Timeline of Scottish history
This is a timeline of Scottish history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Scotland and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Scotland. See also the list of Scottish monarchs, list of British monarchs, list of First Ministers of Scotland, and list of years in Scotland.
This is an incomplete list that may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.
1st century
2nd century
3rd century
Year | Date | Event |
300 | | The term Pict is first recorded in describing the federated tribes invaded by Constantius Chlorus. |
4th century
5th century
6th century
Year | Date | Event |
547 | | Angles capture the Northumbrian fortress at Bamburgh and found the kingdom of Bernicia. |
563 | | Saint Columba founds a monastery at Iona and begins his mission to the northern Picts. |
574 | | Áedán mac Gabráin begins reign over the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata. |
575 | | Western Scotland is granted independence from the Irish Dalriada, after a convention at Drum Ceatt near Derry. |
580 | | Riderch I of Alt Clut rules region later known as the kingdom of Strathclyde. |
584 | | Bruide son of Maelchon dies. |
7th century
8th century
Year | Date | Event |
717 | | Nechtan mac Der-Ilei expels Ionan clergy from Pictland and adopts Roman usages with the aid of Bishop Curetán; masons sent by Abbot Ceolfrid of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory help build stone churches at Restenneth, Rosemarkie and elsewhere in eastern Scotland. |
724 | | Drust and Nechtan mac Der-Ilei fight civil war (to 729) |
732 | | Death of Nechtan mac Der-Ilei; Óengus mac Fergusa becomes King of the Picts. |
735 | | Óengus mac Fergusa, King of the Picts, campaigns against Dál Riata, and seizes and burns the royal centre of Dunadd |
736 | | Battle of Cnoc Coirpi between Fortriu and Dál Riata |
741 | | Battle of Druimm Cathmail between Fortriu and Dál Riata; the "smiting of Dál Riata", in which Dál Riata is subdued by Óengus mac Fergusa |
747 | | St Andrews founded by this time, death of Abbot Túathalán. |
750 | | Picts defeated by Britons at the Battle of Catohic |
756 | | Óengus mac Fergusa allied with the English of Northumbria attacks the Britons; the English army is destroyed |
761 | | Death of Óengus mac Fergusa. |
763 | | Battle takes place in Fortriu between Ciniod and Áed Find; result unknown. |
778 | | Death of Áed Find, King of Dál Riata |
794 | | Annals of Ulster report the "wasting" of "all the islands of Britain by gentiles [Vikings]" |
9th century
Year | Date | Event |
802 | | Iona burned by Vikings |
806 | | The monasteries under Iona are attacked by Vikings, killing 68 monks |
820 | | Death of Caustantín mac Fergusa. |
829 | | Abbot Diarmait, abbot of Iona, goes to Alba with relics of St Columba |
831 | | Diarmait of Iona goes to Ireland with relics of St Columba |
839 | | Eóganan mac Óengusa and his brother Bran killed in battle with Vikings, end of dominance of Fortriu. |
843 | | Death of Kenneth mac Alpin, King of the Picts; "union of Picts and Scots" traditionally dated from his reign. |
870 | | Alt Clut—Dumbarton Rock— captured by the Norse-Gael or Viking leaders Amlaíb Conung and Ímar after six month's of siege |
878 | | Kenneth mac Alpin's son Áed killed; Giric becomes king. |
889 | | Death of Giric; Domnall mac Causantín, grandson of Kenneth, becomes king. |
890 | | Exodus of the Strathclyde Britons to Gwynedd (in Wales). |
10th century
Year | Date | Event |
900 | | Causantín mac Áeda succeeds Domnall mac Causantín. |
937 | | Battle of Brunanburh English victory in 937 by the army of Æthelstan, King of England, and his brother Edmund over the combined armies of Olaf III Guthfrithson, the Norse-Gael King of Dublin, Constantine II, King of Scots, and Owen I, King of Strathclyde. |
940 | | Saint Catroe of Metz leaves Scotland. |
943 | | Causantín mac Áeda abdicates to become a culdee at St Andrews. |
952 | | Death of Causantín mac Áeda. |
954 | | Indulf captures Edinburgh from Northumbria. |
11th century
12th century
Year | Date | Event |
1124 | | David I becomes king and introduces the feudal system of landholding to much of Scotland. |
1156 | | Somerled defeats the Norse King of Mann and the Isles, establishing his own semi-independent rule as ri Innse Gall-King of the Hebrides. |
1164 | | Somerled is defeated by Malcolm IV in the Battle of Renfrew. |
1174 | | William I signs the Treaty of Falaise in which he swears allegiance to Henry II of England. |
13th century
14th century
15th century
16th century
17th century
Year | Date | Event |
1603 | | The Union of the Crowns: James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England. |
1614 | | John Napier invents logarithms and publishes a book promoting their use in mathematics. |
1618 | | James VI forces episcopacy on the Church of Scotland through the Five Articles of Perth. |
1633 | | Education Act of 1633 ordains a school in every parish (partially successful). |
1638 | | Scottish Covenanters rebel against Charles I. |
1639 | | First Bishops' War |
1640 | | Second Bishops' War |
1642 | | First English Civil War (While it is known as an English Civil war it was in fact very much a British war) (to 1646) |
1643 | | The Solemn League and Covenant promises Scots army to aid English parliamentarians against the king. |
1648 | | Second English Civil War (to 1649) |
1649 | | Third English Civil War (to 1651) |
1650 | | Southern Scotland occupied by the English Commonwealth's New Model Army following Scottish defeats at the Battle of Dunbar 1650 and the Battle of Hamilton during the Third English Civil War |
1651 | 3 September | Battle of Worcester was a victory for New Model Army over the last major Royalist field army. Most of the Royalist officers and men who fought at Worcester were Scottish. For the next ten years, apart from some mopping up operations and a few insurrections, (all of which were easily suppressed) there was not further military resistance to rule from London. |
1654 | 5 May | Oliver Cromwell issued several a proclamation at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh. Oliver Cromwell was the Protector of England Ireland and Scotland, that Scotland was united with the Commonwealth of England (Tender of Union) and there was a general pardon with some exceptions for the people of Scotland for any actions taken during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (Cromwell's Act of Grace). |
1660 | 14 May | The monarchy is restored in Scotland and Scotland resumes its status as a separate kingdom. |
1661 | May | Four men were executed for high treason for their actions against the Crown during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Archibald Campbell, 8th Earl of Argyll, James Guthrie, William Govan were all executed in May 1661 (the fourth Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston fled abroad but returned to Scotland and was executed on 22 July 1663). |
1661 | 6 September | The restoration of the Episcopacy was proclaimed by the Privy Council of Scotland. |
1662 | | During the parliamentary session the Church of Scotland was restored as the national Church and all office-holders were required to renounced the Covenant. |
1662 | 9 September | The Scottish parliament passed the Act of indemnity and oblivion. It was a general pardon for most types of crime that may have been committed by Scots, between 1 January 1637 and before 1 September 1660, during what the Act called "the late troubles" (the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and the Interregnum). |
1679 | | James, Duke of Monmouth defeats Covenanters at the Battle of Bothwell Brig. |
1689 | | Jacobite First Rising highlanders defeats army of William III at Killiecrankie, but are halted at Dunkeld. |
| The Claim of Right and the re-establishment of Presbyterianism. |
1692 | | Massacre of Glencoe. |
1695 | | The Bank of Scotland is created by Act of Parliament. |
1696 | | Education Act of 1696 ordains a school in every parish (successful; act governs education until the 1872 act). |
18th century
19th century
20th century
21st century
See also