Scotland and Scottish history notes cartoonbuddy

Hello Buddy... an Och Ye Noo (Or You Know) it is about Scotland for you... well to start with,for me,the best toon (tune) in the world,is any toon that is played on the highland bagpipes. When a toon is rolling across a misty Glen and over the waters of a rippling Loch, it fair sends the shivers up a Penguin Persons neck.

So what exactly is in Scotland?... Well, in short, as short as a wee Penguin in fact, many interesting things that are far too grand for this very wee page, here are just some items.

The Capital City is Edinburgh, which holds many festivals, including the new year

celebrations (Hogmanay) and the largest city in Scotland is Glasgow.

There are many Islands off the jagged coastline, Orkney and Shetland being the largest. Enormous loch's (lakes) like Loch Lomond form large areas of beauty that are filled with mystery, especially Loch Ness which some humans say is inhabited by a monster. Nonsense. Nessie's a very pleasant sea serpent who is quite shy and does not like to have her photo taken. Keep an eye on the web cam sometime, see if you can spot her in the Loch.

Anyway, as well as the great Lochs, major rivers dissect Scotland such as the Tay, Clyde, Dee and Forth. There are still, even today, areas where humans are still scarce, such as the Highlands, hilly moor land and Southern Uplands at the English border. The Central Lowlands are where most human people live today.

Ben Nevis is Scotland’s highest mountain and far too high to climb for a Penguin Person without the use of his flying skateboard, although human folk like to climb it regularly. Bye for noo (now), enjoy my notes, I hope you find them interesting.

My history notes

Of all the Ancient British Tribes that had occupied the Island of Britain before the Roman Invasion, only the Picts tribe of the northern part of the country, had remained free by the time the Roman Army had left the Island.

The tribes that lay beyond the Roman defensive boundary lines of their Empire, (the furthermost built into what is known as present day Scotland being called the Antoinne Wall and the lower defensive works called Hadrian’s wall) now became known as the Welsh (or one who has lived under Roman Rule).

After the Roman Legions left, the Celtic tribes of Ireland sought to inhabit, then occupy and control the Island of Britain, but found that the Roman influenced Welsh tribes (who wished to re-effect their own rule) sought to prevent them from doing so and a clash of tribal arms, between previously peaceful (to each other) Celtic cousins, became eventually,inevitable.

The Irish 'Scots' tribe, gave their own name to the North of the country, joining forces with the Picts tribe, who were still very suspicious of the Welsh tribes which had been under Roman rule. Gaelic became the dominant language in the new Scotland and the Irish Scots expanded their land as the culture flourished.

The Welsh leader of Pict decent, Cunedda, retreated from his base near present day Stirling in Scotland (400 BC) to re-establish, defensive positions in the present day Welsh hills (as had the original Britons retired there, after suffering defeat at the hands of the Roman legions on the flat plains of present day England).

The Gaelic Scots advance, inhabitation and domination of the entire island, was stopped by this leader.

With the following invasion by the Anglo Saxon culture and tribes (present day English) the Scots and Welsh were geographically split, by many newly formed Kingdoms and tribal areas, although, both Scots and Welsh Cultures, remained free until the eventual Norman

Invasion of 1066 and subsequent expansion and dominance of the island.

Some general events

Kenneth I first united both the tribes of Scots and Picts.

In 1174 Scotland became a fiefdom of England.

In 1189 Richard I granted Scotland’s freedom. But, closely allied with France, Scotland became more politically active and remained a threat to the English crown. Edward I subdued Scotland and William Wallace lead a Scottish rebellion.

1314 Robert I (The Bruce) defeated the English army at the battle of Bannockburn

1328 English accept Scotland’s independence. Internal power struggles of government weaken Scotland.

1513 James IV and the majority of Scotland’s noblemen killed at the battle of Flodden.

The protestant Reformation, via the preacher John Knox, split the country between both Catholic and Protestant methods of Devine faith. In both external cultural differences and attempts to create influence, England supported the Protestants and France supported the Catholics.

1513 James V married French Catholic Mary of Guise, whose subsequent daughter, eventually became Mary Queen Of Scots.

1567 Mary relinquished Scotland’s crown under Protestant pressure. Her son James VI assumed the crown of Scotland and in 1601 he also assumed the crown of England (becoming James I of England).

Scotland and The English Civil War

Scotland initially supported the anti royal parliamentarians during the English Civil war. But a Pro-Catholic King Charles I, to enlist Scottish support and remain in power, gave concessions' (basically forms of bribery) to the influential Presbyterian (Protestant) faith movement.

