From

Pictland
to

Table of contents
A brief history of Scotland from early times up to
today
Religion
Government

The Caledonians
Inhabited the Northern parts of Britain
Roman invasion 1st century AD
Antonine wall: the Northernmost barrier
frontier of the Roman Empire
South: Britannia (Roman province), North:
Caledonia
Frequent battles between the Caledonians
and the Romans the Romans withdraw
from the Antonine to Hadrians wall, by the
end of the 3rd century they depart.
New name of the Caledonians The Picts
(the painted ones

Pictish tattoos

5th century
The NW of Scotland invaded by
the Gaels or Scoti (originating
from Northern Ireland).
Picts in North and East
Gaels in West
Britons (Welsh speaking
tribes) in South
Gaels and Pictskey figures
different
language, different culture

Saint Columba
Irish monk who first brought
Christianity to Scotland.
Gaels turned to Christianity
Picts continued to worship their
pagan gods
put their faith in druids rather than
monks
however, they slowly accepted
Christianity

The Picts
Flourishing culture, good harvest
excellent target for attack
The Angles dominated Britain
decided to push North
The Picts united to defeat the Angles
by the end of the 8th century
PICTLAND became the dominant
power of Northern Britain.

The Vikings
At the end of the 8th century
Viking invasion forced the Picts
and the Scoti to unite and to form
the Kingdom of Scotland.

How did Pictland become

Scotland?
Giric
Donald
Constantine

Giric (878-889):
Gaelic bishop to the Pictish Church turning the kingdom
of the Picts into a Gaelic kingdom
Donald II (died in 900):
Succeeded to the throne
Continued the Gaelic influence on the Picts
The first time Scotland is mentioned in a written record is
related to the name of Donald, King of Alba or Albanum (a
Gaelic word meaning Scotland).
Constantine II (900-943):
Succeeded to the throne
Gaelic became the new language of power

 Importance of
religion for
Constantine
St Andrews, the new
religious capital of
his kingdom

Major events in Scotlands

history
Bloody wars for independence
By the end of the 13th century, the kingdom has assumed
its modern borders.
12-14th century: immigration of French and Anglo-French
knights cultural flowering, educational development

 Death of Alexander III

(Scottish king)
Edward I King of
England Supreme
Lord of Scotland
Scots wanted
resistance to English
rules Wars of
Scottish
Independence (12961328)
Alexander III

Edward I

Declaration of Arbroath (1320)

The English Crown legally
recognized the independence
and the sovereignity of
Scotland.
14th century the Stewart
Dynasty ruled Scotland
great prosperity

1603
James VI. King of Scots inherited
the Kingdom of England and of Ireland
King James I. of England and Ireland
union of the Scottish and the English
Crown (the kingdoms remaining
individual, sovereign states, own
Parliament, law, ruled by James

William of Orange
Glorious Revolution (1688-89) the
overthrow of King James VII of Scotland
and II of England in favour of William
Of Orange
Great famine in Scotland, reducement
of population

 1706 Treaty of Union

between the Scots
Parliament and Parliament
of England

The Act of Union 1st May 1707

1707, the Act joins the

Kingdom of England and
the Kingdom of Scotland
(separate states, separate
laws, same monarch) into
a single united kingdom
named Great Britain.

 18th century: trade blossomed 1776 Glasgow, worlds

premier tobacco port
Scottish Enlightment, Industrial Revolution blossoming of
trade, commerce, industry, army, navy

Glasgow port

 1832 The Scottish Reform Act changes in the election

laws
growing working classes foundation of the Scottish
Labour Party

Glasgow becomes one of the largest cities in the world.

Scotland major role in the First and Second World War
(ships, machinery, money, fish)
1989 Community Charge (Poll Tax) introduced by
Thatchers Government

The Scotland Act (1998)

Passed by the UK Parliament
A devolved Scottish Parliament and Scottish
Government with responsibility for most laws
specific to Scotland.

GOVERNMENT
Head of the state is the monarch of the UK, Queen
Elizabeth II.
Self government within the UK
Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh has legislative authority
of the areas related to Scotland

The Scottish Parliament

129 members (MSPs)
The Queen appoints one Member of the Scottish
Parliament, nominated by Parliament to be First Minister.
Other Ministers are approved by the First Minister.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) forms the majority in
the government.
Labour Party, Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats,
Green Party opposition represented in Parliament

Bute House in Charlotte Square Edinburgh, residence of the First

Minister

Religion
2011 54% of the Scottish population Christian
37% not having a religion
1560 Scottish Reformation the National Church The Kirk has
been Protestant and Reformed
West 19% Roman Catholic
Islam the largest non-Christian religion (40,000), Jews, Hindu
especially in Glasgow
Samye Ling monastery in Scotland is the first Buddhist monastery
in Western Europe.

Thank
you!

Reference
An Illustrated History of Britain - (David Mcdowall) Longman Pearson 2006 http://

www.scribd.com/doc/135837151/History-An-Illustrated-History-of-Britain-David-McdowallLongman-Pearson-2006#scribd
The Official Gateway to Scotland http://www.scotland.org/about-scotland/scottish-history /
BBC Scotlands History http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history /
History of the Scottish Nation BY REV. J. A. WYLIE, LL.D., Author of History of
Protestantism, etc., VOL. I. PRE-HISTORIC, DRUIDIC, AND EARLY CHRISTIAN
SCOTLAND. L O N D O N : HAMILTON, ADAMS & CO. ANDREW ELLIOT, EDINBURGH. 1
8 8 6. http://www.reformation.org/scothistvol1.pdf
Scotland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland
A History of Scotland The Last of the Free https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1xemi5LQyA