 | 'There is ane end to ane auld sang.' The Chancellor, James Ogilvy, Earl of Seafield, closes the final session of the Scottish Parliament, 28 th April 1707. |  |
| 'There is ane end to ane auld sang.' The Chancellor, James Ogilvy, Earl of Seafield, closes the final session of the Scottish Parliament, 28 th April 1707. | |
King James VI leaves Edinburgh for London and becomes an absentee Monarch, only returning once to Scotland in 1617. From this date, Scotland is governed from London via the Scottish Privy Council.
King James VI decrees that rather that Commisioners for the Shires being elected each year they should continue to serve until the dissolution of parliament.
Death of Henry Frederick Stuart, Duke of Rothesay and eldest son of James VI from typhoid, aged 18. His younger brother Charles, Duke of Albany, the future Charles I, becomes Duke of Rothsay and heir apparant.
John Ogilvie, a Jesuit priest is hanged for refusing to renounce the supremacy of the Pope. He was proclaimed a Saint by Pope Paul VI in 1976.
The Scottish Privy Council recommends the establishment of schools in every Scottish parish, and also that Gaelic should cease to be used.
James VI returns to visit Scotland for the only time.
Death of the Queen, Anne of Denamrk, at Hampton Court in England, aged 44.
King James VI dies and is succeeded by his son Charles, Duke of Rothesay, who is not crowned as King of Scots until 1633.
Charles I, King of Scots marries Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henri IV of France by proxy.
Charles I, King of Scots marries Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henri IV of France in person at Canterbury in England.
Birth of Charles Stuart, later Charles II.
Coronation of King Charles I of Scots at Holyrood.
The National Covenant, which aims to protect the Church of Scotland against English reforms, is signed by many nobles including the earls of Montrose and Argyll. Thousands of others later sign copies of the document.
Charles I of Scots concedes to the Covenant while presiding over the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
Alexander Leslie is created 1 st Lord Balgonie and 1 st Earl of Leven by Charles I, King of Scots.
Solemn League and Covenant against King Charles I is signed.
The Scots Covenanting army is led over the border into England by Alexander Leslie, 1 st Earl of Leven.
James Graham, 5 th Earl of Montrose is created 1 st Lord Graham &, Mugdock, 1 st Earl of Kincardine and 1 st Marquis of Montrose by Charles I, King of Scots .
Battle of Tippermuir. Royalist forces under James Grahame, 1 st Marquis of Montrose defeat the Covenanters under Lord Elcho.
Battle of Inverlochy. Royalist forces under James Grahame, 1 st Marquis of Montrose defeat the Covenanters under the Earl of Argyll.
Battle of Auldearn. Royalist forces under James Grahame, 1 st Marquis of Montrose defeat the Covenanters under Hurry.
Battle of Kilsyth. Royalist forces under James Grahame, 1 st Marquis of Montrose rout the Covenanters under William Baillie.
Battle of Philiphaugh. Royalist forces under James Grahame, 1 st Marquis of Montrose are defeated by Covenanters under Sir David Leslie.
King Charles I of Scos surrenders to the Scots army at Newark.
The Scots army hands over King Charles I to English Parliamentary forces.
The English parliament executes King Charles I at Whitehall without consulting the Scottish Parliament.
Charles, Duke of Rothesay, in exile at the Hague, is proclaimed King Charles II of Scots by the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh.
James Hamilton, 1 st Duke of Hamilton is executed in London.
Birth of 'James Crofts', future Duke of Monmouth &, Buccleuch, son of King Charles II of Scots and his first wife, Lucy Walter. He is brought up by his grandmother Queen Henrietta-Maria at Paris.
James Graham, 1 st Marquis of Montrose, and Captain General of Scotland for King Charles II, is executed in Edinburgh by the Covenanters.
English forces under Oliver Cromwell invade Scotland.
English forces led by Oliver Cromwell defeat the Scots under David Leslie at the Battle of Dunbar.
Charles II is crowned at Scone, the last coronation on Scottish soil of a King of Scots.
Cromwell defeats the Scottish forces under Sir David Leslie at the battle of Worcester. Charles II flees to France after the battle.
General Monck is appointed as England's Military Governor of Scotland. Scotland, effectively conquered by England, is to be part of a Parliamentary Union during the Commonwealth and Protectorate, although the Union does not become law until 1654. The announced Tender of Union would give the Scots 30 seats - 20 from the shires and 10 from the burghs - in the UK parliament at London. Meanwhile, Scottish affairs are managed by eight Commissioners appinted by the English Parliament. After 1655, this is replaced by a Council of State with nine members, two of them Scots.
