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Scotland

country in north-west Europe, part of the United Kingdom

226 dated entries naming Scotland, drawn from 190 separate years between 77 CE and 2020 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

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1st century

  • 77Gnaeus Julius Agricola is named governor of Britannia, a post he occupies until AD 84. He extends the Roman influence to the mouth of the River Clyde (Scotland), and builds fortifications.source
  • 82Calgacus unites the Picts (30,000 men) in Scotland, and is made chieftain of the Caledonian Confederacy.source
  • 83The Roman fort Inchtuthil is built in Scotland.source

2nd century

  • 122Hadrian gives up the territories conquered in Scotland.source
  • 142Emperor Antoninus Pius orders the construction of the Antonine Wall. The wall stretches 39 miles (63 km), from Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire on the Firth of Clyde, to Carriden near Bo'ness on the Firth of Forth (Scotland). The Romans build 19 forts and smaller fortlets (milecastles), to protect the border against the Caledonians.source
  • 164The Antonine Wall in Scotland is abandoned by the Romans.source

3rd century

  • 208Emperor Septimius Severus leads an expedition (20,000 men) into Britannia, crosses Hadrian's Wall and moves through eastern Scotland. The Roman army pushes the Caledonians back to the River Tay and Severus signs a peace treaty. He repairs the Antonine Wall (his repairs are sometimes called the Severan Wall).source
  • 209Septimius Severus makes plans to subdue the land to the north of Scotland, ravaging it severely. Road-building and forest-clearing, the Roman army reaches Aber; Scottish tribes begin guerrilla warfare.source
  • 210Having suffered heavy losses since invading Scotland in 208, Emperor Septimius Severus sends his son - Caracalla - to systematically wipe out and torture the Scots into submission.source

4th century

  • 360Saint Ninian, missionary to Scotland (approximate date)source
  • 364February 26 – Valentinian I is proclaimed Emperor by officers of the Roman army at Nicaea in Bithynia. He addresses the soldiers (who threaten to riot) in a speech. He founds the Valentinianic dynasty and rules the Western portion of the Roman Empire, from Caledonia (Scotland) to the Rhine frontier, ensuring it a few years of relative security. He settles in Lutetia (Paris) and establishes a militia to defend the region.source

5th century

  • 432Saint Ninian, missionary in Scotland (approximate date)source

6th century

  • 507Domangart Réti, king of Dál Riata (modern Scotland)source
  • 532Áedán mac Gabráin, king of Dál Riata (Scotland) (approximate date)source
  • 538Gabrán mac Domangairt becomes king of Dál Riata (Scotland).source
  • 558Conall mac Comgaill becomes king of Dál Riata, a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland.source
  • 559Glappa succeeds his father Ida as king of Bernicia (North East England). During his rule, Anglian settlers expand their territory in what is now southeastern Scotland.source
  • 563Columba, Irish missionary monk, travels to Scotland with twelve companions. He lands on the Kintyre Peninsula, near Southend, and begins his evangelising mission to the Picts. On the island of Iona, he founds a monastery (Iona Abbey) on the west coast in the Inner Hebrides.source
  • 565Columba, an Irish missionary, spots the Loch Ness Monster on the River Ness (in present day Scotland) and saves the life of a Pict (approximate date).source
  • 568Æthelric succeeds his brother Adda as king of Bernicia (modern Scotland). He rules from 568–572 (approximate date).source
  • 572Theodric succeeds his brother Æthelric as king of Bernicia (southeastern Scotland). He rules until 579.source
  • 574Áedán mac Gabráin becomes king of Dál Riata (Scotland) (approximate Date).source
  • 575The Convention of Druim Cett: Irish kings discuss the relationship between them and King Áedán mac Gabráin of Dál Riata. The Irish colony (now western Scotland) is confirmed, and rights to tax and levy are agreed to between the rulers.source
  • 579Frithuwald succeeds his brother Theodoric as king of Bernicia (Scotland). He rules from 579–585 (approximate date).source
  • 579Theodric, king of Bernicia (Scotland)source
  • 585Columbanus, Irish missionary, gathers 12 companions for his journey to Britain, probably to the Scottish coast. After a short time, he crosses the English Channel and lands in Brittany (France).source
  • 593Æthelfrith of Northumbria succeeds Hussa as king of Bernicia (Scotland). His accession possibly involves dynastic rivalry and the exile of Hussa's relatives.source
  • 596Battle of Raith: An invading force of Angles lands on the Fife coast near Raith (Kirkcaldy) and defeats an alliance of Scots, Britons and Picts, under King Áedán mac Gabráin of Dál Riata (Scotland).source
  • 600The Britons of Strathclyde (Scotland), Wales, and Cornwall are all separated by the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.source

