SUL Language Schools

Scotland

Scotland is the northern most part of the British Isles and is the most mountainous. It is a country and also one of the most beautiful regions in the British Isles. It is composed of the Southern Uplands, the Central Lowlands and Northern Highlands and Islands.

History is always present in Scotland

Why some history is important
Scotland has been an independent country and the struggle to preserve its unique identity makes its history important for any visitor to understand. Visitors to Scotland are constantly made aware of this unique national heritage when the travel in Scotland.

The Romans invaded this island country in the 1st century AD and named the new province Britannia. To keep the fierce tribes of the north from invading Britannia, Emperor Hadrian had a massive wall built across the island from sea to sea. The Romans called the land north of the wall Caledonia, and they called the people Picts, because the people painted their bodies. Parts of Hadrian’s Wall still stand on the Scottish border.

In the 5th century, Celtic immigrants from Ireland called Scots settled north of the river Clyde. The Scots were already Christians when they left Ireland which led to the conversion of the Picts. In the 9th century the King of the Scots added the Pictish kingdom to his own and in about the 10th century the land came to be known as Scotland.

After the 11th century Norman invasion of England many Anglo-Saxons went north and settled in the richer Central Lowlands, which then became Anglicised. Nevertheless when the King of England asked the King of Scotland for help against the French, he refused and made an alliance with France. For 260 years Scotland held to this so-called “auld alliance” with England’s enemy.

The struggle to maintain Scottish independence
In 1296, The King of England proclaimed himself King of Scotland. The Scots fought back led by William Wallace, they routed the English at Stirling Bridge in 1297. The next year the English returned and defeated the Scots. (This part of the history of Scotland was the foundation for the film “Braveheart”). Robert the Bruce led the Scots in the war for independence and defeated the English in 1314 at Bannockburn near Stirling Castle. In 1328 The English King recognised Scotland’s independence.

The uniting of Scotland and England
When Queen Elizabeth of England died in 1603, the search for a Protestant successor led to the Protestant King James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of England. In England he was called James I. The two nations were thus united almost by accident under a single king, but Scotland remained a separate state with its own parliament and government.

The age-old rivalry between Scotland and England ended formally in 1707 when the parliaments of both nations agreed to the Act of Union. This act merged the parliaments of the two nations and established the Kingdom of Great Britain. Scotland now had free trade with England and the colonies.

The Culture and Economy of Scotland

Some Cultural Highlights
There are many distinctive cultural aspects of life in Scotland including the continuing existence of the Scottish clans and their tartans; the music of the bagpipes and the Highland Games. Scotland also has a proud tradition in education, medicine, philosophy and economic theory. The Edinburgh Festival is world famous for its innovative theatre, poetry and music.

The end of the 18th century was a particularly important period: David Hume won world fame in philosophy and history, Adam Smith in political economy and Robert Burns (who lived near Ayr) in poetry. Today people all over the world sing Burns ‘Auld Lang Syne’ on New Year’s Eve.

In the next generation Sir Walter Scott made the land and history of Scotland known throughout the world.

The Economy
Largely covered by mountains and moorland, the economy of Scotland was mostly based on the wealth of the central lowland cities, especially Edinburgh and Glasgow, both important port cities. Glasgow flourished on the shipbuilding on the river Clyde and made steel from the coal found nearby. Edinburgh developed most of the functions associated with a country’s capital city.

Over-fishing destroyed much of Scotland’s fishing industry but in recent decades the sea has brought new wealth – the oil in the North Sea. Aberdeen and Shetland were principally affected by this new wealth but the bulk of the tax revenues were spent by the UK Parliament in London. However now the Scots have once again their own Parliament in Edinburgh, some to the tax revenue is once again controlled by the Scots themselves.