Line #251 Series/AHistoryOfScotland


1	[[quoteright:286:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/history_of_scotland.jpg]]
2
3	->''"I want to look beyond the legends, to find the real story of Scotland. And it's every bit as thrilling."''
4	-->--'''Neil Oliver (Series One, Episode One)'''
5
6	Running from November 2008 to November 2009, ''A History of UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}}'' was an ambitious documentary made by Creator/TheBBC exploring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the history of Scotland]]. Presented and narrated by author, broadcaster and archaeologist Neil Oliver, the series was first broadcast on BBC One Scotland and consisted of [[BritishBrevity ten]] sixty-minute episodes spread over two series.
7
8	Consisting of shots of the presenter strolling dramatically across Scotland's beautiful natural landscape, historical reconstructions to accompany Neil Oliver's narration and a [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic kick-ass original musical score]] by Music/JamesNewtonHoward, the series aspired to add a sense of drama and romance to the show rather than create another dry, matter-of-fact history lecture. Whether this adds to the experience or detracts from the show's capacity to educate the viewer is a matter for the viewer.
9
10	Series One:
11	* Episode One: The Last of the Free
12	--> At the dawn of the first millennia, there was no Scotland or England. In the first episode Oliver reveals the mystery of [[OriginsEpisode how the Gaelic Scottish Kingdom - Alba - was born]], and why its role in one of the greatest battles ever fought on British soil defined the shape of Britain in the modern era.
13	* Episode Two: Hammers of the Scots
14	--> Oliver charts [[TheHighMiddleAges the 13th century]] story of the two men who helped transform the Gaelic kingdom of Alba into the Scotland of today. While Alexander II forged Scotland in blood and violence, William Wallace's resistance to [[UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst King Edward I]] of England hammered national consciousness into the Scots.
15	* Episode Three: Bishop Makes King
16	--> UsefulNotes/RobertTheBruce's 22-year struggle to secure the Scots' independence is one of the most important chapters in Scotland's story. Oliver explores the role the Scottish church played in promoting Robert Bruce, the propaganda campaigns, both at home and abroad, and how the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath persuaded UsefulNotes/ThePope to finally recognise Scotland as an independent nation.
17	* Episode Four: Language Is Power
18	--> At one time, Gaelic Scotland - the people and the language - was central to the identity of Scots. But as Oliver reveals, Scotland's infamous Highland/Lowland divide was the result of a family struggle that divided the kingdom. This is the story of how the policies of the [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfStuart Stewart royal family]] in the 15th century led to the Gaels being perceived as rebels and outsiders.
19	* Episode Five: Project Britain
20	--> Oliver describes how the ambitions of two of Scotland's Stuart monarchs were the driving force that united two ancient enemies, and set them on the road to the Great Britain we know today. While [[UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland Mary Queen of Scots]] plotted to usurp [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]] and seize the throne of England, her son James dreamt of a more radical future: a Protestant Great Britain.
21
22	Series Two:
23	* Episode One: God's Chosen People
24	--> Neil Oliver continues his journey through Scotland's past with the story of the Covenanters, whose profound religious beliefs were declared in the National Covenant of 1638. This document licensed revolution, started the CivilWar that cost [[UsefulNotes/CharlesI King Charles I]] his head, cost tens of thousands of Scots their lives and led to Britain's first war on terror.
25	* Episode Two: Let's Pretend
26	--> Bitterly divided by politics and religion for centuries, this is the infamous story of how Scotland and England came together in 1707 to form [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} Great Britain]]. Over time the Union matured into one of the longest in European history, but it very nearly ended in divorce. Exploiting the Union's unpopularity, the exiled [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfStuart Stuarts]] staged several comebacks, selling themselves as a credible and liberal alternative to the [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfHanover Hanoverian regime]]. Neil Oliver reveals [[WhatCouldHaveBeen just how close they came to succeeding]].
27	* Episode Three: The Price of Progress
28	--> Through the winning and [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution losing of an American empire]] and the impact of the Scottish Enlightenment, Neil Oliver reveals how in the second half of the 18th century Scotland was transformed from a poor northern backwater with a serious image problem into one of the richest nations on Earth. This was the dawn of the modern age when Scotland made its mark on the world by exporting its most valuable commodities - its people and ideas.
