Scottish Literature: Timeline

Historical events Literary events (selected) 300 First recorded mention of the tribe called ‘Picts’ (Pictish speaking)

397 St Ninian establishes a Christian mission at Whithorn.

470 The Gododdin kingdom is founded north of the River Tweed (Cumbric speaking)

563 Columba (Colum Cille) founds Christian mission at Iona

574 Consolidation of kingdom of Dalriada in 597 ‘Elegy for Colum Cille’ (Gaelic) the west (Gaelic-speaking)

638 The settlement later known as ‘Edinburgh’ 7th C: The Gododdin (Cumbric) is taken from Gododdin by Northumbrians (northern Old English speakers) 700 ‘Dream of the Rood’ (OE)

794 Beginning of Viking invasions 747 ‘Hymn to Mary’, Cú Chuimne and settlements (Old Norse speakers) (Latin)

843 Death of Kenneth Mac Alpin, king who united Picts and Scots.

1058 After defeating Macbeth, Malcolm III is proclaimed king. He later marries Princess (later Saint) Margaret, of the English royal family, a refugee from the Norman conquerors (1066).

1124 David I, son of Malcolm and Margaret ascends to the Scottish throne and begins 12th C: ‘Arran’ (Gaelic) the ‘normanizing’ of Scotland: grants lands to Norman barons, builds abbeys 1230: Orkneyinga saga (Old Norse) and establishes ‘burghs’.

1286 Alexander III dies without an heir. The English king, Edward I supports John Balliol’s claim to the Scottish throne in return for fealty. This leads to the Wars of Independence.

1305 William Wallace is hung, drawn and quartered for leading Scottish resistance To Edward I.

1314 Robert Bruce leads Scots to victory at the Battle of Bannockburn. Historical events Literary events 1340 Declaration of Arbroath asserts Scottish sovereignty. 1375: John Barbour’s Brus (Scots) 1410s?: James I’s King’s Quair 1468 Denmark transfers Orkney and 1470s: Blind Hary’s Wallace Shetland to Scotland. Late 1400s: Robert Henryson’s poetry

1503 James IV marries Magaret Tudor, Early 1500s: William Dunbar’s poetry: daughter of Henry VIII of England. ‘The Thrissill and the Rois’ celebrates the marriage of James IV and Margaret. 1508: First printing press founded in 1513: Gavin Douglas, trans. Aeneid. Scotland by Chepman and Myllar. 1536: John Bellenden’s translation into Scots of Hector Boece’s Latin History 1513 James IV leads Scots to terrible and Chronicles of Scotland. defeat against the English at 1540 Early version of A Satire of the the Battle of Flodden and is Three Estates’ performed (Interlude). killed in battle. Full versions of Sir David Lyndsay’s play performed in 1552 and 1554. 1560 The Reformation in Scotland. 1565?: George Bannatyne compiles a manuscript collection of 15th and 1568 Mary, Queen of Scots takes refuge 16th century Scottish poetry and drama. with Elizabeth I of England

1576 James VI assumes power in Scotland. 1584: James VI’s Reulis and Cautelis is printed. James patronises an active 1587 Mary, Queen of Scots is executed. group of court poets. They follow him when the Scottish royal court moves 1603 On the death of Elizabeth I, to London, though William Drummond James VI becomes James I of Hawthornden remains in Scotland. of the United Kingdom (Union of the Crowns). 1606: Shakespeare’s Macbeth, written for James I, and based on Bellenden. 1638 Scottish Covenanters rebel Against Charles I. 17th century: dating usually given for many Scots ballads and folk songs. 1642-51 Civil Wars: Charles is executed and Oliver Cromwell leads 1641-53: Works of Sir Thomas a republican England. Urquhart of Cromarty, ranging from epigrams published at Charles I’s court 1654 Scotland is united with the to the translation of Rabelais, written Commonwealth of England while imprisoned by Cromwell. under Cromwell.

