1618 James VI forced episcopacy (a church system with bishops) on the Church of Scotland.
1625 Charles I became king of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
1633 The Education Act 1633 aimed to create a school in every parish.
1638 Scottish Covenanters rebelled against Charles I.
1639 The First Bishops' War began.
1640 The Second Bishops' War began.

Wars of the Three Kingdoms

1642 The First English Civil War started.
1643 The Solemn League and Covenant promised the Scottish army would help the English Parliament against the king.
1649 Charles I was executed, ending the monarchy until 1660. The Third English Civil War started.
1650 Southern Scotland was taken over by the English Commonwealth's army after Scottish defeats at the Battle of Dunbar 1650.
1651 The Battle of Worcester was a big victory for the English army over the Royalists, many of whom were Scottish. This ended major military resistance to rule from London for ten years.
1654 Oliver Cromwell, the leader of England, announced that Scotland was united with the Commonwealth of England.
1660 The monarchy was brought back in Scotland, and Scotland became a separate kingdom again.
1661 The Episcopacy (church system with bishops) was brought back in Scotland.
1662 The Scottish Parliament passed a law that pardoned most crimes committed during the recent wars.
1679 James, Duke of Monmouth defeated the Covenanters at the Battle of Bothwell Brig.
1689 The Jacobite rising of 1689 began. Highlanders defeated the army of William III at Killiecrankie.
1689 The Claim of Right was passed, bringing back Presbyterianism in the church.
1692 The Massacre of Glencoe took place.
1695 The Bank of Scotland was created.
1696 The Education Act 1696 successfully ordered a school in every parish.
1698 The Darien scheme, an attempt by Scotland to start a colony in Panama, failed.

Modern Scotland: From Union to Devolution

A United Kingdom

1707 The Union of the Parliaments: The Acts of Union were passed by both the Scottish and English parliaments, creating the Kingdom of Great Britain.
1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 began, trying to restore the Stuart monarchy.
1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 began, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie.
1746 The Battle of Culloden ended the last Jacobite rising.
1754 Joseph Black discovered "fixed air" (which we now call carbon dioxide).
1768 The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica First Edition began to be published.
1769 James Watt patented his idea for a separate condensing chamber in the steam engine, making it much more efficient.
1776 Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations, a very important book about economics.

Industrial Age and Social Change

1802 John Playfair published a summary of James Hutton's important theories about geology.
1805 The The Glasgow Herald newspaper was first published.
1817 The Scotsman newspaper was first published.
1820 The "Radical War" took place, involving protests for political reform.
1822 King George IV visited Scotland, an event organized by Sir Walter Scott.
1832 The Scottish Reform Act 1832 allowed more people to vote.
1843 The Disruption of 1843 happened in the Church of Scotland, leading to a split over church appointments.
1846 The ten-year Highland Potato Famine began.
1864 James Clerk Maxwell presented his famous equations describing electromagnetic fields.
1878 The City of Glasgow Bank collapsed.
1879 The Tay Bridge disaster occurred when a railway bridge collapsed during a storm.
1885 The Scottish Office was created, along with the post of Secretary for Scotland.
1890 The Forth Railway Bridge opened.
1896 The Glasgow Subway opened.

20th Century: Wars and Devolution

1919 The Battle of George Square took place, a large industrial protest in Glasgow.
1929 The Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland united.
1934 The Scottish National Party was founded.
1941 The Clydebank Blitz saw heavy bombing of Clydebank during World War II.
1943 The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was created to bring electricity to the Highlands and Islands.
1945 The first Scottish Nationalist MP was elected.
1947 The first Edinburgh International Festival was held.
1950 The Stone of Destiny was removed from Westminster Abbey by Scottish students.
1957 Scottish Television began broadcasting.
1968 The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland allowed women to become ministers.
1975 Local government in Scotland was reorganized, changing how areas were managed.
1978 BBC Radio Scotland was launched.
1979 A Referendum to create a Scottish Assembly passed with a majority, but it didn't get enough overall votes to become law.
1988 Terrorists blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, killing 270 people.
1995 Local government was reorganized again, creating single-tier councils.
1996 The Stone of Destiny was permanently returned to Scotland, to be kept in Edinburgh Castle.
1997 A referendum on a devolved Scottish Parliament passed with a large majority.
1999 A Scottish Parliament met for the first time in 272 years. Donald Dewar became the first First Minister.

21st Century: New Parliament and Referendum

2004 The new Scottish Parliament Building officially opened.
2007 The Scottish National Party became the largest party in the Scottish Parliament.
2011 The Scottish National Party won an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament.
2013 The Church of Scotland voted to allow openly gay men and women to become ministers.
2014 Scotland held a referendum on national independence. The result was to remain part of the UK, with 55% voting no and 45% voting yes.
2015 The Scottish National Party won 56 out of 59 seats in Scotland in the UK General Election.
2022 Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, died at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
2023 Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation as First Minister of Scotland.
2023 Humza Yousaf was elected as the new First Minister of Scotland.