29	* Episode Four: This Land is our Land
30	--> At the start of the 19th century, everything familiar was swept away. People fled from the countryside into the industrial towns of Scotland's Central Belt. Rural workers became factory workers - in some of the worst conditions in Europe. This new Scotland became a seedbed of revolution. But it wasn't just force that kept the Scottish people in their place, it was fantasy. Neil Oliver reveals how Sir Creator/WalterScott created so powerful a myth, it haunts the Scots collective imagination to this day.
31	* Episode Five: Project Scotland
32	--> As a partner in UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire, Scotland began the 20th century with an advanced economy and a world-beating heavy industry. But in the closing decades its sense of Britishness was in doubt and a Scottish Parliament sat in Edinburgh for the first time since 1707. Charting Scotland's darkest century, Neil Oliver discovers a country driven to self-determination through a series of economic crises so deep that her most striking export became her own disillusioned population.
33	----
34	!! Examples of Tropes found in this series:
35
36	* AbdicateTheThrone: Constantine II did this voluntarily after forty-two years as King, and went on to live in a cave as a holy man.
37	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheAce: William, Earl of Douglas.
38	* AChildShallLeadThem: Alexander II The Great, crowned at 16.
39	** David II, who succeeded his father, UsefulNotes/RobertTheBruce, when just five years old.
40	** James III was eight when he became King.
41	** Taken to ludicrous extremes when [[UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland Mary I]] became Queen while ''six days old'' after the death of James V.
42	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * AnAesop: About the division between Highland and Lowland Scotland in Episode Four.
43	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * AnarchyIsChaos: The Highlands and Islands following the collapse of the [=MacDonald=] Lords.
44	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * ArchEnemy: England and Scotland are presented as being this towards each other.
45	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst and William Wallace.
46	* ArrangedMarriage: Several, mostly of the [[BureaucraticallyArrangedMarriage bureaucratic kind]].
47	** UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst wanted his son and heir to marry the very young Queen Margaret to secure England's control over Scotland. If failed when she died before this could happen.
48	** Henry VIII thought-up the same plan and wanted his son to marry the very young Queen UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland to bring Scotland under English control. He had the added pressure of fearing that Scotland would serve as a willing invasion point for Anglican England's Catholic enemies on the continent.
49	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Discussed. Mistakes in popular perceptions of Scotland's history are often pointed out.
50	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * AsLongAsThereIsOneMan: The Declaration of Arbroath.
51	* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: The Gaelic Kings being crowned at Dunad.
52	** Constantine II's coronation at Scone in 906, which established the "Stone of Destiny" tradition that is still observed by British royalty today.
53	* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: Robert the Bruce's wife finally giving birth to a son and heir, the future David II.
54	* BadassBoast: Wallace:
55	--> "Go back and tell your people that we have not come for the benefit of peace, [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized but to do battle to defend ourselves and liberate our kingdom]]. Let them come to us, and we will prove this in their very beards."
56	** The Declaration of Abroath:
57	--> "[[AsLongAsThereIsOneMan For as long as but one-hundred of us remain alive]], never will be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory nor riches nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom; for that alone, [[GiveMeLibertyOrGiveMeDeath which no honest man gives up but with life itself]]"
58	* BadassPreacher: St Columba.
59	** Bishop Wishart of Glasgow, one of the leaders in the First War of Independence. He told UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst to his face that Scotland "is not held in tribute or homage to anyone".
60	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample, Administrivia/ExamplesAreNotArguable * BarbarianHero: Calgacus looks like this.
61	* {{BFG}}: Mons Meg, the cannon given to James II by the Duke of Burgundy as a wedding present.
62	* BigFancyHouse: James I liked to build these, even though he couldn't afford it.
63	* BigScrewedUpFamily: The [=MacDonald=]'s during the fighting between John [=MacDonald=] and his son, Angus Orr.
64	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * BloodKnight: Alexander II
65	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst
66	** William Wallace
67	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * BritishBrevity: Just ten episodes in two series.
