A History Of Scotland

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Scotland advanced markedly in educational terms during the 15th century with the founding of the University of St Andrews in 1413, the University of Glasgow in 1450 and the University of Aberdeen in 1495, and with the passing of the Education Act 1496, which decreed that all sons of barons and freeholders of substance should attend grammar schools. [91] James IV's reign is often considered to have seen a flowering of Scottish culture under the influence of the European Renaissance. [92] View from the royal apartments of the Stewart monarchs, Edinburgh Castle.

Main article: Bishops' Wars The St. Giles riot initiated by Jenny Geddes sparked off the Bishops' Wars. Diodorus Siculus' Bibliotheca Historica Book V. Chapter XXI. Section 4 Greek text at the Perseus Project. In World War II, despite extensive bombing by the Luftwaffe, Scottish industry came out of the depression slump by a dramatic expansion of its industrial activity, absorbing unemployed men and many women as well. The shipyards were the centre of more activity, but many smaller industries produced the machinery needed by the British bombers, tanks and warships. [291] Agriculture prospered, as did all sectors except for coal mining, which was operating mines near exhaustion. Real wages, adjusted for inflation, rose 25 per cent, and unemployment temporarily vanished. Increased income, and the more equal distribution of food, obtained through a tight rationing system, dramatically improved the health and nutrition; the average height of 13-year-olds in Glasgow increased by 2 inches (51mm). [297] End of mass emigration [ edit ]There is no better antidote against entertaining too high an opinion of others than having an excellent one of ourselves at the very same time.”

The population of Scotland grew steadily in the 19th century, from 1,608,000 in the census of 1801 to 2,889,000 in 1851 and 4,472,000 in 1901. [254] Even with the development of industry there were insufficient good jobs; as a result, during the period 1841–1931, about 2 million Scots emigrated to North America and Australia, and another 750,000 Scots relocated to England. [255] Scotland lost a much higher proportion of its population than England and Wales, [256] reaching perhaps as much as 30.2 per cent of its natural increase from the 1850s onwards. [257] This not only limited Scotland's population increase, but meant that almost every family lost members due to emigration and, because more of them were young males, it skewed the sex and age ratios of the country. [256] Shuggie Bain paints a stark, moving picture of life in 1980s Glasgow, Scotland, under Margaret Thatcher’s rule. The novel centers on young Hugh “Shuggie” Bain, growing up in a dilapidated public housing complex. Shuggie’s mother, Agnes, is both his anchor and a heavy burden, battling alcoholism while yearning for a better life amidst poverty and addiction. She chooses seven of these islands to focus on: four of which are Inner Inner Hebrides islands, and three are about Outer Hebrides islands. If you’d like to learn about the land, places, and people of the British Isles, this is definitely a good choice for you. The Living Mountain: A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotlandby Nan ShepherdScotland has an ancient history. The land has been steeped in varied events throughout its history. No matter what part of Scotland you are interested in, you will always find castles, remains, monuments and battlefields. Some events in particular have helped shaping its current history. Here are some of the best Scottish history books to understand more about this land. The Makers of Scotland, by Tim Clarkson Main article: House of Stuart Highlands in 1482 Heraldic depiction of the King of Scots from a 15th-century French armorial A boom was created by the First World War, with the shipbuilding industry expanding by a third, but a serious depression hit the economy by 1922. [284] The most skilled craftsmen were especially hard hit, because there were few alternative uses for their specialised skills. [285] The main social indicators such as poor health, bad housing, and long-term mass unemployment, pointed to terminal social and economic stagnation at best, or even a downward spiral. The heavy dependence on obsolescent heavy industry and mining was a central problem, and no one offered workable solutions. The despair reflected what Finlay (1994) describes as a widespread sense of hopelessness that prepared local business and political leaders to accept a new orthodoxy of centralised government economic planning when it arrived during the Second World War. [286]