Although this act allowed Presbyterianism to become the National Church of Scotland,it did not enable the free and willing support toward the English King by the Scottish people and the King was beheaded by the English Parliamentarians after the English Civil War.

1688 King James II forced into exile for his support of Catholic beliefs.

1692 William III massacred the Macdonald Clan at Glencoe.

1707 Jacobite (mainly Highland Clans) unrest and rebellion to restore a Stuart King, forced the Act of Union (Constitutional merger of the Scottish and English Crown, to prevent any future Independent king or Queen of Scotland)

The Jacobite rebellion

While living in Rome, James Edward, son of King James II and whom most Scots believed to be their rightful King. Allowed his own son, Charles Edward Stuart, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, to return to Scotland and with Jacobite support, seize the kingdom for him.

The Roman Catholic King of France (Louis XV) had, initially, agreed to invade England and restore the Stuart Kingship, but had then changed his mind. With the support of the largest and most powerful clans (MacDonald’s and Cameron’s) other clans joined the Prince, to form a Tartan army who, within two months, had captured Edinburgh without a battle and sent England itself, into a panic. The Scottish army destroyed an English army at Preston pans near Edinburgh a week later, who had marched to retake the Capital.

After these victories many Scots flocked to the Tartan army and the French King again promised his support.

With growing confidence, Bonnie Prince Charlie resolved to march on London itself and oust the English King, hoping for local support as his army marched, from anti royal, English recruits.

In December the army marched toward London, through the English towns of Preston, Manchester and Derby. The support of the French King did not again come, neither did many Englishmen join his cause and with the news of a large English Royal army, of some 30,000 strong approaching, the Tartan army retreated back toward Scotland.

The French King then sent a token force of three, expendable regiments to show his continuing 'support' for the Scottish revolt, but remained sure not to alienate the English King with an overt display of French Force, preferring to watch events and side with any eventual victor.

The Tartan army defeated English armies at Stirlingshire and Falkirk and laid siege to Stirling Castle. During this Castle siege, many Clansmen returned to their homes depleting the Tartan army to a dangerous level. Their basic way of life, farming in the Highlands, meant that Clansmen could not endure long periods away from home, as their families would starve without their support. With a large English force again marching into Scotland, the remaining Tartan army split, retreated and then reunited at Inverness.

1746 (Wednesday 16th April) The Jacobites and their Tartan army were finally defeated at the battle of Culloden Moor, where no prisoners were taken by the English army, they executed everyone they captured.

Following this defeat, the Highland Clan villages were also destroyed, possessions seized and culture violated by the new laws of not to speak Gaelic, not to wear tartan, own weapons of any sort, play bagpipes and the Clan Chiefs, to now have no authority over the basic Clan social structure.

A unified fight for an independent Scotland with it's own Royal family, was now at an end and Scotland eventually became part of the United Kingdom.

Kings and Queens Of Scotland

Alpin line

847-858 - Kenneth I Mac Alpen

858-863 - Donald I

863-877 - Constantine I

877-878 - Aedh (Aed)

878-889 - Eocha (Eochaid) Joint rule with Giric

889-900 - Donald II

900-943 - Constantine II

943-954 - Malcolm I

954-962 - Indulf

962-966 - Dubh (Dub)

967-971 - Culen

971-995 - Kenneth II

995-997 - Constantine III

997-1005 - Kenneth III

1005-1034 - Malcolm II (After death the line of succession is disputed)

1034-1040 - Duncn I (Killed by Macbeth who seized the throne)

1040-1057 - Macbeth

1057-1058 - Lulach

1058-1093 - Malcolm III

Canmore line

1093-1097 - Donald III (Bane)

1094 - Duncan II

1097-1107 - Edgar

1107-1124 - Alexander I

1124-1153 - David I

1153-1165 - Malcolm IV

Bruce and Balliol line

1165-1214 - William I

1214-1249 - Alexander II

1249-1286 - Alexander III

1286-1290 - Margaret

1292-1296 - John Baliol (Balliol)

1306-1329 - Robert I The Bruce

1329-1371 - David II

Stewart line

1371-1390 - Robert II (Stewart)

1390-1406 - Robert III

1406-1437 - James I

1437-1460 - James II

1460-1488 - James III

1488-1513 - James IV

1513-1542 - James V

1542-1567 - Mary Queen of Scots

1567-1625 - James VI (Of Scotland & England)

St Andrews Cross. National flag of Scotland.

Other web pages

Scotland Parliament

Castle Pictures and
detailed information
about Scotland.

Scotland flag

General Tartan

Toon Knowledge.