68	* BuyThemOff: Edward The First's tactics for keeping the peace post-1305.
69	* TheChessmaster: Edward The First utilised Scotland's SuccessionCrisis to give himself effective control over the country.
70	* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: In the Barons' War, the rebelling English nobles switched from fighting with Alexander II against their own King to siding with said King's son against Alexander II.
71	** Side-switching was a recurring element in the War of Independence.
72	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheChurch: The Scottish branches, of course, play a big role in Scotland's story.
73	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * CivilWar: Several cases.
74	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** The feud between The Stuart's and the [=MacDonald=]'s tended to become this.
75	* TheClan: Of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} Scottish type]] and the given definition.
76	** The [=MacDonald=]'s, who effectively had their own mini-Kingdom with the prestigious title of Lord of the Isles.
77	* ColdBloodedTorture: William Wallace was hung, drawn and quartered in London before execution, largely as depicted in Film/{{Braveheart}}.
78	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** The same treatment was inflicted upon Robert the Bruce's brother by UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst.
79	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * ConspiracyTheorist: James II had this going on over John [=MacDonald=] and William, The Black Douglas.
80	* CreepySouvenir: After UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst's treasurer Hugh Cressingham was killed at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, William Wallace has his skin turned into a sword belt.
81	* CultureClash: Between the Scots-speaking Lowlanders and the Gaelic-speaking Highlanders.
82	* CurbStompBattle: The battle of Dun Nechtan - the Picts lured the Northumbrian army into unfamilliar territory and slaughtered them, putting an end to the Northumbrian hegemony in the North
83	** Inflicted by William Wallace's army on the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Edward The First returned the favour at Falirk.
84	** Edward's generals inflicted something similar on Robert the Bruce's rebellion, forcing him to go on the run.
85	** James I's troops suffered this at Inverlochy.
86	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * DarkestHour: The treatment given to the situation after William Wallace's death in 1305.
87	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * DealWithTheDevil: The Ragman Rolls and John Baliol accepting UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst as overlord.
88	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * DeadGuyJunior: Several people are named after dead relatives and/or predecessors.
89	* DeathByIrony: James II [[GunNut loved guns]]... until his {{BFG}} exploded in his face.
90	* DecisiveBattle: "The Great Battle" at Brunanburgh in 937, which (more or less) shaped the boundaries between Constantine's Scotland and Aethelstan's England. Ironically, neither side claimed much of a real victory.
91	** Robert the Bruce's famous victory at Bannockburn in 1314.
92	* DistinguishingMark: James II was known as "James the Firey-Face" because of the red birthmark on his face.
93	* TheDon: Alexander [=MacDonald=], Lord of the Isles, was basically this for the Gaelic-speaking Western Isles, to the extent that he was known as the "King of the Hebridies".
94	* DoubleStandard: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the Scots in their negotiations with Edward II when they pointed out that UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfNormandy and UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet were both illegitimate and the result of a foreign invasion. They used this to argue that Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, was, as the sole living member of the House of Wessex, also the only legitimate King of England!
95	* DownerBeginning: Episode one opens with the legend of Calgacus losing the Battle of Mons Graupius to the invading [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Romans]].
96	* TheDreaded: [[HornyVikings The Vikings]] to [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAges Dark Age]] Scotland.
97	--> Neil Oliver: This is what the end of the world looks like. This is the end of everything that you've ever known and held dear.
98	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * EarnYourHappyEnding: Robert the Bruce.
99	* ElectiveMonarchy: Claimed, at least to a degree, as the justification for Robert the Bruce replacing John Baliol: if the current King is useless, he has violated his contract with the people and should be replaced with someone more suitable. Its appearance in the Declaration of the Clergy and the Declaration of Arbroath has led some to call these documents a kind of [[OlderThanTheyThink proto-American Declaration of Independence]].
100	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheEmpire: England are characterised this way during TheMiddleAges, mostly for dramatic effect.
101	* EndOfAnAge: The end of Gaelic Scotland's GoldenAge with the collapse of the [=MacDonald=]'s, and the passing of the title "Lord of the Isles" to James IV.
102	* EnemyMine: One response by the early Scottish kingdom's to the [[HornyVikings Vikings]].
