The wild lands at the north-western edge of Europe. Settled for millenia, for centuries they were beyond the grasp of empires, from the Romans, to the Vikings and the mighty English to the south. Mixed with their own celtic brothers to the west, their fierce continued independence gave rise to a unique culture that has survived to this day. And yet the irony is they later became wedded to their greatest rivals sitting on the front row of the show that saw the greatest empire in the world. In their Age of Enlightenment, they produce so many great thinkers and innovators, the world would be a very different place without them. Now, in this 21st Century, the call for independence is greater than ever. Will they once again become their own masters? To understand this we must look at the story of the North of the British Isles, the History of Scotland.

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction, Titles
2:21 Overview of Scotland
3:30 Names for Scotland
4:26 Ice-age, Neolithic and Iron Age Scotland, The Celts
6:14 Scotland in Roman Times
7:07 Early Medieval Scotland
9:12 Anglo-Norman Influence, Wars of Independence
11:32 Highlanders and Lowlanders
12:37 Mary Queen of Scots
14:00 King James and the Personal Union
14:37 The Darien Scheme and the Creation of Great Britain
17:18 The Scottish Enlightenment
19:04 The Jacobite Rising of 1745
21:00 Scotland and the British Empire
23:42 Scotland in the 20th Century
25:30 Part 2 Trailer and Outro

In this first part of a 2-part special Scotland documentary we first look at the history of Scotland, from the stone age, neolithic period, including the site of Skara Brae, through to the origins of the Celts and how they influence Scottish culture through to today. We look at how the Romans were not able to conquer Scotland, and then after they left how the Anglo-Saxons influence early medieval Scotland, along with equal influence from the “Scots” of Ireland, spreading the Gaelic language and replacing that of the Picts.

The Anglo-Norman influence upon Scotland increased following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and through the Scottish Royal court and the formation of the first towns (“burghs”) the Scots language emerged, a mix of Middle English and Gaelic, that is still spoken today.

The Stuart Dynasty ruled Scotland at this time, and Mary Queen of Scots was the most famous, and most tragic of these. Despite her own abdication, fleeing to England, imprisonment and final execution, her son James VI later became King James I of England, in a Personal Union between the two countries. But it was the failed Darien Scheme in Panama almost a century that ultimately led to the full union of Scotland and England as the nation of Great Britain in 1707.

Scotland thrived in the new Union and the Scottish Enlightenment produced global giants in philosophy, economics and engineering such as Hume, Adam Smith and James Watt, inventor of the practical, portable steam engine. But not all were happy with the new arrangement. Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), landed in Scotland and united the Highlanders and Lowlanders in his claim for the British crown. The Jacobite Rising of 1745 ultimately failed, leading to the Highland Clearances that saw the old Highlander way of life gone forever. This was the period in which the hit TV Series “Outlander” was set.

In the British Empire, Scotland took full advantage of the opportunities in trade and industry, with Glasgow become a hive of industry, with shipbuilding in particular leading the world in. But the Highland Clearances, among other factors, led to a huge number of urban poor and slums in Glasgow and other cities, leading millions of Scots to seek a better life in other parts of the world.

In recent decades, the cry for Scottish Independence has increased, with the Scottish National Party (SNP) become the dominant voice in British politics. While a referendum on Scottish Independence failed in 2014, the country continues to remain split on whether to stay in the United Kingdom, or to once again strive for… as William Wallace was scripted to say… FREEDOM!
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Title Music: https://elements.envato.com/beautiful-celtic-inspiration-2PHAWRJ

VIDEO & PHOTO CREDITS
https://geodiode.com/nse/scotland-1#credits

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Narrated, Written and Produced by
B.J.Ranson

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