A brief history of Scotland

The 1707 Acts of Union between Scotland and England saw Scotland’s political power shift to London. It was a move designed to secure Scotland’s future after a financial crisis caused by the unsuccessful colonisation of Panama by the country.

By the 1800s Scotland was prosperous and booming, but in the 1900s calls for powers to be transferred back to Scotland were made. It was in 1999 that a Scottish parliament was re-established and when Alex Salmond led the Scottish National Party into majority control of the parliament, he was able to call for a referendum.

It’s not the first time Scotland has held a referendum on greater powers for north of the border with England. In the 1979 devolution referendum, the yes vote was 51.6 per cent — but on a low turnout. The proposal failed as it required backing by 40 per cent of the entire electorate, not just those who voted. The outlook appeared grim for those backing home rule. But during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership support for Scottish shipbuilding, mining and steel was cut and many thousands of jobs were lost. In 1989, Scotland was used as the guinea pig for the hated poll tax.

Here are key days in Scotland’s history:

1314: The Hammer’s son, Edward II, attempts to break the siege of Stirling Castle and reassert control. He is defeated by Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn — securing de facto independence for Scotland. Scottish losses number between 400 and 4,000, while the English lose 700 cavalry and between 4,000 and 11,000 infantry. Many are slaughtered by locals as they try to flee south to England.

1707: A century later, the flow of trade brought the English and Scottish parliaments together under the 1707 Act of Union — creating the new state of Great Britain.

1872: saw the world’s first official international football match played between England and Scotland, hosted at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow. The English played with one defender, a midfielder and eight forwards. The match ended 0-0. Since the two sides have met 110 times, with England winning 45, Scotland 41 and 24 draws.

The rivalry is no less fierce in rugby. England triumphed over Scotland 16-12 in the Rugby World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, in October 2011.

The Thatcher era

Under UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, critics claimed the country was used as a Petri dish for free market experiments ahead of England.

Scotland lost one-fifth of its workforce within the first two years of the administration as state subsidies were pulled from loss-making mining, steel and textile industries. Scotland was handed the poll tax in 1989 — one year ahead of England. More than 1.5 million refused to pay the tax and Scottish miners joined the 1984-85 strike.

The SNP were founded in 1934 but achieved little electoral success in Westminster. A referendum on devolution in 1979 fell short of the 40 per cent threshold — but a second referendum in 1997 passed, leading to the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. Alex Salmond’s party took control of the legislature in 2011 — clearing the way for a referendum on full independence.

— Daily Telegraph