103	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** Constantine II then does with the Nordic king against Aethelstan, King of England.
104	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** Alexander II later allied himself with the English nobles who penned the Magna Carta, against England's King John.
105	** A frequent habit of both Scotland and France, who tended to ally against England. The "Auld Alliance" is still a term recognised today as a result.
106	** Edward IV of England allying with the [=MacDonald=] and Douglas families against Scotland's young King, James III.
107	* EvilOverlord: King John of England, from Alexander II's perspective.
108	* TheExile: After Giric killed and replaced King Aed, Aed's son Constantine and nephew Donald fled to Ireland.
109	** John Baliol in France during the First War of Independence.
110	** UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland in France.
111	* FeudingFamilies: The Baliol's/Comyn's and the Bruce's, feuding over the crown.
112	** The Stuart and the [=MacDonald=] family, which came to shape Scotland's political and cultural destiny.
113	* FlowerMotifs: The Scottish Thistle, first adopted as an emblem by James IV, which eventually became a symbol of the whole of Scotland.
114	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * ForTheEvulz: UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst's use of [[SiegeEngines the trebuchet "Warwolf"]]
115	* FounderOfTheKingdom: Not really one particular person ([[CommonKnowledge in spite of what is commonly thought about Kenneth I]]) but Constantine II gets credit for being the first to be known as the King of Scotland.
116	** William Wallace and UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst are presented as ultimately defining Scotland's sense of modern identity.
117	* GenerationalSaga:
118	** The feud between the Stewart Kings and the [=MacDonald=]'s, the Lords of the Isles.
119	* GilliganCut
120	--> "''(snip)'' Independence from the English Crown. Final proof that the reign of the Bruce's triumph. Final proof that the Scottish was free and quit of English authority. Final proof that the reign of Good King Robert had been worth everything - all the deaths and horror. Freedom from the English Crown at last. Forever. ''(cut)'' [[HereWeGoAgain The next English invasion was in 1332]]".
121	* GiveMeLibertyOrGiveMeDeath: A version is used in the Declaration of Arbroath ([[OlderThanTheyThink Before it was actually said]])
122	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * GoldenAge: The reign of the [=MacDonald=] family as Lords of the Isles was this for Gaelic Scotland.
123	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * GrimUpNorth: Scotland is often presented this way.
124	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * GunboatDiplomacy: Alexander II marching an army all the way to Dover just to force Louis of France into a deal.
125	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * GunNut: James II, leading to his DeathByIrony.
126	* GuiltComplex: Robert the Bruce to a huge level because of TheseHandsHaveKilled.
127	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * HairTriggerTemper: James II
128	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * HappilyAdopted: UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland with the French royal family.
129	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * HarmlessVillain: Edward II of England, at least when he took to the battlefield. Certainly in comparison with [[UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst his father]].
130	* HeirClubForMen: Both UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst and Henry VIII of England realised that they could control Scotland through marrying their sons to Scotland's young Queens (Margaret and [[UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland Mary]] respectivley), as [[ValuesDissonance a woman's property would become her husbands property upon marriage]].
131	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheHermit: Constantine II became one.
132	* HeroKiller: UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst to William Wallace.
133	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheHighMiddleAges
134	* HistoricalBadassUpgrade: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]].
135	** The mythologizing of Robert the Bruce over the centuries was pointed out.
136	* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]].
137	** It's pointed out that Kenneth I probably didn't personally unite Scotland.
138	** The narrator discusses how William Wallace became a "brand" after his death, and how the Wallace myth still plays an important role in Scotland's politics and sense of identity today. Despite the fact that he ultimately failed.
139	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * HistoricalVillainUpgrade: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]].
140	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** Happens to various Englishmen. UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst especially.
141	* HopelessWar: After the disastrous Battle of Falkirk, the First War of Independence started to look like this for the Scots.
142	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * HornyVikings
143	* HumiliationConga: Alexander II was betrayed by his allies, excommunicated by UsefulNotes/ThePope and forced to pay homage to the nine-year old Henry III of England.