7th century

  • 608Eochaid Buide succeeds his father Áedán mac Gabráin as king of Dál Riata (modern Scotland).source
  • 616King Rædwald of East Anglia conquers Northumbria (Northern England) at the Battle of the River Idle. King Æthelfrith is killed during the fighting and his children are forced to flee north. His heir, prince Eanfrith (age 26), seeks refuge with his mother's family, probably in Gododdin (modern Scotland), and moves further north into Pictland. Princes Oswald (age 12), Oswiu (age 4) and others escape to the court of King Eochaid Buide of Dál Riata, where they are converted to Christianity by the monks of Iona.source
  • 638King Oswald and his Northumbrian army besiege and conquer Edinburgh (Scotland). His half-brother, Oswiu of Bernicia, marries Princess Rhiainfelt, heiress of North Rheged ("Old North"). Northumbria embraces North Rheged in a peaceful takeover, and Oswiu becomes a sub-king (approximate date).source
  • 641Prince Oswiu of Bernicia conquers Gododdin (or "The Old North") as far north as Manau (modern Scotland), on behalf of his half-brother, King Oswald (approximate date).source
  • 643Æbbe establishes a monastery at Ebchester, known as Kirk Hill at St Abb's Head near Coldingham (Scotland).source
  • 654Dúnchad mac Conaing, king of Dál Riata (modern Scotland)source
  • 660King Conall Crandomna of Dál Riata (modern Scotland) dies, and is succeeded by his nephew Domangart mac Domnaill.source
  • 660Conall Crandomna, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)source
  • 663King Oswiu of Northumbria invades Pictland (modern Scotland). He establishes overlordship of, at least, the Southern Pictish sub-kingdoms of Fortriu and Fib (and possibly Circinn).source
  • 664Synod of Whitby: King Oswiu of Northumbria calls for a meeting at Whitby Abbey to settle the church practices in his kingdom—those of the Celtic Church (of Wales, Scotland and the north of England – preached by Irish missionaries) or the Roman Church (of the south of England). The matters discussed include how to calculate the date of Easter. It is decided to follow the practice of Rome. As a result, many Irish clergy leave Northumbria and return to Ireland.source
  • 671Battle of Two Rivers: King Ecgfrith of Northumbria defeats the Picts under King Drest VI, in the vicinity of Moncreiffe Island, near Perth (Scotland). After the battle the Picts are reduced to slavery, and subject to the yoke of captivity for the next 14 years.source
  • 673Domangart mac Domnaill, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)source
  • 673King Domangart mac Domnaill of Dál Riata (Scotland) dies, and is succeeded by his nephew Máel Dúin mac Conaill. He probably submits to King Ecgfrith of Northumbria as his overlord.source
  • 685May 20 – Battle of Dun Nechtain: The Picts under King Bridei III revolt against their Northumbrian overlords. Cuthbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, advises King Ecgfrith of Northumbria (Bridei's cousin) not to invade Pictland (modern Scotland). Undeterred, Ecgfrith marches his army north to engage the enemy near Dunnichen. The Picts, possibly with Scottish and Strathclyde Briton help, defeat the Saxon guard, killing Ecgfrith, who has reigned for 15 years, routing his army and forcing the Anglo-Saxons to withdraw south of the River Forth.source
  • 688Máel Dúin mac Conaill, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)source
  • 696Domnall Donn, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)source
  • 697Council of Birr: The northern part of Ireland accepts the Roman calculations for celebrating Easter. At this synod Adomnán, abbot of Iona (Scotland), promulgates his Cáin Adomnáin ("Law of the Innocents").source
  • 697Ferchar Fota, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)source
  • 698Ainbcellach mac Ferchair, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)source
  • 698Berhtred, Anglo-Saxon nobleman, is killed leading a Northumbrian army against the Picts. The kingdom of Cait (or Cat) in northern Scotland is absorbed (approximate date).source

8th century

  • 710Beorhtfrith fights against the Picts between Haefe and Caere (assumed to be between the rivers Avon and Carron, which flow into the Firth of Forth in Scotland).source
  • 711Dux Berhtfrith leads a Northumbrian campaign against the Picts, and defeats them in Manaw Gododdin (modern Scotland) (approximate date).source
  • 715Winning, an Irish monk, lands at the mouth of the River Garnock in Scotland, and establishes a community or cell of monks (termed cella or "Kil" in Gaelic).source
  • 716King Osred I of Northumbria is killed in battle, possibly by the Picts in Manau Gododdin (Scotland). He is succeeded by his distant cousin, Coenred.source
  • 717Nechtan mac Der-Ilei, king of the Picts, expels the monks from the island of Iona (Scotland).source
  • 726Dúngal mac Selbaig is deposed as king of Dál Riata (Scotland). He is succeeded by Eochaid mac Echdach (a son of former king Eochaid mac Domangairt).source
  • 733Eochaid mac Echdach, king of Dál Riata (modern Scotland)source
  • 736King Óengus I of the Picts invades the neighbouring kingdom of Dál Riata, which is subjugated. He takes the fortress of Dunadd, and establishes his rule in Scotland for over two decades.source
  • 752Teudebur, king of Alt Clut (Scotland)source
  • 756Battle of Newanbirig: Kings Óengus I of the Picts and Eadberht of Northumbria attack King Dumnagual III of Strathclyde, at Dumbarton Castle (modern Scotland). However, Eadberht's entire force is subsequently wiped out, probably by the Britons.source
  • 760Dumnagual III, king of Alt Clut (Scotland)source
  • 761Bridei V succeeds his brother Óengus I as king of the Picts (modern Scotland).source
  • 763Ciniod I succeeds Bridei V, as king of the Picts (modern Scotland).source
  • 778Áed Find, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)source
  • 781King Fergus mac Echdach of Dál Riata (Scotland)source
  • 789Constantine I is installed as king of the Picts. He becomes one of the greatest Scottish monarchs in the Viking period.source

