This article is about the specific polity Kingdom of Scotland and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was a country that is thought to have originated from the union of several gaelic and pictish kingdoms over time. It occupied the northern part of the island of Great Britain, corresponding to modern-day Scotland (the borders slightly changing duirng its history). Scotland entered a Person Union with England when the King of Scotland inherited the English throne in 1603. With the Acts of Union 1707, the two Kingdoms where united into one kingdom.
Establishment
January 844: Through the merger of Gaelic and Pictish kingdoms, Cínaed mac Ailpín (Kenneth MacAlpin) established the Kingdom of Scotland in the 840s (traditionally dated to 843).
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Was the creation of the Kingdom of Scotland.
Was the Viking invasion of the British Isles that started with the arrival of the Great Heathen Army in 865 and resulted in the establishment of the Danelaw, the part of England dominated by the Danes.
January 876: Both Orkney and Shetland saw a significant influx of Norwegian settlers during the late 8th and early 9th centuries. Vikings made the islands the headquarters of their pirate expeditions carried out against Norway and the coasts of mainland Scotland. In response, Norwegian king Harald Fairhair annexed the Northern Isles, comprising Orkney and Shetland, in 875.
January 881: Sutherland was part of the Caithness mormaerdom for most of this title's history.
January 881: In the Middle Ages, Caithness came under the control of the Norwegian Jarle of Orkney. […] According to the Landnámabók, Thorstein Olafsson (fl c. 850-c. 880) and Sigurd Eysteinsson “conquered Caithness, Sutherland and Moray, and more than half of Argyll [and] Thorstein ruled over these territories as King”.
January 896: According to the Orkneyinga Saga, in about 872 Harald Fairhair became king of a united Norway and many of his opponents fled to the islands of Scotland including the Hebrides of the west coast, and the Northern Isles. Harald pursued his enemies and incorporated the Northern Isles into his kingdom in 875 and then, perhaps a little over a decade later, the Hebrides as well.
Was a civil war in England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153 that followed the death of King Henry I.
December 1135: David of Scotland, related to Matilda on her mother's side, Queen Margaret, once again invaded the north of England, pressing southward into Yorkshire.
April 1136: The royal army marched north rapidly, and Stephen of England met David of Scotland at Durham. Here an agreement was reached whereby David would return most of the acquired territories, with the exception of Carlisle.
January 1139: The English king took the opportunity of his military advantage to reach an agreement with Scotland: Matilda of Boulogne, wife of the king, was sent to negotiate a treaty between her husband, King Stephen, and David I of Scotland. With the Treaty of Durham, Northumbria and Cumbria were granted to the Scottish king.
Was a war between the Kingdom of Norway and the Kingdom of Scotland over the ownership of the Hebrides.
4.1.Treaty of Perth
Was the treaty that ended the Scottish-Norwegian war. The Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Man were yielded to the Kingdom of Scotland.
July 1266: The Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Man were yielded to the Kingdom of Scotland as a result of the 1266 Treaty of Perth.
Were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
5.1.First War of Scottish Independence
Was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328.
5.1.1.English invasion of Scotland (1296)
Was the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 that resulted in the occupation of the country.
March 1296: The English army crossed the Tweed River and proceeded to the priory of Coldstream.
March 1296: The Kingdom of England captured Berwick.
April 1296: After the Battle of Dunbar Edward I of England arrived at Dunbar on 28 April, with the castle surrendering.
May 1296: Edward I, the King of England, arrived in Haddington as part of his campaign to assert English control over Scotland.
May 1296: Lauder conquered by Kingdom of England.
June 1296: King Edward I of England led his army to capture various Scottish territories including Jedburgh Castle, Wyel, Castleton, Jedborough, and Roxburgh. The English forces then proceeded to Lauder and the abbey of Newbattle.
June 1296: In Edinburgh English forces laid siege to Edinburgh Castle. After five days of siege the castle surrendered.
July 1296: In 1296, King Edward I of England marched through Auchterarder, Perth, Kinclaven, Clunie, Inverqueich, Forfar, Farnell, and Montrose as part of his campaign to assert English control over Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence.
July 1296: Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks, was the King of England at the time. Stirling Castle was surrendered by the porter to Edward I in 1296 during the First War of Scottish Independence. This event marked the English conquest of Scotland.
August 1296: John and the leading nobles of Scotland presented themselves to Edward I at Stracathro Churchyard in July and surrendered.
5.1.2.Wallace Revolt
Was a revolt in Scotland against English occupation led by William Wallace and Andrew de Moray.
November 1297: William Wallace, a Scottish knight and leader of the Scottish resistance against English rule, picked up the sword in 1297 to invade England. He crossed into Northumberland, a territory that was part of the Kingdom of Scotland at the time.
November 1297: Wallace and Moray divided their forces and in a short time again forced the English south of the Forth, leaving them holding only the castle of Dundee.
December 1297: Scottish forces led by William Wallace leave Northumberland.
5.1.3.English Second Invasion of Scotland
Was a military campaign undertaken by Edward I of England in retaliation to a Scottish uprising in 1297. The English were ultimately unsuccesful in recapturing Scotland.