144	* IdiotBall: The English commanders at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
145	** James I has his enemy Alexander [=MacDonald=] imprisoned twice... and twice lets him walk free. The first instance leads to an open rebellion against him and the second time is seen as the ultimate show of weakness - leading to James' assassination.
146	* IHaveYourWife: UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst's army captured and held Robert the Bruce's wife and daughter during the early stages of his rebellion.
147	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * InMediasRes: "Project Britain"
148	* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: William Wallace during his [[KangarooCourt trial]] at Westminster. Accused of murder, arson, destruction of property and sacrilege, he only spoke when accused of treason - pointing out that he had never sworn allegiance to UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst to begin with.
149	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * {{Jerkass}}: James I, at best.
150	* JustTheFirstCitizen: How the Lords generally viewed the King (if he was popular) prior to the return of James I. James had other ideas.
151	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * KangarooCourt: William Wallace's trial in Westminster Hall.
152	* KickTheDog: Alexander II went as far as to kill a baby girl to make sure that his reign couldn't be challenged.
153	* KingOnHisDeathbed: Robert the Bruce. [[UnexplainedRecovery He got better]]. For a while.
154	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * KnightTemplar: Widespread during the Protestant Reformation.
155	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheLateMiddleAges
156	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheLancer: James Douglas to Robert the Bruce.
157	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * LargeAndInCharge: UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst.
158	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * LaResistance: The Scottish side is generally presented this way whenever conflicts with England are focused on.
159	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** The Scots in the First War of Independence.
160	* LegendFadesToMyth: What happened to the Picts.
161	--> '' "We see that the Picts have now been wiped out and their language also is totally destroyed, so that they seem to be a fable we find mentioned in old writings" ''
162	--> ''Archdeacon of Huntington on the Picts in 1140''
163	* LivingMacGuffin: James I of Scotland, held captive by the English since he was 12 years old as a bargaining chip.
164	%% cont., commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland to Henry VIII
165	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * LongRangeFighter: UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst's Welsh Longbowmen at the Battle of Falkirk.
166	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * LowCultureHighTech: The craftmanship skills of the Picts and Gaels.
167	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheLowMiddleAges: Episode One.
168	* LoyalToThePosition: [[AvertedTrope Largely averted]], as loyalty tended to run along family lines rather than towards the Crown.
169	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * MakeAnExampleOfThem: The point behind Alexander II having a baby executed.
170	** William Wallace's dismembered body parts were sent around Great Britain as a warning against rebellion, making this an example of DeadGuyOnDisplay.
171	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * MentorArchetype: Bishop Lamberton to Robert the Bruce.
172	* MineralMacGuffin: The Stone of Destiny, upon which Scottish monarchs were crowned. Taken by UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst to Westminster in 1296 as the spoils of war, it has been used in coronations right up until Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII (and will be used beyond that). Stolen in 1950 and returned in 1951 ([[EpilepticTrees or a copy was returned]])[[note]]the thieves were never identified[[/note]], it finally came back to Scotland in 1996.
173	* MoneyDearBoy: James I turned on the [=MacDonald=] family because he needed their money.
174	* MurderIsTheBestSolution: How James II took to dealing with William, The Black Douglas.
175	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * NobleFugitive: Robert the Bruce in hiding.
176	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland
177	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * NobleSavage: How Tacitus seemed to view the Caledonians.
178	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: The way the First War of Independence plays out.
179	* OfferedTheCrown: Offered by UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst to John Baliol in exchange for Baliol accepting him as overlord. Then offered by Bishop Lamberton and Bishop Wishart to Robert the Bruce as a replacement for Baliol.
180	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * OriginsEpisode: Episode One is effectively this for an entire country.
181	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * OutsideContextProblem: The [[HornyVikings Vikings]] had this going on.
182	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * ThePhilosopher: Dun Scotus, who proposed the idea of a kind-of ElectiveMonarchy.
183	* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: [[DiscussedTrope discussed]].
184	--> On Robert the Bruce: "The legend hid his [[GuiltComplex consuming guilt]]. It rarely mentioned the Bishops who'd chosen him and guided his every step. It barely muttered the names of his lost family. [[HistoricalBadassUpgrade It shrunk the Scottish casualties, and multiplied the English armies he defeated]]. It blurred the medievalness of what he did: [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade it made it about liberty for all]], instead of a revolution that established a free and independent Scottish ''Crown''"
185	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * {{Precursors}}: The Picts are presented like this.
