History of Scotland

Scotland has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic era, when hunter-gatherers lived on fish, wild animals, fruit, plants and shells. The oldest tools found in Scotland date back to the Neolithic period, when farmers built the country’s first permanent homes. Around 84AD, the Romans invaded Britain, but despite building Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall to defend their borders, they never completely conquered the country, and gradually withdrew from Britain. In roughly 800AD, the Vikings began crossing the North Sea to trade and settle in parts of Scotland. Meanwhile, the Picts forged the Kingdom of Alba, which grew into a feudal society. The 11OOs saw relative peace in Scotland under the reign of Alexander II and III, with growth in agriculture and trade with the rest of Europe.

English monarch Edward I believed he should be overlord of Scotland, and in 1297, English troops marched north in a series of gory sieges. Unrest continued into the 14th century, when Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland.

During the 15th century, intellectual life, literature, art, politics and architecture flourished in Scotland, as the Renaissance spread across Europe. Following the tumultuous rule of Mary Queen of Scots, the Act of Union in 1707 brought Scotland closer to England with the creation of a single parliament at Westminster. During the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century, the ideas of Scottish philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and David Hume helped to shape the modern world. The 19th century saw massive urban and industrial development with the rise of mining, shipbuilding, manufacturing and textiles.

Today the stunning scenery and notorious lochs and landscape attract walks and tourists to explore the open stretches as they embrace the beautifully isolation Scotland has to offer. history.