I'm writing a book focusing on comparing big events in Ireland and Scotland during the 19th century, in particular radical politics, industrialisation and Empire. Would any Scots historians here be able to direct me to a major event in the mid to late 19th century that they feel was a turning point on the road to Scotland being more democratic? Something that amounts to a break with the past of aristocratic Tory rule?

Was the 1868 Reform Act big for Scotland's voting patterns? Did Irish Home Rule and the later reform Acts in 1884 granting working class men the right to vote lead to an early embracing of Nationalist or Socialist ideas? Or should I be looking later in the timeline to 1920s for a major change in Scottish politics?

Any help is appreciated!

Can someone explain what King James I meant when he said: "the key keep the castle" and "the bracken bush keep the cow"

https://www.scotland.org.uk/lang-s-short-history-of-scotland/chapter-xi-james-i

“If God gives me but a dog’s life,” he said, “I will make the key keep the castle and the bracken bush keep the cow.”

Thanks

Hello all!

I studied History at University of Glasgow back in 2011, and can't get out of my mind one particular textbook that I bought (then, annoyingly lent to a friend to use who never gave it back and now we are out of touch).

I remember this being a general textbook about a wide range of Scottish history, colourfully printed, large and heavy and very engaging, not like many academic books. The cover, I think, was blue.

Any hints and tips appreciated! Thanks

Is there any sort of glass building or skyscraper in any scottish city that nods to the picts? Maybe a piece of pictish art scrawled onto the side or maybe like some form of pictish knott?

Reason I'm interested because I think leaning into your countries culture and history should reflect itself in modern architecture to me it is what makes a place unique sorta like the lotus flower building in Singapore

I dunno I find modern architecture bland like add some cultural flair or something interesting add a kilt to a building or something lmao (I know that kilts weren't invented by the picts but more of a make it very scottish and unique) be creative add some pictish art! Basically is there anything that has this sort of resemblance in scotland?

I don’t know if this question already exists in this subreddit.

I just want to ask you if you have any book recommendations about the Scottish history?

I’m quite new to the history and just need smth with timelines etc. basically like a history book used in school.

https://imgur.com/a/cR4vCXr

Just wondering if anyone knows anything, or can find anything online, about this medal? It's called the Glasgow Shield, and it's dated 12.5.21 (1921), to a D. McSporran (nice Scottish name, I think). From the history given to me, it is possibly a sports medal, perhaps from a "Lenzie Academy". Any help would be much appreciated!

Does anyone know when the Scottish royals became christian? Were the kings of Dal Riata christian? Were the MacAlpins?

I'm researching for a book I'm writing that, although fictional, I still want to add some real historical events to. I know this battle united Scotland, but besides that, there's not much about it online. Was this just one battle in a larger war, or was this a one-off battle, and if the war, were there any tensions between countries? Did the Vikings that attacked just one battle in a larger war, or was this a one-off battle, and if the war, what caused it? Were there any tensions between countries, or did the Vikings that attacked just come to pillage? How did King Uuen and King Aed die? Were they killed by a Viking, or was it unrelated to the chaos? If any of you know more about what led up to this battle and how this battle unfolded, please let me know with any information. 

The Gaelicisation of the Picts, the battle of 839, Kenneth MacAlpin, Viking activity/Kingdom of the isles, Moray, Macbeth, Gaelic poetry, the conquering of Strathclyde, Lothian and the Hebrides, Margaret the Maid… I could go on.

As the title says I did some research and all o could find was a Pictish stone Art depicting (pun intended) a warrior with a spear that what looks like a pummel at the bottom of the spear.

Anybody know or knows of some pictures of any weapons found in archeology that belonged to the picts? information would be appreciated!

It never ceases to amaze me that the most powerful trebuchet ever built was in off all places in Scotland a relative small player compared in Europe and that none of the other European superpowers in the continent esp in France and Germany ever attempted to construct soemthing ina similar scale to capture the most powerful fortress......

But having read about how the earliest giant canons (which were small compared to what the Ottomans would later use) from after the decline of the Mongol empire but before gunpowder reached Europe in the Chinese dynasty that followed the expulsion of Temujin's heir in China shot shells at 300 pounds of force which was roughly the same force War Wolf propelled stones at.........

How come nobody before Mehmed ever tried to recreate a replica of Warwolf in sieges at Constantinople or at least some pre-gunpowder mechanical siege equipment with similar size and firepower? Could Warwolf threaten Constantinople at least enough to be a gamechanger even if it couldn't damage the walls effectively enough to create a breach? If one Warwolf wasn't enough could a bunch of them say 20 have been able to allow capture of the city?

You'd think something like Warwolf would have been used first in the big leagues such as the Byzantium and France or the Holy Roman Empire in the DACH. But instead it was only built in an unimportant campaign in the backwaters of Europe! And never been replicated by major powers like the late Abassids and the Seljuks to besiege Constantinople. Why did no one attempt to built a ballista or onager or other siege weapon of similar scale before gunpowder whenever they tried to besiege the prized mighty city?

Among historians, is it universally accepted the Scottish fight for freedom never were if only Margaret arrived well and some years later would have married (the future) Edward II?

Is it true that in the Episcopal Kirk is:

(a) In the 18th and early 19th century, a Jacobite minded faith for all the Jacobites that were not Catholics or Presbyterians, and mainly concentrated in the north east / Aberdeenshire / parts of Perthshire.

(b) In the late 19th and early 20th century - a church for wealthy aristocratic Scots and socially mobile middle class Scots who sent their children to the local fee paying merchant schools/private schools (e.g. Basically all the private schools in Edinburgh have historic links to Episcopal churches rather than presbyterian or Catholic ones)

(c) In the late 20th century and early 21st century - a church for the large English immigrant community in Scotland (well, the ones that still care about organised religion).

Is that an accurate summary historically?

Hey guys so i was just intrigued i am a bit of an obsessor over iron age England, Wales and or Ireland tracing back to the Celtic just something about the tribal culture fascinates me and i have gotten a taste for the Picts recently and surprise surprise i can find even less about the Picts than i can the Celts (or whomever was in the England and Wales you know history always surprising us)

But yes if any of you guys have some interesting sources or new information id happily give it a read and to leave my own little information there was some fantastic pieces of Pictish silver work that was discovered a while ago really beautifully intact pieces found by a young archeologist, anyway thanks guys!

I have ran into a supposed battle named Lochmaben in 1458 in several books now, not to be confused with the much bigger Scottish victory at Sark near Lochmaben Stone in 1448. Lochmaben in 1458 is said to have been commanded by James II against a force of Yorkists? Supposedly the English lost 600 dead and 1500 captured. Is there anyone familiar with this?

(remove if not allowed)

hey all

was wondering if anyone has worked for historic scotland as a steward before... been looking on indeed and saw the placements up at a few local historical sites but not much of a description as to what the job entails. If anyone has any insights would be greatly appreciated.

thanks :)

Im an American college student that’s interested in studying in scotland and i was wondering what are some good books to help me learn more about scotland and its history

I was wondering if there are any historical sites of Kenneth I King of Scots and Picts that a person could visit. I also was wondering if there books that has good info on him. I'm having a hard time with Google outside of wiki or very general info. Thank you!