9th century

  • 802The Vikings plunder the treasures of Iona Abbey, on the west coast of Scotland (approximate date).source
  • 806Vikings massacre Columba's monks, and all the inhabitants on the island of Iona (Scotland). Other monks flee to safety in the monastery of Kells (Ireland). They take with them the Book of Kells.source
  • 810Kenneth MacAlpin, king of Scotland (died 858)source
  • 812Domnall mac Ailpín, king of Scotland (died 862)source
  • 843Bridei VI, king of the Picts (Scotland)source
  • 850King Kenneth I (also called Kenneth MacAlpin) of Alba (modern Scotland) invades Northern Northumbria during the period of 850–858, burning Dunbar and Melrose.source
  • 858February 13 – King Kenneth I (Cináed mac Ailpín), king of the Scots, dies after a 15-year reign in which he has been crowned at Scone, and united the various parts of Scotland with his native Dál Riata. His 46-year-old brother succeeds as Donald I, king of Alba.source
  • 870The Danes, led by Ivar the Boneless and King Olaf of the Dublin Vikings, besiege Dumbarton in Scotland, the capital of King Artgal of Stratchlyde. After a siege of four months, the citadel is captured and destroyed.source
  • 872King Artgal of Strathclyde is slain, through the connivance of King Constantine I of Alba (modern Scotland) and his Viking allies. Artgal's son, Run, succeeds to the Strathclyde throne.source
  • 872Artgal, king of Strathclyde (Scotland)source
  • 889Kings Eochaid and Giric of Alba and Strathclyde (modern Scotland) are deposed by Viking invaders. They are succeeded by Donald II, the son of the late Constantine I, who becomes king of Scotland.source

11th century

  • 1015Owain ap Dyfnwal, king of Strathclyde (Scotland)source

12th century

  • 1139Early – Malachy, Bishop of Down, begins his first journey to Rome, via Scotland, England, and France, visiting Bernard of Clairvaux. He petitions Pope Innocent II for pallia for the Sees of Armagh and Cashel, and is appointed native legate for Ireland.source

13th century

  • 1300July 10 – English invasion of Scotland (1300): King Edward I of England begins a five-day siege of Caerlaverock Castle in Scotland. Enraged by the defending garrison's request for honorable surrender terms, Edward orders the destruction of the castle with battering rams and stone-lobbing trebuchet catapults, then pulls down the walls of the garrison.source

14th century

  • 1304January 11 – Messengers from King Edward of England arrive at Kinclaven Castle in Scotland to discuss peace with Scottish noble John Comyn.source
  • 1306May 22 – Feast of the Swans: At Westminster Abbey King Edward I of England proclaims that all squires, who agree to march in an invasion of Scotland, will be knighted. After the feast, the King has two swans brought in and swears "before God and the swans" to avenge the murder of Lord John Comyn III of Badenoch, the desecration of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries by Robert Bruce, and to fight the infidels in the Holy Land. The King knights his son, Prince Edward of Caernarfon. The Prince knights 266 other men. King Edward then gives his "Raise the Dragon" orders, proclaiming that no mercy is to be granted to Scotland, and all Scots taken in arms are to be executed without trial. Among the persons knighted, the King appoints Aymer de Valance, lieutenant for Scotland. Valence will make his base at Perth, along with Henry Percy and Robert Clifford, to organize an army.source
  • 1306September 13 – In Scotland, English forces under Edward of Caernarfon capture and sack Kildrummy Castle in Aberdeenshire. Edward takes Elizabeth de Burgh, Christina Bruce and Mary Bruce (sisters of Robert the Bruce), and Princess Marjorie Bruce (daughter of Bruce) as prisoners. He executes Nigel de Brus (younger brother of Bruce) for high treason, who is later hanged, drawn and quartered at Berwick.source
  • 1307December 25 – On Christmas Day, the 3-day Battle of Slioch begins in Scotland, with King Robert the Bruce and his men turning back the forces of John Comyn.source
  • 1313February 3 – William de Sancto Claro, the Bishop of Dunkeld and commonly known as William Sinclair, is issued a safe conduct pass by England's King Edward II in order to return to Scotland from Rome.source
  • 1322September 20 – Scotland's King Robert the Bruce begins the "Great Raid" on sites in northern England, leading troops across the River Tweed and starting with an attack on Norham Castle. England's King Edward II responds with an order directing the English Army to assemble at Newcastle upon Tyne to make a counterattack.source
  • 1322November 2 – Scotland's King Robert the Bruce ends his "Great Raid" campaign after six weeks, and withdraws his troops from northern England.source
  • 1332July 20 – Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, regent of Scotlandsource
  • 1332December 16 – Battle of Annan: The loyalists of David II defeat Edward Balliol in Scotland.source
  • 1335July 30 – Battle of Boroughmuir: John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray defeats Guy, Count of Namur in Scotland.source
  • 1369July 20 – The kingdoms of England and Scotland sign a 14-year-truce.source
  • 1385June 10 – English invasion of Scotland (1385): Preparing to lead invade Scotland as soon as the truce between England and Scotland expires on July 15, King Richard II of England assembles an army at Nottingham.source
  • 1390April 19 – Robert III succeeds his father, Robert II, as King of Scotland.source
  • 1398According to fringe theorists, the Scottish explorer Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, reaches North America.source
  • 1400August 6 – Writing from Newcastle upon Tyne to Scotland's King Robert III, England's King Henry IV sends a demand that King Robert meet him "on Monday the 23rd of this present month of August, at Edinburgh, where, for this reason and for the peace of tranquility of the realms of England and Scotland, we intend to be," for Robert "to perform the obligation which you owe us" as "overlords of Scotland and of its kings in all temporal matters pertaining to them..." King Henry warns that "considering the effusion of Christian blood and other dangers and losses which may occur if you do not comply with our wishes, you will be present to render us homage and take the oath of fealty."source
  • 1400August 14 – King Henry IV leads the English Army into Scotland, after receiving no answer from Scotland's King Robert III to his August 6 demand. The troops reach Haddington, East Lothian the next day and at Leith, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, by August 18. As historian James Hamilton Wylie will note almost 500 years later, "the walls of Edinburgh did not fall before this ram's-horn blast, and August 23rd came and went without the required homage or recognition."source

