The History of Scotland

Scotland is not England. Its prehistory is older, it remained largely unconquered in Roman times, and its development--certainly up to the arrival of the Normans in the eleventh century--was quite separate from that of England. The story of Scotland deserves to be re-told, and in this book Plantagenet and Fiona Somerset Fry tell it from prehistoric times to the present in a clear and straightforward manner, and from the Scottish point of view. Too many histories of Scotland, they feel, compress the first four or five thousand years--from the Maes Howe and Skara Brae settlements down to Malcolm III (1057-93)--into a single chapter, thus doing less than justice to an important history of a great fusion of peoples. This book gives considerable attention to Scotland in early times. The authors discuss Scotland's right to independence down the centuries, and describe her struggle to maintain it, a struggle hardly helped by many leading Scottish lords and commoners who often thought more of their own wealth, standing and opportunities than of their nation. The many continuities in Scottish history are emphasized and the contributions made by Scots to world civilization and advancement are shown. As well as digging into the past to tell the story of Scotland's splendid history and unique heritage, the authors also look to Scotland's future, and they conclude in great optimism and hope for a sustained period of greatness, in which the Scottish national attributes of hard work, rugged morality, academic enthusiasm, proverbial courage and artistic flair will continue to flourish.