0 AD - 500 AD The Romans
Check this address: www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education to find out more about the Romans in Scotland.
Check this one as well: www.bbc.co.uk/history/timelines.shtml. At the bottom of this page you will find - "for kids". Click and search.
Or this one: www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory.
81 AD: The Romans came to Scotland
296: The Pictish people were first mentioned in Roman literature.
The Picts were the first inhabitants of Scotland.
360: Roman literature described the warring tribes based in Ireland as "Scots".
About 380 the Romans left Scotland.
500 AD - 1000 AD Four Kings
503: The Scots left Ireland and build their kingdom near Argyll on the West coast of Scotland.
563: St. Columba brings Christianity from Ireland.
843: Kenneth MacAlpin united the Scots and the Picts as one nation.
The Picts were gradually assimileted to the Scottish way of life.
1000AD - 1500 AD The English
1034: Duncan became King of a united Scotland.
1040: MacBeth killed Duncan and became King of Scotland.
1263: Vikings of Largs, 1st October.
Since the reign of King Kenneth MacAlpin (843 - 937) the Vikings had been raiding Scotland.
In 1260 Alexander III was fed up with them and after several spectacular raids against them, the Vikings only possessed the Orkney and Shetland Isles.
Angered at this King Haakon of Norway decided to attack the mainland, however he was not expecting such a ferocious assault from the Scots.
The fighting went on after nightfall and King Haakon asked for a truce to enable him to bury his dead. That was the last time ever Vikings raided Scotland.
1295: The English King came to Scotland with an army - annexation of Scotland by England.
1296: The English King Edward I removed Scotland's Coronation Stone to Westminster Abbey.
The stone was temporarily returned to Scotland in 1950 and permanently returned in 1996.
If you like to see the stone you can go to this site: www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/nations/nations_gallery/03.shtml
1297: Stirling Bridge - William Wallace (Braveheart) led resistance against the English.
At Stirling he led a Scots army and defeated an English army. William Wallace was made Guardian of Scotland.
Go to www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/independence
Check the timeline and click on " Wars of Independence 1286 - 1371"
Do you want to know more about William Wallace?
Try: http://www.highlanderweb.co.uk/wallace/index_start.html
1298: The Battle of Falkirk - The English army slaughtered the Scottish army.
1305: The Capture and Execution of William Wallace.
Wallace was taken to London, where he was put to death by King Edward, by being hanged, drawn and quartered. His dismembered body was sent to the four corners of Britain to serve as a warning to others.
1306: Robert the Bruce - Crowned King
1314: The Battle of Bannockburn near Stirling.
Robert the Bruce won over the English and Scotland was independent again.
1326: The First Scottish Parliament met.
1329: Robert the Bruce died.
1411: The University of St. Andrews was founded.
1451:
The University of Glasgow was founded.
1500 - the present
1503: King Henry VII of England gave his daughter in marriage to James IV of Scotland.
This gave rise to the Union of Crowns in 1603.
1559: John Knox denounced the Roman Catholic Church.
This was the start of the Reformation in Scotland.
1561: Queen Mary returned to Scotland from France.
Crowned Queen of Scots, married several times, held prisoner for nineteen years.
Do you want to know more about Mary Queen of Scots?
Try this web-address: www.see-scotland.com/history_heritage
(Click: Heroes, click: Mary Queen of Scots)
1582: The University of Edinburgh was founded.
1587: The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots at Fotheringhay.
1603: James VI of Scotland became James I of England.
The King's new title was "King of Great Britain".
1625: Charles I - the second son of James VI - became King of England and Scotland.
1642: Civil war broke out in England.
The Scots side with the English rebels who take power.
1649: The Execution of Charles I.
1689: The Battle of Killicrankie on 27th July.
The first Jacobite wars, fought in vain attempt to restore the deposed Stuart Kings (in this case James VIII of Scotland). The Jacobites routed the English, but on 21st August the Jacobites were defeated at the Battle of Dunkeld.
1692: Massacre at Glencoe.
In August 1691, King William III offered a pardon to the Highland clans who had risen against him in earlier years but only if they took an oath of allegiance before 1st January 1692.
Alastair MacIan, 12th Chief of Glen Coe, despite the four months notice, left it to the last minute to take the oath. But he had mistakenly gone to the wrong place to take the oath and arrived at Inveraray, after a dreadful journey through the snow, too late to take the oath by the deadline. The Government had been waiting for just such an opportunity to "make an example".
Robert Campbell and his troops were given food and shelter by the MacDonalds of Glencoe and treated most hospitably, as was the highland custom. It was an unforgivable sin that Campbell and his men had enjoyed traditional Highland hospitality before turning on their hosts (who included his own niece and her husband).
Campbell had held a grudge against the MacDonalds and was under English orders to kill all members of the settlement under 70 years of age. As planned, at 5 a.m. on the morning of 13th February, he and his redcoats set about carrying out their orders. Whether due to incompetence "only" 38 men, women and children out of 200 of the clan were killed, but others perished later on the snow-swept hills as they tried to escape.
1676: Birth of Alexander Selkirk - "Robison Crusoe".