15th century

  • 1402June 22 – Battle of Nesbit Moor: An English force decisively defeats a returning Scottish raiding party.source
  • 1437February 21– King James I of Scotland is assassinated in an attempted coup d'état led by his uncle and former ally, Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl. The night before, the King and his wife, Catherine Douglas had stopped at Blackfriars monastery in Perth. Queen Catherine is injured while barring the door with her arm in order to allow the King to escape, and King James is found in the early hours of the morning and stabbed to death while trying to escape.source
  • 1439July 9 – The Battle of Craignaught Hill takes place in Scotland between Clan Boyd and Clan Stewart as the Stewarts of Darnley carry out revenge against Sir Thomas Boyd for his murder of Alan Stewart.source
  • 1446January 24 – The Battle of Arbroath takes place in Scotland as the monks of the Abbey of Arbroath dismiss Alexander Lindsay, son of the Earl of Crawford, from the position of Bailie of the Regality, and replace him with Alexander Ogilvy, Baron of Inverquharity. Lindsay attacks the abbey with fellow members of his own Clan Lindsay and the assistance of Clan Hamilton, while Ogilvy is supported by Clan Oliphant, Clan Seton, Clan Gordon and Clan Forbes. The Earl of Crawford, seeking to avert the battle, rides his horse to the battlefield in hopes of conferring with Ogilvy, but is killed by a member of Ogilvy's infantry. In the battle that follows, Clan Lindsay prevails and Ogilvy is killed.source
  • 1449June 18 – Mary of Guelders arrives in Scotland at Leith after being escorted from the Duchy of Burgundy to Scotland following her selection by Lord Crichtonsource
  • 1452May 18 – The Battle of Brechin is fought in Scotland between the royalist supporters of Clan Gordon (led by Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly) and the rebels of Clan Lindsay, led by Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford. Clan Gordon wins and the Lindsays submit to the authority of King James II.source
  • 1468September 8 – The Orkney Islands are pledged to Scotland by King Christian I of Kingdom of Norway in consideration of an agreement for the marriage of 16-year-old King James III of Scotland to Princess Margrete, King Christian's daughter, with the islands pledged as security against the payment of the dowry. As the money is never paid, the connection with the crown of Scotland becomes perpetual.source
  • 1471Orkney and Shetland were absorbed into Scotland.source
  • 1472February 20 – Orkney and Shetland are returned by Norway to Scotland, as a result of a defaulted dowry payment.source
  • 1482August 1 – In the Anglo-Scottish Wars, Richard, Duke of Gloucester invades Scotland, and captures Edinburgh.source
  • 1487July 11 – The Battle of Aldy Charrish takes place in Scotland as the Clan Mackay defeats the Clan Ross.source
  • 1490October 21 – The Massacre of Monzievaird takes place in Scotland at the county Perthshire, with 20 members of Clan Murray being killed when members of Clan Drummond and Clan Campbell set fire to the church where the Murrays have assembled.source
  • 1495February 10 – King's College, Aberdeen, predecessor of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, is founded with the issuance of the papal bull Primo Erectio Universitatis by Pope Alexander VI on the petition of William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen.source
  • 1495July – Perkin Warbeck, having failed to land in Kent in support of his claim to the English crown, retreats to Ireland before proceeding to Scotland. Walter St. Lawrence plays an active part in the defence of Dublin.source

