Video: A short history of Scotland

From the Picts and Caledonians through to the Kingdom of Alba and on to the Jacobite rebellion, Scotland has a fascinating history.

One of the big draws for visitors travelling to Scotland is our rich and tempestuous history.

Like many parts of the world, our humble beginnings can be traced back to the Stone Age but our recorded history didn’t start until the Roman Empire failed to Conquer Caledonia.

Moving through time, it was the 9th Century when fleets of Viking longships made land in Scotland on their migration across Scandanavia. Capable fishermen and navigators, they brought with them a heightened sense for trading.

The Battle of Culloden, 1746. Picture: Wikimedia Commons

Despite these invasions, Scotland’s “Auld Enemy” was not to be found over an ocean, but further south down the island we know know as Britain.

Bloody battles marked the turn of the 14th Century, a period known as The Scottish Wars of Independence. The meteoric rise of William Wallace, the crowning of Robert the Bruce and the Declaration of Arbroath would soon follow.

In the 18th Century, Scotland would again be at loggerheads with England as Bonnie Prince Charlie plotted to rebel against the English crown. Unfortunately, the Battle of Culloden was only to last one hour as the Hanovarian army tore Charles Edward Stuart’s dream of a rebellion to shreds,

Scotland is still making history in the 20th and 21st Centuries. In 1999, the Scottish Parliament met for the first time in 300 years and 55% of Scots voted against independence in the 2014 independence referendum.

What comes next for Scotland will some day make the history books too,