Prehistoric times
c.6000 BC
First sign of human settlement on west coast and islands.
c.1000 BC
First invasion of Celtic tribes.
The Romans
AD 82
Agricola’s forces enter Scotland and reach Aberdeenshire.
142
Second Roman invasion reaches Firth of Forth.
185
Withdrawal of Roman forces behind Hadrian’s Wall.
Early Christians
397
First Christian church founded at Whithorn by St Ninian.
563
St Columba lands on Iona and founds monastery.
Robert the Bruce.
Bill Wassman/APA Publications
The birth of Scotland
843
Kenneth MacAlpin becomes first king of Scots.
973
Kenneth II defeats the Danish Luncarty, near Perth.
1018
Malcolm II defeats the Northumbrians at Battle of Carham.
The early years
1040
Macbeth becomes king by murdering Duncan I.
1124–53
Reign of David I. Royal burghs founded, and Border abbeys established.
1249
Alexander III becomes king. Start of ‘Golden Age’.
Wars of succession
1286
Death of Alexander III. Succeeded by infant granddaughter Margaret. Rival claimants to throne include John Balliol and Robert Bruce.
1290
Margaret dies en route to Scotland. Edward I of England declares himself feudal overlord of Scotland.
1291–6
Edward I (the Hammer of the Scots) invades Scotland; wins Battle of Dunbar.
1297
Rebellion led by William Wallace defeats English forces at Stirling Bridge.
1305
English put Wallace to death as a traitor.
1306
Robert the Bruce becomes King Robert I and is crowned at Scone. After a defeat he spends a year in exile.
1314
Scots forces under Robert the Bruce defeat English at Battle of Bannockburn.
1333
English defeat Scots at Halidon Hill.
The early Stuarts
1371
Robert II, first of the Stuarts, becomes king.
1406–1542
Reigns of James I–V.
1513
James IV killed in Battle of Flodden.
1542
James V dies after Battle of Solway Moss. Baby daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, succeeds.
1547
Hertford wins Battle of Pinkie. Mary taken to France.
1561
Mary returns to Scotland to reclaim throne.
1566
Birth of James VI.
1587
Mary, Queen of Scots executed.
The Battle of Culloden.
Library of Congress
The union of crowns and parliaments
1603
Elizabeth I dies. James VI becomes James I of England.
1650
Cromwell seizes power in England. Scots proclaim Charles II as king in defiance. Lose to Cromwell at Dunbar.
1660
Charles II restored as king.
1689
James VII/II deposed by William and Mary. Scots supporters of James (Jacobites) win Battle of Killiecrankie.
1692
Massacre of Glencoe.
1707
Treaty of Union, abolition of separate Scottish parliament.
Jacobite rebellions and the Clearances
1715
Rebellion led by Earl of Mar fails after battle at Sheriffmuir.
1745
Prince Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s success at Prestonpans puts much of Scotland in Jacobite hands.
1746
Campaign ends in debacle at Culloden on 16 April.
1780s
Highland Clearances, people evicted to make room for sheep; ‘Age of Enlightenment’ in literature and the arts.
The Industrial Age
1823
Caledonian Canal opened.
1836
Highland potato crop fails.
1850 onwards
Fast industrial expansion.
1852
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert buy Balmoral.
1882
The ‘Crofters War’, including Battle of the Braes on Skye.
The Modern Age
1924
Ramsay Macdonald becomes first Labour prime minister.
1934
Scottish National Party (SNP) formed.
1964
Forth Road Bridge opened.
1975
Start of North Sea gas and oil exploitation.
1997
Referendum votes in favour of a 129-member Scottish Parliament with tax-varying powers.
1999
Scottish Parliament is elected.
2007
Alex Salmond (SNP) is elected First Minister of Scotland.
2013
Scottish Catholic Church in crisis as its cardinal, Keith O’Brien, is accused of inappropriate conduct with junior clergy.
2014
In the referendum on Scottish independence, slightly over 55 percent of voters elect to remain part of the United Kingdom. After the vote, Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) replaces Alex Salmond as the First Minister of Scotland.
2016
SNP maintains majority in Scottish Parliament for third term. The UK decides to leave the EU in a hotly contested referendum. Withdrawal is expected in 2019.