1660 Death of Cromwell; the monarchy is restored under Charles II.

1688 The Glorious Revolution: William of Orange takes the throne from James II and VII.

Historical events Literary events 1689 Battle of Killicrankie: Jacobites defeat English army but are later dispersed.

1690s Darien Scheme: attempt to found a Scottish colony in Panama ends in disaster.

1707 Union of the Parliaments. 1710 Thomas Ruddiman republishes Gavin Douglas’ trans. Aeneid. 1715 First Jacobite Uprising 1720s Allan Ramsay begins publishing his own work and republishing earlier 1745 Second Jacobite Uprising: poets. Led by Charles Edward Stuart, it ends in defeat at Culloden and the beginning of the suppression of Gaelic culture. 1750: Flowering of poetry in Gaelic: Rob Donn Mackay, Duncan Ban 1762: Land reform leads to the MacIntyre and Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Highland Clearances, the Alasdair (Alasdair MacDonald). often forced expulsion of 1760: James Macpherson’s Ossian. small highland farmers from 1770s Robert Fergusson begins publishing. their rented land. Dies young. 1776: Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations. 1788-9 French Revolution: initial 1786: Robert Burns begins publishing poetry radical unrest in Scotland is and collecting songs. dampened by the later 1802 Edinburgh Review re-established. threat of invasion by 1810 Sir Walter Scott’s The Lady of the Lake. Napoleon. 1814: Scott publishes Waverley anonymously. 1820 Strikes and unrest amongst 1817: Blackwood’s Magazine founded as a Scottish radicals. Tory rival to the Whiggish Edinburgh Review. 1821: John Galt, The Annals of the Parish. 1822 King George IV visits Scotland 1824: James Hogg, Justified Sinner (visit orchestrated by Sir Walter Scott) 1886-7: Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case 1885 Creation of the Scottish Office Of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, ‘Thrawn Janet’ 1886: J. Logie Robertson, Horace in Homespun 1888: JM Barrie, Auld Licht Idylls (Kailyard School) 1896 Margaret Oliphant, ‘The Library Window’

1914-18 First World War 1925-6 Hugh MacDiarmid, early poetry and ‘A 1934 Foundation of Scottish National Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle’ Party 1932-4 Lewis Grassic Gibbon, A Scots Quair 1930s: Sorley Maclean’s modernist Gaelic poetry 1939-45 Second World War 1940s: Edwin Muir, ‘Scotland 1941’

Historical events Literary events 1947 First Edinburgh Festival 1948: Robert Kemp adapts Lyndsay’s A Satire Of the Three Estates for Tyrone Guthrie’s Festival production. Kemp later initiates a cycle of Scots adaptations of Molière.

1950-60s: Ian Hamilton Finlay and Edwin Morgan experiment with concrete and sound poetry. Correspond with de Campos brothers in Sao Paulo. 1960s: Social revolution: sex, drugs and rock and roll 1961: Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 1962: Edinburgh Writers Conference sees different generations of writers clash: those present include Hugh MacDiarmid, Alexander Trocchi, Edwin Morgan, Muriel Spark… 1969: Tom Leonard, ‘Six Glasgow Poems’ 1972: Liz Lochhead begins publishing poetry; later turns to drama and adaptation. 1979: First referendum on devolution: 1981: Alasdair Gray, Lanark %age in favour does not meet 1991: Jackie Kay, The Adoption Papers the stipulated target. 1993: Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting 1994 James Kelman, How late it was how late 1997: Second referendum devolution: overwhelming majority in favour. 2001 Suhayl Saadi, The Burning Mirror

1999 The devolved Scottish parliament begins to govern under Labour.

2004 New Scottish Parliament Building 2004 Edwin Morgan appointed ‘National Makar’; opens its doors. writes ‘Open the Doors’. 2010 Edwin Morgan dies. 2011 Scottish National Party wins majority On Morgan’s death, he leaves £1m vote in Scottish elections. to the SNP, which decides to use the bequest to fund a national referendum.

2014 Referendum on Independence 2012: Publication of Unstated: Writers on scheduled. Scottish Independence.