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timeline

YEAR SCOTTISH
MONARCH
ENGLISH
MONARCH
HISTORICAL EVENTS BORDERS
55 BC
 

 
Julius Caesar invades Britain.
 
AD 43
 

 
Claudius invades Britain.
 
410
 

 
Romans abandon Britain.
 
840 Kenneth I MacAlpin
 

 

 
858 Donald I
 

 

 
862 Constantine I
 

 

 
877 Aed
 

 

 
878 Eochaid and Giric
 

 

 
889 Donald II
 

 

 
900 Constantine II
 

 

 
927
 
Athelstan of Wessex
 

 
939
 
Edmund I
 

 
943 Malcolm I
 

 

 
946
 
Eadred
 

 
954 Indulf
 

 

 
955
 
Eadwig
 

 
959
 
Edgar I
 

 
962 Dub
 

 

 
971 Kenneth II
 

 

 
975
 
Edward 'The Martyr'
 

 
978
 
Ethelred 'The Unready'
 

 
995 Constantine III
 

 

 
997 Kenneth III
 

 

 
1005 Malcolm II
 

 

 
1013
 
Swein Forkbeard Danes conquer England.
 
1014
 
Ethelred 'The Unready'
 

 
1016
 
Edmund II
 

 

 

 
Ironsides (Apr)
 

 

 

 
Cnut (Nov)
 

 
1018
 

 

 
Battle of Carham: Scots claim all land north of Tweed.
1034 Duncan I
 

 

 
1037
 
Harold I 'Harefoot'
 

 
1040 Macbeth Harthacnut
 

 
1042
 
Edward 'The Confessor'
 

 
1057 Lulach
 

 

 
1058 Malcolm III Canmore
 

 

 
1066
 
Harold II Norman Conquest.
 

 

 
'Godwinson' (Jan)
 

 

 

 
William I of Normandy (Dec)
 

 
1087
 
William II 'Rufus'
 

 
1092
 

 

 
William I Rufus incorporates Cumberland (formerly part of Strathclyde) into England.
1093 Donalbane
 

 

 
1094 Duncan II
 

 

 
1097 Edgar
 

 

 
1100
 
Henry I
 

 
1107 Alexander I
 

 

 
1124 David I
 

 

 
1135
 
Stephen of Blois
 

 
1153 Malcolm IV
 

 

 
1154
 
Henry II
 

 
1165 William
 

 

 
1189
 
Richard I
 

 
1199
 
John
 

 
1214 Alexander II
 

 

 
1216
 
Henry III
 

 
1242
 

 

 
Hermitage Castle -- 'The Strength of Liddesdale' first mentioned as fortress of Border warlords.
1249 Alexander III
 

 
Leges marchiarum -- 'Laws of the Marches' -- established. Borders divided into marches, each with warden.
1272
 
Edward I
 

 
1286 Margaret Maid of Norway
 

 
Edward I launches series of brutal incursions into Scotland, plunging both countries into 300 years of warfare.
1290 FIRST INTERREGNUM
 

 

 
1292 John Balliol
 

 

 
1296 SECOND INTERREGNUM (Edward I of England)
 

 

 
1306 Robert I Bruce
 

 

 
1307
 
Edward I
 

 
1314
 

 

 
Robert Bruce defeats English at battle of Bannockburn; his army savages English Marches.
1327
 
Edward III
 

 
1329 David II
 

 

 
1332 Edward Balliol
 

 

 
1340-1453
 

 
Hundred Years' War.
 
1348-9
 

 
Black Death.
 
1356 Edward III of England
 

 

 
1371 Robert II Stewart
 

 

 
1377
 
Richard II
 

 
1390 Robert III
 

 

 
1399
 
Henry IV
 

 
1406 James I
 

 

 
1413
 
Henry V
 

 
1422
 
Henry VI
 

 
1437 James II
 

 

 
1450
 

 

 
'Debateable Land' first named in a truce document.
1455-85
 

 
Wars of the Roses.
 
1460 James III
 

 

 
1461
 
Edward IV
 

 
1482
 

 

 
Berwick-upon-Tweed becomes part of England after capture by Richard III.
1483
 
Edward V (April)
 

 

 

 
Richard III (June)
 

 
1485
 
Henry VII
 

 
1488 James IV
 

 

 
1509
 
Henry VIII
 

 
1513 James V
 

 
James IV invades England to support France, under attack by Henry VIII. The 'Ill Raid': English raid Scotland; in retaliation, Scots take much booty, which slows them and results in many being killed in ambush. English defeat Scots at battle of Flodden; James IV and much of Scottish nobility killed.
1525
 

 

 
Dunbar, Archbishop of Glasgow, curses all reivers.
1528
 

 

 
James V decides to tackle Reivers. William, Lord Dacre, warden of English West March, moves against the Debateable Land, trying to apprehend Johnie Armstrang of Gilnockie and Sim the Laird.
1530


 

 

 


 

 

 


 

James V, with force of about 10,000, moves against reivers, particularly Johnie Armstrang.
1536-9
 

 
Dissolution of the monasteries.
 