16th century

  • 1503August 8 – King James IV of Scotland marries Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, at Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, Scotland.source
  • 1508March 13 – The oldest annual foot race in Europe, the "Red Hose Race", is run for the first time, taking place in Scotland at Carnwath, Lanarkshire.source
  • 1517August 26– Treaty of Rouen, treaty between France and Scotland.source
  • 1520August 10 - Madeleine of Valois, third daughter of King Francis I and Queen of Scotland (d.1537)source
  • 1544January 19 - Francis II of France, King of France and Scotland (by marriage) from 1559 to 1560.(d.1560)source
  • 1547June 29 – A fleet of 21 French galleys, commanded by Leone Strozzi, arrives at Fife in Scotland and begins the siege of St Andrews Castle.source
  • 1552September 24 – The Debatable Lands on the border of England and Scotland are divided between the two kingdoms by a commission creating the Scots' Dike in an unsuccessful attempt to halt lawlessness here, but giving both countries their modern borders.source
  • 1556November 10 – The English ship Edward Bonadventure, commanded by Richard Chancellor is wrecked on the coast of Scotland at Pitsligo, killing most of its crew, including Chancellor. The few survivors include the first Russian ambassador to England, Osip Nepeya.source
  • 1562November 5 – Battle of Corrichie in Scotland: The rebellion of George Gordon, Earl of Huntly is crushed by James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray.source
  • 1571November 20 – Clan Gordon defeats Clan Forbes in the Battle of Craibstone, fought near Aberdeen in Scotland. Clan Forbes sustains 300 deaths and 200 men are taken prisoner out of its original contingent of 900, while Clan Gordon suffers 200 deaths of its 800 men.source
  • 1573April 14 – grant of denization to Sorley Boy MacDonnell and other settlers from Scotland.source
  • 1577Supposed massacre of the MacDonald inhabitants of the Scottish island of Eigg, by the Clan MacLeod.source
  • 1582August 23 – Raid of Ruthven in Scotland: Presbyterian nobles led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie kidnap King James VI of Scotland, the kingdom's 16-year-old ruler, while he is hunting in Perthshire. The Earl of Gowrie imprisons the King at Ruthven Castle as part of a coup d'etat to reform the Scottish government.source
  • 1582September 28 – Ruthven and his co-conspirators arrange for John Maxwell, 8th Lord Maxwell, heir to former regent James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, to be installed as Scotland's regent. Douglas had been executed in 1581 for the 1567 murder of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and father of King James VI, who is imprisoned at Ruthven's castle.source
  • 1583October 14 – In Scotland, the University of Edinburgh holds its first classes, accepting more than 80 students as "Tounis College". In continuous operation for more than 440 years, the University will have more than 41,000 students.source
  • 1585January – Sorley Boy MacDonnell lands at Cushendun with a substantial army, but after initial successes is driven back to Scotland.source
  • 1593December 6 – The Battle of Dryfe Sands takes place in Scotland at Annandale, between rival clans as John Maxwell leads Clan Maxwell, aided by Clan Grierson and Clan Pollock, in an invasion of the lands of Clan Johnstone, led by Sir James Johnstone. With their defense aided by Clan Scott and Clan Graham, the Johnstone clan wins the battle, but only 160 of the 600 defenders survive the fight.source
  • 1594October 3 – The Battle of Glenlivet in Scotland: The Protestant forces loyal to King James VI, assisted by the armies of 8 clans and led by the Earl of Argyll, oppose Roman Catholic rebels supported by Clan Gordon (led by the Earl of Huntley), Clan Hay (led by the Earl of Errol), Clan Comyn and Clan Cameron. Despite being outnumbered 5 to 1, the Catholic clans win the battle, killing 500 of the Protestant forces.source
  • 159917 December – King James VI, via an act of his Privy Council, decided that Scotland should come into line with other "well governit commonwealths" and adopts 1 January as New Year’s Day. Prior to this 25 March was New Year’s Day. Thus the year 1599 commenced on 25 March 1599 and ended on 31 December 1599 - it was only 9 months long. The next date, in Scotland, was 1 January 1600. This left Scotland at odds with England, where the new year continued to be dated from 25 March. As a consequence 1 January 1600 in Scotland was 1 January 1599 in England. It is sometimes, mistakenly, said that Scotland adopted the Gregorian Calendar at this time. Whilst starting the new year on 1 January was one component of Gregorian reforms, Scotland did not adopt the two more fundamental changes in relation to (1) the computation for leap years and (2) the realignment of the calendar with the solar year, which necessitated the omission of ten days from the existing calendar. Scotland, along with England and Wales, adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1752 under the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 by which time the omission of eleven days from the older calendar was required.source