Scotland, under English military occupation, is declared a republic. The English squire, Oliver Cromwell, becomes Lord Protector of Scotland.
Ordinance for the Union of Scotland and England are read at Westminster.
Scotland is united with England into a single Commonwealth.
General Monck proclaims the Union of Scotland and England at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh.
Death of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector. He is succeeded in office by his son Richard.
Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector. Anarchy reigns.
Secret mariage of James Duke of Albany & York, the future James VIII of Scots, to Anne Hyde, daughter of Sir Edward Hyde, later 1 st Earl of Claredon.
General George Monck, the Military Governor of Scotland, marches his troops to London to restore order.
End of the Republic and Commonwealth. Charles Stuart is once more proclaimed Charles II of Scots.
Death of Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, third son of Charles I, from smallpox, aged 21. He was captured by the parlementarians during the civil war and had been considered as a constitutional monarch by Oliver Cromwell.
The Scottish Parliament meets and revokes all acts passed since 1633.
Mariage of Charles II of Scots, to Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal, by proxy.
Birth of the future Queen Mary II, daughter of the uture James VII.
Public mariage of Charles II of Scots to Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal, in person. They had previously been married by proxy and also in person in a secret Catholic service.
James 'Crofts', son of King Charles II of Scots and his first wife, Lucy Walter is created Earl of Doncaster and Duke of Monmouth by his father, Charles II.
James Duke of Monmouth, eldest and only legitimate son of Charles II, marries Anne Scott, Countess of Buccleuch in her own right. Their descendents, the Dukes of Buccleuch, are the rightful heirs of Charles II and the Kingdom of Scots.
James Scott, Duke of Buccleuch, is created Lord Scott of Whitchester, Earl of Dalkeith and Duke of Buccleuch. His wife is also created Loady Scott of Whitchester, Countess of Dalkeith and Duchess of Buccleuch in her own right.
Birth of James, Duke of Cambridge, the second son of James, Duke of Albany & York. He died in 1667 before his fourth birthday.
Birth of Anne Stuart, the last reigning monarch of the Stewart line.
'Battle of Rullion Glen'. General Tam Dalyell and 3,000 government troops attack protest marchers, killing a number and hanging prisoners.
Death of James, Duke of Cambridge, the second son of James, Duke of Albany & York, aged three years and 11 months.
Death of Queen Henrietta-Marie, the Queen Dowager at Colombes in France, aged 59.
Death of Anne, Duchess of Albany & York, daughter of Sir Edward Hyde, and wife of the future King James VI, aged 33.
Mariage of James, Duke of Albany & York, the future James VII, to Mary of Modena, daughter of Alfonso IV, Duke of Modena.
Mariage of Mary Stuart, daughter of James Duke of Albany to William, Prince of Orange, son of Mary Stuart, Princess Royal and Prince William II of Nassau. The copuple become joint monarchs as William and Mary in 1689.
James Sharpe, Archbishop of St Andrews and Primate of the Church of Scotland, is murdered by Covenanters.
Battle of Drumclog. The Covenanters defeat Royalist troops lead by James Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee.
Battle of Bothwell Bridge. The Duke of Monmouth & Buccleuch, eldest son of Charles II, defeats the Covenanters lead by Balfour of Burleigh and Hackson of Rathillet.
James, Duke of Albany & York, younger brother of Charles II, and later King James VII, is appointed Viceroy of Scotland.
Sir George Mackenzie, Lord Advocate, opens the 'Advocate's Library, which becomes the National Library of Scotland in 1925.
Mariage of the future Queen Anne to Prince Jørgen, son of Frederick III of Denmark.
George Gordon, 4 th Marquis of Huntly is created 1 st Duke of Gordon by Charles II, King of Scots.
Death of Charles II, King of Scots. He is succeeded by his brother James, Duke of Albany who becomes James VII of Scots but never takes the Scottish coronation oath.
The Order of the Thistle, said to have been originally founded in AD 787 by Achaius, King of Scots, is revived by King James VII.
Birth of James Francis Edward Stuart, known as James VIII to the Jacobites and the Old Pretender to the Hanovarians.
King James VII is deposed as King of England by his nephew and son-in-law, William, Prince of Orange.
David Lesley, 5 th Earl of Leven, raises a rebel regiment to fight against the Royal forces. Leven's Regiment became the predecessor of the King's Own Scottish Borderers, now incorporated in the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The Scottish Convention of Estates (Parliament) meets in Edinburgh and issues the Claim of Right. This establishes constitutional principles and secures the right of appeal to the mnarch and to Parliament. However the document is unclear and is contested by those who declare that the monarch has a Divine Right to rule.