1542 Mary Queen of Scots
 

 
Duke of Norfolk raids Scotland and burns Kelso; retreats to Berwick. James V retaliates and marches on Carlisle. Is defeated with heavy losses at battle of Solway Moss.
1544
 

 

 
'Rough Wooing' begins: Leith destroyed, Edinburgh attacked and some 190 towns torched.
1545
 

 

 
English forces defeated at Ancrum Moor.
1547
 
Edward VI
 
Duke of Somerset invades Scotland in the east. Scots defeated at battle of Pinkie.
1550
 

 

 
English propose to take control of Debateable Land; Scots want it divided.
1551
 

 

 
Scottish warden Lord Maxwell lays waste to Debateable Land to discourage resistance.
1552
 

 

 
Debateable Land divided, marked by 'Scots' Dike'.
1553
 
Jane (July)
 

 

 

 
Mary I (July)
 

 
1558
 
Elizabeth I
 

 
1561
 

 

 
Mary Queen of Scots arrives from France; begins subduing of Scottish Borders.
1563
 

 

 
Henry, Lord Scrope of Bolton, appointed English warden of West March.
1567 James VI
 

 
Lord Darnley, Mary's husband, murdered by Earl of Bothwell, who Mary weds. Mary imprisoned. Moray becomes Regent.
1568
 

 

 
Elizabeth appoints Lord Hunsdon warden of East March and captain of Berwick; he sets about the Reivers. Mary escapes and raises army but is defeated by Moray at battle of Langside. Mary escapes to England.
1569
 

 

 
Moray leads military raids into Scottish West March. Scots border rebellion led by earls of Westmorland and Northumberland and Lord Dacre on behalf of Mary. Lacks support and earls escape to Scotland.
1570


 

 

 


 


 
Assassination of regent Moray gives Scottish Border lords freedom to pursue own ends; raids into England provoke war. Earl of Lennox appointed to bring Border under control and capture English rebels hiding in Scotland. Attacks Border on two fronts, with much burning and destruction. End of support for Mary by southern Scots and English rebels.
1575
 

 

 
Fighting breaks out between English and Scots during 'truce day' at Reidswire.
1587
 

 

 
Mary Queen of Scots executed.
1588
 

 
Spanish Armada.
 
1593
 

 

 
Dryfe Sands: last battle in Borders: Johnstone family slaughter 700 Maxwells.
1596
 

 

 
Kinmont Willie affair.
1603
 
James I
 
'Ill Week': following news of Elizabeth's death, reivers rise up with much looting and burning. Last time they are able to 'shake loose the Border' in search of plunder.
1605
 

 
Gunpowder Plot.
 
1625
 
Charles I (executed 1649)
 

 
1641-6
 

 
English Civil War.
 
1649
 

 
England proclaimed a Commonwealth.
 

 

 
LORD PROTECTORS
 

 
1653
 
Oliver Cromwell
 

 
1658
 
Richard Cromwell
 

 

 

 
MONARCHS
 

 
1660
 
Charles II Restoration.
 
1665-6
 

 
Great Plague.
 
1685
 
James II Monmouth's Rebellion.
 
1689
 
William III & Mary II
 

 
1702
 
Anne
 

 
1714
 
George I
 

 
1727
 
George II
 

 
1745-7
 

 
Jacobite Rebellion.
 
1756-63
 

 
Seven Years' War.
 
1760
 
George III
 

 
1776-82
 

 
American Revolution.
 
1801
 

 
General Enclosure Act.
 
1803-15
 

 
Napoleonic Wars.
 

 

 

 
Slave trade abolished.
 
1820
 
George IV
 

 
1830
 
William IV
 

 
1837
 
Victoria
 

 
1854-6
 

 
Crimean War.
 
1861-5
 

 
American Civil War.
 
1867
 

 
2nd Reform Act enfranchises virtually all men in towns & extends franchise in country but excludes poorer agricultural labourers.
 
1884
 

 
3rd Reform Act: uniform male suffrage in town & country; some 2 million farm workers get vote.
 
1899-1902
 

 
Boer War
 
1901
 
Edward VII
 

 
1910
 
George V
 

 
1914-18
 

 
World War I.
 
1918
 

 
Women win right to vote (at 30).
School-leaving age raised to 14.

 
1936
 
Edward VIII (January)
 

 

 

 
George VI (December)
 

 
1939-45
 

 
World War II.
 
1950-1
 

 
Korean War.
 
1952
 
Elizabeth II
 

 
1982
 

 
Falkland War.