17th century

  • 1609Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim, Roman Catholic landowner in Ireland and Scotland and political intriguer (died 1683)source
  • 1617May 13 – King James I of England is escorted by the Earl of Home across the border to return to Scotland (where he reigns as King James VI) for the first time since the Union of the Crowns 14 years earlier in 1603. He is given lodging at Home's Dunglass Castle, East Lothian.source
  • 1625March 27 – Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland succeeds to the throne on the death of his father, King James VI and I.source
  • 163926 January – King Charles I raises (with difficulty) an army and begins to march north to fight the Scottish Covenanters in the First Bishops' War, opening the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.source
  • 164013 April – King Charles I summons the Short Parliament in an attempt to fund the Second Bishops' War against the Scottish Covenanters.source
  • 16405 May – the King dismisses the Short Parliament and prepares to attack Scotland.source
  • 164020 August – a Scottish Covenanter army invades Northumberland.source
  • 164121 August – the Scottish Covenanter army leaves Newcastle upon Tyne.source
  • 164422 October – Newcastle upon Tyne captured by a Scottish army led by Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven.source
  • 1646May 5 – King Charles I of England surrenders his forces to a Scottish army at Southwell, Nottinghamshire.source
  • 16465 May – King Charles I surrenders his forces to a Scottish army at Southwell, Nottinghamshire.source
  • 16465 June – the Battle of Benburb, part of the Irish Confederate Wars, takes place in County Tyrone. The forces of Catholic Confederate Ireland under Owen Roe O'Neill secure a decisive victory over a Scottish Covenanter and Anglo-Irish army led by Robert Monro.source
  • 164730 January – Scots hand over King Charles I to England in return for £40,000 of army back-pay. Thomas Fairfax meets the King beyond Nottingham and escorts him to Holdenby House in Northamptonshire.source
  • 164726 December – the King signs a secret treaty with Scotland in which he promises to impose Presbyterianism in England in return for military assistance.source
  • 1649January 27 – King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is found guilty of high treason in a public session.source
  • 164917 March – The Rump Parliament formally abolishes the English monarchy by passing an act abolishing the kingship creating the Commonwealth of England, a republican form of government later extended to Scotland and Ireland.source
  • 16501 May – claimant King Charles II of England signs the Treaty of Breda with the Scottish Covenanters.source
  • 165023 June – Charles arrives in Scotland (at Garmouth) where he signs the Covenant.source
  • 1651July 20 – At the Battle of Inverkeithing in Scotland, the English Parliamentarian New Model Army, under Major-General John Lambert, defeats a Scottish Covenanter army acting on behalf of Charles II, led by Sir John Brown of Fordell.source
  • 165120 July – English Civil War: at the Battle of Inverkeithing in Scotland, the English Parliament's New Model Army defeats a Scottish army loyal to Charles II.source
  • 165128 October – Tender of Union: Parliament issues a declaration that England and Scotland should be incorporated into a single commonwealth.source
  • 1652February 4 – At Edinburgh, the parliamentary commissioners of the Commonwealth of England proclaim the Tender of Union to be in force in Scotland, annexing the Scottish nation with the concession that Scotland would have 30 representatives in the parliament of the English Commonwealth.source
  • 1653December 16 – The Instrument of Government in England becomes Britain's first written constitution, under which Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, being advised by a remodelled English Council of State. This is the start of The First Protectorate, bringing an end to the first period of republican government in the country, the Commonwealth of England.source
  • 165316 December – Instrument of Government: Britain's first written constitution, under which Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, being advised by a remodelled Council of State. This is the start of The First Protectorate, bringing an end to the first period of republican government in the country, the Commonwealth of England.source
  • 1654February 10 – The Battle of Tullich takes place in Aberdeenshire in Scotland during Glencairn's rising, a revolt by Scottish royalists against the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland led by Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. The battle is indecisive.source
  • 1654May 5 – Cromwell's Act of Grace, officially the Act of Pardon and Grace to the People of Scotland, is proclaimed at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh.source
  • 1660January 1 – At daybreak, English Army Colonel George Monck, with two brigades of troops from his Scottish occupational force, fords the River Tweed at Coldstream in Scotland to cross the Anglo-Scottish border at Northumberland, with a mission of advancing toward London to end military rule of England by General John Lambert and to accomplish the English Restoration, the return of the monarchy to England. By the end of the day, he and his soldiers have gone 15 mi through knee-deep snow to Wooler while the advance guard of cavalry had covered 50 mi to reach Morpeth.source
  • 16601 January – Colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and advances towards London in support of Parliament.source
  • 166123 April – Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland is crowned King in Westminster Abbey. A new St Edward's Crown is made for the occasion.source
  • 1664December 20 – All but 3 members of the over 200-person crew of the Dutch ship Kennemerland are killed when the trade ship sinks in a storm near the Out Skerries islands off of the coast of Scotland.source
  • 1666November 28 – The Battle of Rullion Green takes place in the Pentland Hills near Midlothian in Scotland as the culmination of the brief 'Pentland Rising' which began on November 15 as a rebellion by the Covenanters who oppose changes in the Church of Scotland. At least 2,000 men of the Scottish Royal Army, led by General Thomas Dalyell, defeat more than 750 Covenanter rebels who have been under the command of James Wallace of Auchens.source
  • 1679June 22 – Battle of Bothwell Bridge in Scotland: Royal forces led by James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and John Graham of Claverhouse subdue the Scottish Covenanters.source
  • 1685June 11 – Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of King Charles II of England, Scotland, and Ireland, lands at Lyme Regis with an invasion force brought from the Netherlands, to challenge his uncle, James II, for the Crown of England.source
  • 168511 June – Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland, lands at Lyme Regis with an invasion force brought from the Dutch Republic to challenge his uncle, James II, for the Crown of England.source
  • 1687February 12 – The Declaration of Indulgence is issued in Scotland by King James VII as one of the first steps in establishing freedom of religion in the British Isles, eliminating enforcement of criminal penalties against persons who failed to conform with Anglicanism. As King James II of England, he issues a similar declaration on April 4.source
  • 168913 February – William III and Mary II are proclaimed co-rulers of England, Scotland and Ireland in a ceremony at the Guildhall in the City of London but are not yet recognised in Scotland or Ireland.source
  • 168913 February – the Protestant William, Prince of Orange, and Mary II are proclaimed co-rulers of England, Ireland and Scotland in London following the deposition of the Catholic James II at the end of 1688 but are not yet recognised in Ireland or Scotland.source
  • 168921 August – first Jacobite rising: Battle of Dunkeld: Covenanter Cameronians defeat the Jacobites in Scotland.source
  • 1692February 13 – Massacre of Glencoe: The forces of Robert Campbell slaughter around 30 members of the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe in Scotland (from whom they have previously accepted hospitality), for delaying to sign an oath of allegiance to King William III of England.source
  • 1695June 24 – The Commission of Enquiry into the Massacre of Glencoe in Scotland in 1692 reports to the Parliament of England, blaming Sir John Dalrymple, Secretary of State over Scotland, and declares that a soldier should refuse to obey a "command against the law of nature".source
  • 1699March 2 – The Edinburgh Gazette is first published in Scotland.source

