# History of Scotland

Welcome to History of Scotland. This course is being designed to introduce the general reader to Scottish history. As with all Wikiversity Courses, this is a continual joint collaboration among numerous sources, so please check back at regular intervals. Also, please feel free to use the discussion tab at the top of the page for any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas concerning this course.

## Introduction

This course will involve a series of activities involving reading various articles from Wikipedia and other sources. You may find it useful to take notes as you go, in order to consolidate your learning. You might also try writing short essays on topics that interest you.

## Activity 1

Follow the link to the Wikipedia page on History of Scotland. Read the introductory section, and the sections on Prehistoric Scotland, and the Roman Invasion. You can follow up on any links you are interested in. You may also be interested in Skara Brae, Maes Howe, and broch.

## Activity 2

The section on the Roman Invasion refers to the Picts, Dal Riata, and the history of Christianity in Scotland. Follow the links to find out more about these topics.

## Activity 3

Now read the section in History of Scotland entitled the Rise of the Kingdom of Alba. You can also read further about Kenneth MacAlpin/Cináed mac Ailpín and David I here.

## Activity 4

Read the section The Wars of Independence in History of Scotland. Then read Scottish Wars of Independence, John Balliol, William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and Edward I of England.

## Activity 5

Read the section The Stewarts in History of Scotland. Then read House of Stewart. You should also read Robert II of Scotland and James I of England, and might choose to follow other links on the Stewarts in History of Scotland.

## Activity 6

Once again you should go to History of Scotland, this time reading the section on Protestant Reformation. Then read the main article at Scottish Reformation.

## Activity 7

Return again to History of Scotland, and read the section on the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and the Puritan Commonwealth. Read the articles at Wars of the Three Kingdoms and Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. You may also be interested in Oliver Cromwell, the Covenanters, and Charles II of England.

## Activity 8

Please read the section on The Deposition of James VII on History of Scotland. Other articles to read could include James VII of Scotland, William III of England, the Glorious Revolution, and Jacobitism.

## Activity 9

Turning to History of Scotland again, please now read the section on Scottish overseas colonies. You could also follow the link to the Darien scheme.

## Activity 10

Returning again to History of Scotland, please read the first section on the 18th century. Please also follow the links to Glasgow and Edinburgh. We will read more about the Jacobites below. Read the subsection on the Union, and follow the link to the Treaty of Union.

## Activity 11

Now read the subsection on the Jacobites at History of Scotland, and follow the links to James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite, and the Act of Union 1707, You may also choose to look at Battle of Preston, Battle of Prestonpans, and Battle of Culloden.

## Activity 12

Returning to History of Scotland, please read the subsection on Scotland's New role in the British Empire. You could also read Lord Islay.

## Activity 13

Now read the section in History of Scotland on the end of the clan system. You can also read about Scottish Gaelic, the Scottish Agricultural Revolution, and the Scottish Lowlands.

## Activity 14

You can now read the section in History of Scotland on the Scottish Enlightenment, and the main article at Scottish Enlightenment. Other links to follow are Francis Hutcheson, Adam Smith, David Hume, Dugald Stewart, James Hutton, William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, and University of Glasgow.

## Activity 15

Returning again to History of Scotland in Wikipedia, you should now read the section on Local Affairs. You might also wish to read about the Parish church and the Church of Scotland.

## Activity 16

Please now read the section on Schooling in History of Scotland, and follow the links to the Protestant Reformation and the Industrial Revolution.

## Activity 17

We now turn to the 19th century: please read the section in History of Scotland, and follow the links to the Duke of Argyll, Duke of Atholl, Duke of Buccleuch, Duke of Sutherland, Scottish Canadian, and Scottish American.

## Activity 18

Now read the section in History of Scotland on 19th century Culture. You can also follow the links to Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Visit of King George IV to Scotland, tartan, kilts, and George MacDonald.

## Activity 19

Turning again to History of Scotland, please read the section on 19th century Education, and follow the link to the University of Glasgow.

## Activity 20

In History of Scotland, the next section is on Religion: The Disruption of 1843. Read this section, and follow the links to Disruption of 1843, Church of Scotland,Thomas Chalmers, Free Church of Scotland, and United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. You might also want to read about the Conservative Party (UK) and the Liberal Party (UK).

## Activity 21

Please now read the section on Industrial Revolution in History of Scotland, and follow the links to Industrial Revolution, Andrew Carnegie and the River Clyde. Please also read the sections on Coal and the Railways.

## Activity 22

The next sections in History of Scotland concern rural life and the highlands. Please read these sections and follow the links to the Corn Laws, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge,the Battle of Culloden, the Highland Land League,and the Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886.

## Activity 23

Now read the sections in History of Scotland on population growth and national politics. You can also follow the links on the Whigs, Lord Aberdeen, William E Gladstone, Lord Salisbury, the Duke of Richmond, the Earl of Rosebery, Irish Home Rule, Liberal Unionist Party, Keir Hardie, the Mid Lanarkshire by-election, 1888, Scottish Labour Party and Independent Labour Party.

## Activity 24

The next section in History of Scotland is on industrial expansion. Read the section, and if you wish, follow the links to New Lanark, the American Civil War, Aberdeen Angus, Clydeside, and Scotts Shipbuilding Company.

## Activity 25

Please now read the section in History of Scotland on intellectual life and the Scottish Enlightenment. You can also follow the links to James Clerk Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, James Watt, William Murdoch, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Kailyard fiction, J.M.Barrie, and George MacDonald. Moving from literature to art and architecture, there are links to follow for Glasgow School, Celtic Revival, Arts and Crafts Movement, Japonisme, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Margaret MacDonald, Frances MacDonald, and Herbert MacNair.

## Activity 26

The following section in History of Scotland deals with the Highlands. Read the section, and follow the links to Highlands of Scotland, Napoleonic Wars , Romanticism, Visit of King George IV to Scotland, Queen Victoria, Balmoral Castle, French Revolutionary Wars, Irish Potato Famine, Christian revival, Skye, and Crofting Commission. You will probably have read many other links earlier, eg Duke of Argyll, Duke of Atholl, Duke of Buccleuch, Duke of Sutherland, Corn Laws, Highland Land League, Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886, Liberal Party(UK). Feel free to refresh your memory by visiting these links again.

## Activity 27

The next section in History of Scotland covers the topic of migration. Please read the section, and follow the links to John Witherspoon, John Paul Jones, Andrew Carnegie, Alexander Graham Bell, James Murray, John A MacDonald, Tommy Douglas, Lachlan Macquarie, Thomas Brisbane, Andrew Fisher, Peter Fraser, James Mckenzie, Scotch Canadians, and Scottish Americans.

## Activity 28

Turning again to History of Scotland, we find the next section is on religious schism and revival. You may already have read the links on History of Christianity in Scotland, but you can read them again if you wish to refresh your knowledge. [[wikipedia:, [[wikipedia:,

## Wikibook resources

* Scottish Gaelic

## Wikiquote resources

* Scotland

## Wikimedia commons resources

* Scotland

## Other resources

* BBC - Scotland's History
* BBC - Scottish History
* Learning and Teaching Scotland - Scotland's History
* Heritage of Scotland - History of Scotland

## Scottish history in popular culture

For more vivid representations of Scottish history, I recommend the historical novels of Nigel Tranter and the films Braveheart and Mrs Brown.

## Administration

See Admin subpage