July 1298: Battle of Falkirk: the English army defeated the Scots. Edward of England occupied Stirling and raided Perth, St. Andrews and Ayrshire.
September 1298: The English forces retreated to Carlisle.
January 1300: The Scots recaptured Stirling Castle.
5.1.4.English Third Invasion of Scotland
Was a military campaign undertaken by Edward I of England to continue gains from the 1298 invasion.
June 1300: Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks, was the King of England who led the campaign into Scotland in 1300. Caerlaverock Castle was a strategically important fortress in the region of Annandale and Galloway, which fell under English control as a result of the invasion.
October 1300: In 1300, King Edward I of England arranged a truce with the Scots on 30 October after facing lack of success in the occupied regions. This allowed him to return to England from the ongoing conflict with the Kingdom of Scotland.
October 1301: Bothwell conquered by Kingdom of England.
January 1302: In 1301, the English armies led by King Edward I and his son Prince Edward met at Linlithgow to winter.
February 1302: In January 1302, King Edward I of England agreed to a nine-month truce with King John Balliol of Scotland. This truce was part of ongoing negotiations between the two kingdoms during the First War of Scottish Independence.
5.1.5.English Fourth Invasion of Scotland
English invasion of Scotland, undertaken by King Edward I of England after the failure of the 1301 invasion.
July 1303: King Edward I of England reached Edinburgh in June 1303.
July 1303: The English army marched on Linlithgow, Stirling, and Perth.
September 1303: In 1303, King Edward I of England traveled through Dundee, Montrose, and Brechin before arriving in Aberdeen in August. This journey was part of his campaign to assert English control over Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence.
December 1303: In 1303, King Edward I of England marched through Moray, Badenoch, and Dunfermline as part of his campaign to assert English control over Scotland. This military campaign was part of the ongoing conflict between the two kingdoms for dominance in the region.
February 1304: Early in 1304, Edward of England sent a raiding party into the Scottish borders, which put to flight the forces under Fraser and Wallace. With the country now under submission, all the leading Scots surrendered to Edward in February, except for Wallace, Fraser, and Soulis, who was in France. Terms of submission were negotiated on 9 February by John Comyn.
June 1304: Having eliminated most Scottish opposition, Edward turned his attention to Stirling Castle, laying siege to it.
5.1.6.De facto independence of Scotland from England
De facto independence of Scotland was established in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn.
June 1314: De facto independence was established in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn.
May 1318: Sir James Douglas, a Scottish knight and military leader, captured Berwick-upon-Tweed from the English in 1318 during the First War of Scottish Independence. The town had been under English control since 1296.
5.1.7.Bruce campaign in Ireland
Was a three-year military campaign in Ireland by Edward Bruce, brother of the Scottish king Robert the Bruce.
January 1315: In 1315, during the First War of Scottish Independence, Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce bypassed Dublin and advanced to Kildare in southern Ireland, as part of their campaign against English rule in Ireland.
May 1315: Edward Bruce, the younger brother of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland, landed at Larne in Antrim on May 26, 1315.
June 1315: The Scots, led by King Robert the Bruce, captured Dundalk from the English forces.
September 1315: The defeat of the Earls of Ulster secured Edward Bruce a base in Ulster.
January 1316: In December 1315, King Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeated a force led by Roger Mortimer of Wigmore at Kells. This victory was a significant moment in the First War of Scottish Independence, solidifying Bruce's control over the region.
January 1316: Ardscull at Athy on 26 January 1316.
February 1316: The Scots retreated to Ulster in view of their low supplies.
September 1316: During the First War of Scottish Independence, King Robert the Bruce of Scotland led his forces to capture the castles of Greencastle and Northburgh in 1316, expanding his territory in Ireland.
October 1316: Carrickfergus surrendered to Socttish forces in September 1316.
February 1317: In 1317, during the First War of Scottish Independence, King Robert the Bruce's forces burned the town of Slane in County Meath, Ireland. This was part of the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of Scotland and the English crown.
February 1317: Before February 23, the Scottish army was in front of Dublin.
April 1317: In 1317, Edward Bruce, brother of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland, led a military campaign through Leinster and Munster in Ireland. They bypassed Dublin and headed southwest, eventually reaching Limerick in early April.
April 1317: The turning point came in early April 1317 when the new King's Lieutenant Roger Mortimer landed in southern Ireland with reinforcements. With no adequate supplies, no support from the Irish people and amid further fighting, the Scots retreated to Ulster.
5.1.8.Bruce raids of Northern England
Raids on Northern England, carried out by Scottish king Robert the Bruce during the First Scottish War of Independence between 30 September and 2 November 1322.
September 1322: The Great Raid of 1322 was a major raid on Northern England, carried out by Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland.
October 1322: End of the Scottish Great Raid of 1322.
5.2.Second War of Scottish Independence
The Second War of Scottish Independence broke out in 1332 when Edward Balliol, a claimant to the Scottish throne, led an English-backed invasion of Scotland.