18th century

  • 170116 September (N.S.) — following the death of the deposed King James II of England in exile in France, his son Prince James Francis Edward Stuart becomes the new claimant to the thrones of England as King James III and Scotland as King James VIII; Louis XIV of France, the Papal States, and Philip V of Spain recognise him as the rightful heir.source
  • 170514 March – The Alien Act 1705 (a response to the Parliament of Scotland's Act of Security 1704) provides that Scottish nationals in England would be treated as aliens (foreign nationals), and estates held by Scots would be treated as alien property, and also that trade embargoes would be placed on Scottish staple products, unless the Scots enter into negotiations regarding a proposed Treaty of Union of the parliaments of Scotland and England by 25 December.source
  • 170622 July – Treaty of Union provides for England and Scotland to be merged into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.source
  • 1707February 15 – As part of the process of the unification of Scotland and England as Great Britain, Scotland selects 16 members to sit in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster.source
  • 170719 March – The Act of Union with Scotland is passed by the Parliament of England.source
  • 17156 September – First of the major Jacobite risings in Scotland against the rule of King George I: The Earl of Mar raises the standard of James Edward Stuart and marches on Edinburgh.source
  • 1715October 12 – William Mackintosh of Borlum, leader of the Jacobite rising against Great Britain, lands with 1,500 men in Scotland after crossing the Firth of Forth from France.source
  • 1716November 1 – Two new laws go into effect in the Highlands of Scotland to prevent a threat to Britain's ruling House of Hanover by the Jacobites who supported the restoration of the House of Stuart. The Disarming Act requires government authorisation to carry swords and firearms, and the amendments to the Treason Act 1714 permit trials for treason to take place in any court in England, regardless of where the crime was committed.source
  • 1718Marrow Controversy, an ecclesiastical dispute in Scotland, begins.source
  • 171910 June – British Government forces defeat an alliance of Jacobite and Spanish forces at the Battle of Glen Shiel in Scotland.source
  • 1725June 23 – The Malt tax riots begin in Scotland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, after the price of beer and scotch whisky increases. Earlier in the year, the British government extended the taxes in England on malted grain to brewers and distilleries in Scotland. The rioting then spreads throughout Scottish counties.source
  • 1727An old woman known as Janet (Jenny) Horne of Loth, Sutherland becomes the last alleged witch in the British Isles to be executed, when she is burned at the stake in Dornoch, Scotland. (Some sources give the date as June 1722.)source
  • 1732Secession Church formed in Scotland.source
  • 1743Probable date – The last wolf in Scotland is shot, in Killiecrankie.source
  • 1743Last wolf said to be killed in Scotland.source
  • 17459 July (20 July NS) – Jacobite rising: The Du Teillay, carrying the Young Pretender Charles Edward Stuart from France to Scotland, and her escort L'Elisabeth engage with HMS Lion in the English Channel.source
  • 1746January 8 – The Young Pretender Charles Edward Stuart occupies Stirling, Scotland.source
  • 1746August 1 – The wearing of the kilt is banned in Scotland by the Dress Act, which comes into force one year later, on August 1, 1747.source
  • 17461 August – wearing of the kilt is banned in Scotland by the Dress Act.source
  • 1747December 13 – The ordeal of the Maryland freighter sloop Endeavour begins when the ship departs Annapolis for the West Indies and encounters a hurricane. With its masts and rigging torn away, the ship drifts for six months before finally ending up at the island of Tiree off the coast of Scotlandsource
  • 1754May 14 – The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is founded in Scotland.source
  • 175414 May – The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is founded in Scotland; it will come to control the rules of golf.source
  • 1755Construction of St Ninian's Church, Tynet, Scotland, the country's oldest surviving post-Reformation Roman Catholic clandestine church, is completed.source
  • 1755Building of St Ninian's Church, Tynet, Scotland, the country's oldest surviving post-Reformation Roman Catholic clandestine church.source
  • 1785October 5 – Vincenzo Lunardi of Italy becomes the first person to pilot a balloon over Scotland.source
  • 1786New Lanark established in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, by David Dale, as a model cotton milling community.source
  • 1786July 31 – The 'Kilmarnock volume' of Robert Burns' Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect is published in Scotland.source
  • 1797August 29 – Massacre of Tranent: British troops attack protestors against enforced recruitment into the militia at Tranent, Scotland, killing 11 and injuring 8.source

