19 July
During the second Scottish war of Independence, the Scottish forces of Douglas suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of Edward III the king of England. Continue reading “1333 The Battle of Halidon Hill”
30 June
King Henry II of France is mortally wounded in a jousting match against Gabriel, comte de Montgomery. Continue reading “1559 – Henry II of France is mortally wounded”
A set of lead sling bullets that made a whistling sound when thrown have been discovered by archaeologists in Burnswark Hill in southwestern Scotland. Continue reading “Roman terror weapon discovered in Scotland”
April
The precursor to the ‘Union Jack’, the Union Flag is adopted in this year as a consequence of the personal union of the crowns of England and Scotland.
27 March
Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland from this day in 1625 until his execution in 1649. Continue reading “1625 – Charles I becomes King of England, Scotland and Ireland”
24 March
James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on this day in 1603 until his death. The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciary, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union. Continue reading “1603 – James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England and Ireland”
A part of a skull thought to belong to a combatant at the battle of Culloden has been turned into a digital 3D model.
Continue reading “Battle-scarred skull found at Culloden 3D scanned”
10 February
Henry Stewart or Stuart, Duke of Albany (7 December 1545 – 10 February 1567), styled Lord Darnley before 1565, was king consort of Scotland from 1565 until his murder at Kirk o’ Field in 1567. He was the second but eldest surviving son of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, and his wife, Lady Margaret Douglas. Darnley’s maternal grandparents were Archibald Douglas, sixth Earl of Angus, and Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England, and widow of James IV of Scotland. It is the common belief that Henry Stewart was born on 7 December, but this is disputed. He was a first cousin and the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and was the father of her son James VI of Scotland, who succeeded Elizabeth I of England as James I. Continue reading “1567 – Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, is found strangled”
23 January
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V, and was Regent of Scotland for his half-nephew, the infant King James VI of Scotland, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570. Continue reading “1570 – James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland, is assassinated by firearm”
2 January
The 1971 Ibrox disaster was a crush among the crowd at an Old Firm football game, which led to 66 deaths and more than 200 injuries. It happened on this day in 1971 in an exit stairway at Ibrox Park (now Ibrox Stadium) in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the worst British football disaster until the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, England, in 1989. Continue reading “1971 – The second Ibrox disaster kills 66 fans at a Rangers-Celtic association football (soccer) match”
3 October – On this day
Robert Roy MacGregor (baptised 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Jacobite and Scottish outlaw, who later became a folk hero. He has been called “the Scottish Robin Hood”. Continue reading “1712 – The Duke of Montrose issues a warrant for the arrest of Rob Roy MacGregor”
21 September – On this day
The Battle of Prestonpans was the first significant conflict in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Continue reading “1745 – The Battle of Prestonpans”
13 September – On this day
The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on this day in 1645 during the Civil War near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist force of the Marquis of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, restoring the power of the Committee of Estates. Continue reading “1645 – Battle of Philiphaugh”
11 September – On this day
The Battle of Stirling Bridge was a battle on this day in 1297, the forces of Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated the combined English forces of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, and Hugh de Cressingham near Stirling, on the River Forth. Continue reading “1297 – Battle of Stirling Bridge”