The Estates declare that James VII has forfeited the Scottish throne. William of Orange and his wife Mary are offered the throne to reign King and Queen of Scots as William II and Mary II.
James Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, raises the Royal standard at Dundee for King James VII of Scots.
William of Orange and Mary Stuart accept to reign jointly as William II and Mary II, but take the titles King and Queen 'of Scotland' rather than 'of Scots'. They never visit Scotland and reign as absentee monarchs.
The loyalist Royal (Jacobite) forces beat the government army under General Mackay at the battle of Killiecrankie. However, the Jacobite leader, James Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, is killed in the final stages of the battle.
Battle of Cromdale. The government army defeats Royalist troops supporting James VII of Scots.
The Scottish Parliament rejects Episcopacy and the Presbetarian church is established as the official religion.
Glencoe massacre. Thirty-eight MacIan MacDonalds of Glencoe are massacred by government troops under the command of Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon. The order was dictated by Sir John Dalrymple, Master of Stair, and signed, not once, but twice, by William of Orange.
Following discontent with the rule of William of Orange and Mary Stuart, William institutes an Assurance by which all office bearers must acknowledge him as de jure as well as de facto King.
Death of Mary II, Queen 'of Scotland' aged 32. Her husband, William of Orange continues to reign as sole monarch, rather than Mary's younger sister Anne.
William of Orange recognises his sister-in-law, Anne Stuart, the daughter of King James VII, as heir presumptive.
The Company of Scotland is founded and given a monopoly for all Scottish trade with North America, Africa, and Asia.
The Scottish Parliament passes an act "For the Erection of a Publick Bank." The Bank of Scotland has a banking monopoly until the Royal Bank of Scotland is established by Hanovarian sympathisers, in 1727. It absorbed the Central Bank of Scotland in 1868, the Caledonian Bank of Inverness in 1907, the Union Bank of Scotland in 1955 and the British Linnen Bank in 1969. In 2001 it merged with the former Halifax Building Society.
The Scottish Parliament establishes the General Post Office.
The Darien Expedition sets sail from the port of Leith.
The Scottish Parliament passes the Education Act for the setting up of schools in every parish with the teachers to be paid by the landowners.
The Scottish Parliament abolishes Episcopacy.
Three ships of the Company of Scotland arrive at Darien in Panama to found the first Scottish colony.
The English in Jamaica refuse to assist the Scots settlers in Darien against a Spanish threat, having been given express orders from London. Of 1,200 original settlers, only 300 returned to Scotland alive.
A second expedition arrives at Darien to find it has been abandoned.
The English parliament discusses union with Scotland. Sir Edward Sewmour, Tory leader of the House of Commons declares 'Scotland is a beggar and whoever married a beggar could only expect a louse for her portion.'
The new settlers at Darien defeat an attack by Spanish troops.
Darien surrenders to the Spanish.
King William II signs a treaty with Louis XIV of France for the partition of Spanish possessions without consulting the Scottish or English parliaments.
Darien is abandoned for the second time. The English again refuse to help the survivors.
The Scottish parliament threatens to withold funds from King William II, who is believed to be behind the English refusal to assist the Scots at Darien.
Death of William, Duke of Gloucester, aged 11- He was the only surviving child of Queen Anne, who had been declared heiress presumptive to the throne by William of Orange.
Confirmation is received in Scotland that the Darien Expedition has been a financial and human disaster.
The English Act of Settlement bans Roman Catholics from the British throne. The Scottish Parliament is not consulted.
King James VII of Scots dies at Saint Germain-en-Laye in France. Louis XIV of France recognises his son, James Duke of Rothesay, as King James VIII.
The English parliament passes the Abjuration Act which requires all office holders to recognise William of Orange (William III of England) as King.
William of Orange dies and is succeeded as the de facto monarch of Scotland by his sister-in-law Anne, the daughter of King James VII. In England, the Tories take over government from the Whigs.
Anne Stuart, daughter of James VII, takes a Scottish Coronation Oath at Whitehall. Like her sister, she uses the anglicised style of 'Queen of Scotland', rather than the Scottish title of 'Queen of Scots'.
A sitting of Scottish Parliament is not called within 90 days after William's death in breach of an act of 1696. This allows the Scottish Privy Council to declare war on France in support of the interests of England, causing great resentment in Scotland.