19th century

  • 1801Two ships, the Sarah and the Dove, arrive at Upper Canada carrying 700 passengers from Lochaber, Scotland from the Cameron and Fraser clans.source
  • 180327 July – Caledonian Canal authorized by Act of Parliament and construction begins; Thomas Telford also begins work on improving roads in Scotland.source
  • 18111 February – Bell Rock Lighthouse begins operation off the coast of Scotland.source
  • 181319 March - David Livingstone, explorer and missionary, is born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotlandsource
  • 1817Approximately 200 Scottish artisan immigrants are brought to the Cape Colony by Benjamin Moodie. Among them is David Hume, who becomes an explorer and big-game hunter.source
  • 1818June–August – English poet John Keats with his friend Charles Armitage Brown makes a walking tour of Scotland, Ireland and the English Lake District. On 11 July, while in Scotland, he visits Burns Cottage, the birthplace of Robert Burns (1759–96). Before Keats arrives, he writes to a friend "one of the pleasantest means of annulling self is approaching such a shrine as the cottage of Burns — we need not think of his misery — that is all gone — bad luck to it — I shall look upon it all with unmixed pleasure." but his encounter with the cottage's alcoholic custodian returns him to thoughts of misery. On 2 August he climbs to the summit of Ben Nevis, on which he writes a sonnet.source
  • 1837The first electric locomotive built is a miniature battery locomotive constructed by chemist Robert Davidson of Aberdeen in Scotland, and powered by galvanic cells (batteries).source
  • 184622 June – the North British Railway is opened to public traffic between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed, the first line to cross the border between Scotland and England. Edinburgh Waverley railway station is opened.source
  • 186017 October – The first professional golf tournament is held at Prestwick in Scotland, sometimes regarded as the first Open, although it is not truly open until the following year.source
  • 186922 November – clipper ship Cutty Sark is launched in Dumbarton, Scotland; she is one of the last clippers built, and the only one to survive in the UK.source
  • 187722 October – Blantyre mining disaster kills 207, Scotland's worst-ever mining accident.source
  • 1880A. & R. Scott begin producing the predecessor of Scott's Porage Oats in Scotland.source
  • 188114 October – great gale across the country; in the Eyemouth disaster ("Black Friday"), a severe storm strikes the Berwickshire coast of Scotland and 189 fishermen die.source
  • 188728 May – Udston mining disaster in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland: 73 coal miners die in a firedamp explosion at Udston Colliery.source
  • 1891January 5 – A fight between railway strikers and police breaks out at Motherwell, Scotland.source
  • 1899February 21 – The British freighter SS Jumna is last seen passing Rathlin Island off Northern Ireland. Bound from Scotland to deliver a shipment of coal to Uruguay with minimal crew, it never arrives and is never seen again.source

20th century

  • 1906A submarine telegraph cable was laid by the Great Northern Telegraph Co. from Scotland through the Faroe Islands to Iceland, where it came ashore on the east coast at Seyðisfjörður. In conjunction a telegraph and telephone line, was laid from the landing point to the capital city Reykjavík. This established Síminn (originally Landssími Íslands).source
  • 1915March 11 – WWI: British armed merchantman HMS Bayano is sunk in the North Channel off the coast of Scotland by Imperial German Navy U-boat SM U-27. Around 200 crew are lost, a number of bodies being washed up on the Isle of Man, with only 26 saved.source
  • 191522 May – Quintinshill rail disaster near Gretna Green in Scotland: collision and fire kill 226, mostly troops, the largest number of fatalities in a rail accident in the U.K.source
  • 195331 January – The car ferry MV Princess Victoria sailing from Stranraer, Scotland to Larne, Northern Ireland, sinks in the Irish Sea killing 133 people on board. The dead include Northern Ireland Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Major Maynard Sinclair and Sir Walter Smiles, the Ulster Unionist MP for North Down.source
  • 1961Release of short documentary film Seawards the Great Ships, which will be the first Scottish film to win an Academy Award.source
  • 1970July 19 – Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland (2014–present)source
  • 1979March 1 – Scottish devolution referendum: Scotland votes in favour of a Scottish Assembly, which is not implemented due to failing a condition that at least 40% of the electorate must support the proposal; in a Welsh devolution referendum, Wales votes against devolution.source
  • 1988December 21 - Pan Am Flight 103 is blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing a total of 270 people. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence officer, was convicted of the bombing in 2001. Libyan refusal to extradite al-Megrahi for a trial was a major contributor to UN sanctions on the country throughout the 1990s.source
  • 1989April 1 – Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax (the poll tax) is introduced in Scotland. It will be introduced in England and Wales the following year.source
  • 19942 June - 1994 Scotland RAF Chinook crash: A Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter carrying almost all the United Kingdom's senior Northern Ireland intelligence experts, crashes on the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland, killing all 25 passengers and 4 crew members.source
  • 1996July 5 – Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, is born at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Scotland, UK.source
  • 1997September 11 – Scotland votes in favour of a devolved Parliament, forming the Scottish Parliament less than two years later.source

21st century

  • 2020May 15 – Researchers announce a 2.5 cm millipede fossil belonging to the Kampecaris genus, discovered on the island of Kerrera in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, is the world's oldest-known land animal, which lived 425 million years ago in the Silurian period.source

Named in the same entries