He first went to sea in 1695. While on an expedition near the Juan Fernández Islands, off the coast of Chile, Selkirk had a dispute with the captain of his ship. At his own request, he was put ashore in October 1704 on one of the islands. He lived alone there until rescued in February 1709. Stories have been passed down through generations of sailors about his adventures.
1707: The Act of Union.
The Scottish Parliament and the English Parliament became one parliament in London. Scotland was formally united with England to form Great Britain.
1715: The Battle of Sherrifmuir.
Jacobites rose again for King James VIII and meet the English. Both sides retreated with casualties.
1744: The World's first Golf Club (the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers) was founded.
1745: Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charles) returned to Scotland.
At the Battle of Prestonpans on 19th September the Jacobite army routed the English, and within a month Scotland was a Jacobite stronghold.
Do you want to know more about Bonnie Prince Charles?
Try: www.britannia.com/celtic/scotland
1746: Battle of Culloden on 16th April
The English out-numbered the Jacobite forces. The Jacobites fought bravely but it was not enough to win the day. In just over an hour, it was all over, the hopes and dreams of one man and 5,000 followers lay in ruin on the blood soaked-fields of Culloden Moor.
Flora MacDonald helped Bonnie Prince Charles to escape. Dressed as a woman he was taken by boat across to Skye from where he later escaped to France.
As some Scots say - the Highland way of life was lost forever.
Do you want to know more about Flora MacDonald?
Try: www.scotlandvacations.com/flora.htm.
1746: The wearing of the kilt was prohibited.
The Disarming Act of 1746 forbade the carrying and concealing of arms, made broadsword illegal and the search for then legal. The wearing of Highland clothes or plaid was prohibited to all except serving soldiers of the Crown.
1759: Robert Burns, Scotland's most famous poet, was born at Alloway.
His song "Auld Lang Syne" is known all over the world. Robert Burns is Scotland's greatest poet and songwriter. Every year Scots all over the world celebrate his birthday on 25th January. They read his poems, sing his songs, eat haggis and drink whisky.
1771: Sir Walter Scott was born.
He was a great Scots writer with titles such as "Ivanhoe" and "Rob Roy".
1775: Glenturret Distillery, Crieff, the oldest whisky distillery in Scotland, was established.
1776: James Watt built the steam engine.
1800 - 1850: The Highland Clearances.
During what became known as the "Highland Clearances" thousands of tenants were evicted, often violently, from their homes to make way for large-scale sheep farming. The Clearances replaced people with sheep. Homes were burnt and tenants forced to leave at the point of a musket, carrying little or nothing as they headed towards a life of poverty and hunger.
Farmers were forced to settle on barren land near the sea with very little agricultural potential. With hundreds of people forced to the coast, there became a problem with over-fishing. This led to starvation and with no money to pay for rent, there were further evictions. The final straw was the potato famine. Many left for the colonies or moved down south.
Read about Crofters.
1813: David Livingstone was born.
He was one of the greatest explorers of the African continent, and for his pioneering efforts for abolition of the slave trade.
1847: Alexander Graham Bell was born.
He became a pioneer in the field of telecommunications. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
1872: The Scottish Football Association and Rangers Football Club were founded
1888: Celtic Football Club was founded.
1890: Opening of Firth Rail Bridge.
The bridge was started in 1882 and finished in 1890. It is made up of so many iron girders that once painting work is finished, it's time to start all over again.
1925: John Logie Baird demonstrated the first television.
1928: Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.
Before going on holiday he had not cleaned his laboratory properly, but on coming back he noticed that the blue mould he saw in his petri-dish destroying bacteria was penicillin.
1947: The First Edinburgh Festival.
1964: The Forth Road Bridge was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
1971: 66 people were killed in Scotland's worst football disaster when part of a stadium collapsed at the end of a Rangers vs. Celtic match at Ibrox Park.
1975: The first oil was piped ashore from the North Sea at Petershead.
1996: A gunman killed 16 five-year-old children, their teacher and himself in a Primary School at Dunblane in Perthshire.
1996: Dolly the Sheep. Scientists managed to clone a sheep at a research centre in Roslin (Lothian).
1996: Return of the Stone of Destiny, Scotland's Coronation Stone.
It was returned to Scotland 700 years after it was taken to Westminster by the English to crown English Kings and Queens. The Stone was taken to Edinburgh Castle for public viewing on St. Andrews Day.
1997: Referendum in Scotland in September.
A large majority vote in favour of more Scottish independence from England and the establishment of a new devolved Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
1999: "YES" vote gained for a Scottish Parliament.
The first election to the Scottish Parliament was held on 6th May. Labour won, but the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party) led by Sean Connery and the Liberals also had a good result. The vote was held on one of the most historic days in the Scottish calendar, the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Stirling Bridge when forces led by William Wallace routed the English.
1999: The Scottish Parliament was opened by the Queen on 1st July.
The Parliament is housed in the Church of Scotland General Assembly, while work is carried out on the new Parliament building at Holyrood.
Donald Dewar was made First Minister of Scotland.
The first Government for Scotland's internal affairs is a coalition made up of Labour and the Liberal
Party.