Download Timeline of Scottish History and Literature Arquivo

Scottish Literature: Timeline
Historical events
300
First recorded mention of the tribe called
‘Picts’ (Pictish speaking)
Literary events (selected)
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
the west (Gaelic-speaking)
597
638
The settlement later known as ‘Edinburgh’
is taken from Gododdin by Northumbrians
(northern Old English speakers)
7th C: The Gododdin (Cumbric)
700
‘Dream of the Rood’ (OE)
794
Beginning of Viking invasions
and settlements (Old Norse speakers)
747
‘Hymn to Mary’, Cú Chuimne
(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
the ‘normanizing’ of Scotland: grants
lands to Norman barons, builds abbeys
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.
‘Elegy for Colum Cille’ (Gaelic)
12th C: ‘Arran’ (Gaelic)
1230: Orkneyinga saga (Old Norse)
Historical events
1340 Declaration of Arbroath asserts
Scottish sovereignty.
1468
Denmark transfers Orkney and
Shetland to Scotland.
1503
James IV marries Magaret Tudor,
daughter of Henry VIII of England.
1508: First printing press founded in
Scotland by Chepman and Myllar.
1513
James IV leads Scots to terrible
defeat against the English at
the Battle of Flodden and is
killed in battle.
1560
The Reformation in Scotland.
1568
Mary, Queen of Scots takes refuge
with Elizabeth I of England
1576
James VI assumes power in Scotland.
1587
Mary, Queen of Scots is executed.
1603
On the death of Elizabeth I,
James VI becomes James I
of the United Kingdom
(Union of the Crowns).
1638
Scottish Covenanters rebel
Against Charles I.
1642-51 Civil Wars: Charles is executed
and Oliver Cromwell leads
a republican England.
1654
Scotland is united with the
Commonwealth of England
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.
Literary events
1375: John Barbour’s Brus (Scots)
1410s?: James I’s King’s Quair
1470s: Blind Hary’s Wallace
Late 1400s: Robert Henryson’s poetry
Early 1500s: William Dunbar’s poetry:
‘The Thrissill and the Rois’ celebrates
the marriage of James IV and Margaret.
1513: Gavin Douglas, trans. Aeneid.
1536: John Bellenden’s translation into
Scots of Hector Boece’s Latin History
and Chronicles of Scotland.
1540 Early version of A Satire of the
Three Estates’ performed (Interlude).
Full versions of Sir David Lyndsay’s play
performed in 1552 and 1554.
1565?: George Bannatyne compiles
a manuscript collection of 15th and
16th century Scottish poetry and drama.
1584: James VI’s Reulis and Cautelis
is printed. James patronises an active
group of court poets. They follow him
when the Scottish royal court moves
to London, though William Drummond
of Hawthornden remains in Scotland.
1606: Shakespeare’s Macbeth, written
for James I, and based on Bellenden.
17th century: dating usually given for
many Scots ballads and folk songs.
1641-53: Works of Sir Thomas
Urquhart of Cromarty, ranging from
epigrams published at Charles I’s court
to the translation of Rabelais, written
while imprisoned by Cromwell.
Historical events
1689 Battle of Killicrankie: Jacobites
defeat English army but are later
dispersed.
Literary events
1690s Darien Scheme: attempt
to found a Scottish colony
in Panama ends in disaster.
1707
Union of the Parliaments.
1715
First Jacobite Uprising
1745
Second Jacobite Uprising:
Led by Charles Edward Stuart,
it ends in defeat at Culloden
and the beginning of the
suppression of Gaelic culture.
1762: Land reform leads to the
Highland Clearances, the
often forced expulsion of
small highland farmers from
their rented land.
1788-9 French Revolution: initial
radical unrest in Scotland is
dampened by the later
threat of invasion by
Napoleon.
1820
Strikes and unrest amongst
Scottish radicals.
1822
King George IV visits Scotland
(visit orchestrated by Sir
Walter Scott)
Creation of the Scottish Office
1885
1914-18
1934
Thomas Ruddiman republishes
Gavin Douglas’ trans. Aeneid.
1720s Allan Ramsay begins publishing his
own work and republishing earlier
poets.
1750: Flowering of poetry in Gaelic:
Rob Donn Mackay, Duncan Ban
MacIntyre and Alasdair mac Mhaighstir
Alasdair (Alasdair MacDonald).
1760: James Macpherson’s Ossian.
1770s Robert Fergusson begins publishing.
Dies young.
1776: Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations.
1786: Robert Burns begins publishing poetry
and collecting songs.
1802 Edinburgh Review re-established.
1810 Sir Walter Scott’s The Lady of the Lake.
1814: Scott publishes Waverley anonymously.
1817: Blackwood’s Magazine founded as a
Tory rival to the Whiggish Edinburgh Review.
1821: John Galt, The Annals of the Parish.
1824: James Hogg, Justified Sinner
1886-7: Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case
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’
First World War
Foundation of Scottish National
Party
1939-45
1710
Second World War
1925-6 Hugh MacDiarmid, early poetry and ‘A
Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle’
1932-4 Lewis Grassic Gibbon, A Scots Quair
1930s: Sorley Maclean’s modernist Gaelic poetry
1940s: Edwin Muir, ‘Scotland 1941’
Historical events
1947 First Edinburgh Festival
Literary events
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
1979: First referendum on devolution:
%age in favour does not meet
the stipulated target.
1997: Second referendum devolution:
overwhelming majority in favour.
1999
The devolved Scottish parliament
begins to govern under Labour.
2004
New Scottish Parliament Building
opens its doors.
2011
Scottish National Party wins majority
vote in Scottish elections.
2014
Referendum on Independence
scheduled.
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.
1981: Alasdair Gray, Lanark
1991: Jackie Kay, The Adoption Papers
1993: Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting
1994 James Kelman, How late it was how late
2001
Suhayl Saadi, The Burning Mirror
2004
Edwin Morgan appointed ‘National Makar’;
writes ‘Open the Doors’.
Edwin Morgan dies.
On Morgan’s death, he leaves £1m
to the SNP, which decides to use the
bequest to fund a national referendum.
2010
2012: Publication of Unstated: Writers on
Scottish Independence.