The Country Party boycott the Scottish Parliament in protest against the Scottish Privy Council's declaration of war on France without consulting parliament.
First general election in Scotland since 1689. The Country party and the Jacobites make large gains. Number of MPs elected: 100 Court supporters, 70 Jacobites and 60 Country members.
Anne Stuart insists that the Scottish and English Parliaments discuss a Union of the two countries.
The Union negotiations between Scotland and England break down.
The Scottish Estates pass the 'Act anent Peace and War', which denies the right of any monarch to declare a war involving Scotland without consulting the Scottish Parliament.
Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, MP for East Lothian, proposes that the powers of the monarchy should be limited.
The Scottish Parliament is adjourned by James Douglas, Duke of Queensberry after his government suffers a series of defeats. He is later sacked by Anne Stuart and replaced by John Hay, Marquis of Tweedale.
Following elections, the Scottish Parliament discusses the Act of Security which declares that the Scottish Parliament must meet within 20 days of the death of Anne Stuart to appont a successor who must be Protestant and a descendant of the House of Stewart. The Act calls for dissolution of the Union of the Crowns unless Scotland is guaranteed 'the freedom, frequency and the power of Parliament, and the religion, liberty and trade of the nation from English or any foreign interference.' This provokes calls for a Union by the English parliament and the Alien Act.
The government leader and head of the New Party, or Squadrone Volante, John Hay, Marquis of Tweedale, concedes defeat. The Act of Security Scottish Parliament which threatens to block the accession of the Hanovarians to the throne of Scotland is passed and later recieves the assent of Anne Stuart.
The Bank of Scotland suspends all payments.
The English Parliament passes the Alien Act which insists that Scots accept the Hanovarian succession and a Union with England. If Scotland does not comply by Christmas 1705, all Scots living in England are to be considered as Aliens and trade with Scotland is to cease.
A new session of the Scottish Parliament is opened with the pro-Union John Campbell, Duke of Argyll, as Commissioner, or leader of the parliament.
The Duke of Hamilton, the leader of the opposition Country party, does a U-turn and proposes that nominations to the commission on Union should be made by Queen Anne. The motion is carried by four votes and allows the government to ensure that the commission is packed with pro-Union supporters.
Death of the Queen Dowager, Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal and wife of Charles II.
The English Parliament passes the Act of Naturalisation, which gives the status of English subject to all Protestant Hanovarians.
Serious discussions concerning a Union with Scotland are held in London.
A Treaty of Union is drafted in London.
The Scottish Parliament begins to debate the 25 Articles of Union with England.
Violent anti-Union demonstrations in Edinburgh follow the refusal of the government to hold elections to allow the people to pass their opinion upon the proposed Union with England. The Privy Council sends troops into the city.
There is a government majority of 32 in agreement of the first article of Union.
Anti-Union riot in Glasgow.
Stirling Town Council sends a petition against the proposed Union of England. A pro-Union petition is sent from the Burgh of Montrose while anti-Union petitions are sent from the Counties of Aberdeen, Kincardine, Angus, Perth, Fife, Dunbarton, Renfrew, Stirling, Lanark, Linlithgow, Edinburgh, Berwick, Roxburgh, Dumfries and Kirkcudbright and the Burghs of Peterhead, Stonehaven, Forfar, Dunkeld, Perth, St Andrews, Cupar, Falkland, Dysart, Dunfermline, Burntisland, Inverkeithing, Culross, Glasgow, Gorbals, Lanark, Douglas, Paisley, Ayr, Maybole, New Galloway, Kirkcudbright, Lochmaben, Annan, Lauder, Bo'ness, Linlithgow and Dunbar. Numerous parishes, especially in the Hamilton area, also send petitions against the Union.
The Scottish Parliament ratifies the Treaty of Union by 110 votes to 69 against. Sir John Clerk, a government commissioner, admits that this vote is 'contrary to the inclinations of at least three-fourths of the kingdom.' Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun comments 'Scotland is only fit for the slaves who have sold it.'
The Duke of Queensberry, Her Majesty's Commissioner, and the Earl of Seafield, Lord Chancellor, fail to turn up at the traditional celebrations of the Monarch's birthday at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh for fear of a public uprising against the Union.
The English Parliament ratifies the Treaty of Union by a majority of 158 votes.
The Acts of Union receive Royal Assent.
The Act of Union is signed by the Chancellor of the Scots Parliament.
Scotland's Parliament meets for the last time and is adjourned.
The Scottish Parliament is formally closed. The Chancellor, James Ogilvy, Earl of Seafield utters the words 'There is ane end to ane auld sang.'
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