9 maps that tell the history of Scotland
9 maps that tell the history of Scotland
9 maps that tell the history of Scotland
9 maps that tell the history of Scotland
Scotland's geography has been central to the nation's development.
Today Scotland’s population density is roughly six times less than that of England and four times less than that of the UK as a whole. It's easy to see why in this topographical map of the UK.
The majority of Scotland is mountainous terrain with poor top soil for agriculture.
The bulk of the population settled along the eastern coast and the country's central belt.
The Roman occupation of Caledonia: 1st - 2nd century.
In AD 79, Agricola, the Roman governor of Britannia, sent a fleet to survey Caledonia's (the Roman name for Scotland) coast. As Agricola advanced and conquered the lowlands of southern Scotland by AD 83, the Caledonian tribes began to fight back.
According to the Roman historian Tacitus, the Caledonians then "turned to armed resistance on a large scale", attacking Roman forts and skirmishing with their legions. In a surprise night-attack, the Caledonians very nearly wiped out the whole of the elite 9th legion.
The Romans withdrew from Scotland in 122AD and established Hadrian's Wall as the northern frontier of the empire. Antoninus Pius, pushed the Roman border further north to the Antonine Wall but this was abandoned in favour of Hadrian's Wall following his death.
Scotland, a land divided: 9th century.
At the beginning of the 9th century, Scotland was a mix of four different peoples.
The Picts - a collection of Celtic tribes - were spread across the north of the country.
The Gaels had begun migrating from Ulster into Dalriada - what is today Argyll.
The Kingdoms of Strathclyde and Northumbria were populated by Anglo Saxon Tribes.
The Picts eventually disappear from history, merging with the Gaels to form the Kingdom of Alba.
The Gaels of the Highlands and islands would remain distinct from the Lowland Scots for centuries.
The Vikings settle Scotland's islands, 9th - 13th century
Between the 9th and 13th centuries, invaders from Scandinavia sailed across the North Sea, seizing land and pillaging much of coastal Britain and Ireland.
The Norseman created the Kingdom of the Isles, Nordic-Gael lands independent from the rulers of the mainland.
The title Lord of the Isles would endure through to the 15th century.
Wars of Independence: 13th - 14th century
Over the centuries Scotland’s landscape has been home to a plethora of bloody conflicts that have played a major part in shaping our nation.
The battles fought against the English during the wars of independence in the 13th and 14th century were some of the most significant in Scotland's history.
The Jacobite risings and decline of the clan system: 17th -18th century
This 1746 map of Scotland shines a light on the distribution of Highland clan territories after the crushing Jacobite defeat at Culloden in the same year.
The last Jacobite rebellion of 1745 had been crushed and the Hanoverian government had begun to suppress the culture and traditions of the proud Highlanders by disarming their warriors and forbidding the wearing of kilts and tartan.
Although the fortunes of the clans was on a downward trajectory at this time, they still held vast swathes of land in Scotland.
The Highland clearances (18th -19th century) and modern land ownership.
The Highland Clearances are an infamous chapter in Scottish history, the cruel story of how the Highland people were dispossessed of their homes by their landlords.
The clearances largely took place between the 1770s and 1850s, although eviction struggles continued until the end of the 19th century.
A direct consequence of the clearances was that many Scots emigrated to America, Canada and Australia to set up a new life.
Today more than half of Scotland is owned by fewer than 500 people.