5.2.1.Edward Balliol invasion of Scotland
Was the English invasion of Scotland led by the pretender to the Scottish throne Edwar Balliol.
August 1332: Battle of Dupplin Moor: fought between supporters of the child King David II, the son of King Robert the Bruce, and rebels supporting the Balliol claim in 1332. Particularly prominent among Balliol's supporters were residents of Fife and Strathearn.
October 1332: In 1332, Edward Balliol, son of former Scottish king John Balliol, was crowned King of Scots by his supporters known as the Balliol Loyalists. He marched across Scotland, eventually settling in Roxburgh as he continued to gather support for his claim to the Scottish throne.
December 1332: Edward Balliol was driven from Scotland in the Battle of Annan.
5.2.2.Invasion of Edward III
English invasion of Scotland, undertaken by King Edward III of England as part of the Second War of Scottish Independence.
March 1333: Battle of Dornock.
April 1333: Siege of Berwick.
July 1333: Siege of Berwick.
August 1333: In July 1333, King Edward III of England gained control of several Scottish territories, including Roxburgh, Edinburgh, Peebles, Dumfries, Linlithgow, and Haddington, from King John Balliol of Scotland during the Second War of Scottish Independence.
January 1334: Battle of Halidon Hill: much of Scotland falls under English occupation, with eight of the counties of the Lowlands ceded to England by Edward Balliol.
August 1335: Edward III was the King of England and Edward Balliol was a claimant to the Scottish throne. In 1335, they invaded Scotland with a large army, capturing Glasgow and Perth as part of their campaign to assert English control over Scotland.
November 1336: By the end of 1336 the Scots had regained control over virtually all of Scotland.
June 1337: In May 1337, the English army under the orders of Henry Plantagenet invaded Scotland, followed in July 1337 by another army under the orders of King Edward III. Together, they ravaged much of the northeast by sacking Elgin and Aberdeen, while a third army pillaged the southwest and the Clyde Valley.
July 1337: In May 1337, the English army under the orders of Henry Plantagenet invaded Scotland, followed in July 1337 by another army under the orders of King Edward III. Together, they ravaged much of the northeast by sacking Elgin and Aberdeen, while a third army pillaged the southwest and the Clyde Valley.
5.2.3.Raid of David II
Was a raid in Northern England by the Scottish king David II.
October 1341: David II of Scotland leads a raid on England.
November 1341: Edward III marshal an army north to reinforce the borders against the invading Scottish forces.
Was an inconclusive military campaign of Henry IV of England in Scotland.
August 1400: King Henry IV of England invaded the Scotland border regions in Berwickshire in mid-August of 1400.
August 1400: Following the failed invasion of Scotland in 1400, King Henry IV of England ordered the retreat of the English army back across the border. This retreat marked a significant victory for the Kingdom of Scotland, led by King Robert III.
In 1603, James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, who had died childless, joining Scotland with England in a personal union.
March 1603: James VI of Scotland became King of England, joining Scotland with England in a personal union.
January 854: Norse (Vikings) occupied Dublin and founded the kingdom of Dublin.
January 1035: Some time after 1018 and before 1054, the kingdom of Strathclyde appears to have been conquered by the Scots, most probably during the reign of Máel Coluim mac Cináeda who died in 1034.
January 1093: At the time of the Domesday Book (1086) most of the future county of Cumberland was part of Scotland.In 1092, King William Rufus of England invaded the Carlisle district, settling it with colonists.
December 1135: On the death of King Henry I in 1135, Cumberland was regained by Scotland's King David I.
January 1140: Until the thirteenth century the borders of Scotland with England were very fluid, with Northumbria being annexed to Scotland by David I. After another invasion by his father, Henry of England was finally invested with the Earldom of Northumberland in 1139.
January 1158: The Earldom of Northumberland was briefly held by the Scottish royal family by marriage between 1139-1157. In 1157 it was given back to England.
September 1237: The Treaty of York (1237) fixed the boundaries with the Kingdom of the Scots with England.
January 1240: Sutherland is acquired by Scotland.
March 1290: In 1290 King Edward I of England sent Walter de Huntercombe to take possession of the Isle of Man.
June 1313: The Isle of Man remained in English hands until 1313, when Robert Bruce took it after besieging Castle Rushen.
August 1317: The Isle of Man reverts to Scottish control.
January 1329: The isle of Man falls under the control of Scotland.
June 1333: The Isle of Man was held by the Scots until 1333.
January 1472: In 1471, the Northern Isles of Shetland were formally annexed by the Kingdom of Scotland after William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness, ceded his title to James III in 1470. This marked the direct absorption of the territory into the Scottish Crown.
January 1473: The Kalmar Union lost territory when the Northern Isles were pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland in 1468. The money was never paid, so in 1472 the islands were annexed by the Kingdom of Scotland.
Disestablishment
March 1603: James VI of Scotland became King of England, joining Scotland with England in a personal union.
Selected Sources
Tucker, S.C. (2011) Battles that changed History - An Encyclopedia of World Conflict, ABC-CLIO, p.126
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Kingdom of Scotland