186	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * ProperlyParanoid: James II and William, The Black Douglas towards each other.
187	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * PrinceCharming: James IV.
188	* PuppetKing: John Baliol. Was treated this way both by his [[EvilOverlord overlord]] UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst ''and'' the Lords that ended up running the country in opposition to Edward.
189	** Henry V of England planned to use James I of Scotland, who had been an English captive since he was 12, like this to prevent the Scots fighting against him in UsefulNotes/TheHundredYearsWar.
190	* TheQuisling: King John (Baliol), who accepted UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst as overlord in exchange for the Scottish crown. Although Baliol drew the line at being instructed to go fight in France on Edward's behalf.
191	* RagsToRoyalty: UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfStuart's rise from hostages and prisoners to being the dominant force in the British isles.
192	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * RapePillageAndBurn
193	* RebelLeader: In the First War of Independence, there were [[BadassPreacher Bishops Wishart and Lamberton]], [[MemeticBadass William Wallace]], [[FolkHero Robert the Bruce]] [[AndZoidberg and Andrew Moray]].
194	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: A common feature among members of the [=MacDonald=] family, the Lords of the Isles, who had kept peace in their territory for a century.
195	* RedBaron: UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst, the "Hammer of the Scots".
196	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * ReluctantRuler: John Baliol, who ended up staying in France rather than trying to take up his rule.
197	* RetiredBadass: Constantine II, after forty-two years as King, retired to live in a cave as a holy man.
198	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: Frequently.
199	* RightfulKingReturns: Cousins Donald and Constantine taking their families kingdom back from the usurper, Giric, circa 899.
200	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] with John Baliol, who was content to hide out in France rather than try and resume his rule.
201	** Robert the Bruce returning from hiding to fight for the Crown.
202	** A less heroic example with James I, who was ransomed back because his English captors didn't see any value in holding him any more.
203	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * RoyalBlood
204	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething.
205	* {{Scotireland}}: The Gaels, who arrived in the west of Scotland from Ireland and eventually become the dominant group.
206	* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Henry VIII wanted to UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland to marry his son in order to prevent Scotland siding with his European enemies. Only during his war to try and force this through did France side with Scotland and arrange for the marriage of Mary into the French royal family, fulfilling Henry's fears.
207	* ShroudedInMyth: Scotland's very early history.
208	** This was exploited by the Scots Church when trying to win favour with UsefulNotes/ThePope in 1301; they spun him an elaborate story about how Scots are directly descended from ancient Israelites.
209	* SiegeEngines: UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst built what was then the biggest trebuchet ever constructed to take Stirling Castle. He called it "Warwolf".
210	* SpannerInTheWorks: Robert the Bruce murdering John Comyn, messing up most of the plan to get Bruce on the throne.
211	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheStarscream: Giric to Aed.
212	* SuccessionCrisis: Caused by the sudden deaths of the Alexander III and his only heir, his three-year old granddaughter Margaret. Two competing claims to the throne, from John Baliol and Robert Bruce, nearly led to CivilWar. Then up stepped UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst...
213	** Later happened in England, when the deaths of most of The Tudors left Henry VIII's illegitimate daughter [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth]] and UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland as the two competing claimants to being Queen of England.
214	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TakingUpTheMantle: Robert the Bruce as the Scottish leader in the First War of Independence.
215	* TakeThat
216	--> "The English had had enough, so they did what had become the traditional thing when faced with a Scottish army, its feet and spears firmly planted on the ground: they ran away."
217	* TheseHandsHaveKilled: Robert the Bruce's lifelong reaction to killing his rival, John Comyn, in a Dumfries Church.
218	* TimeSkip: Each episode tends to jump a few centuries ahead of where the last one ended.
219	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TraumaCongaLine: Alexander III lost his wife and all three children in the space of nine years.
220	* TreacherousAdvisor: UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst was invited to mediate on Scotland's SuccessionCrisis. He ended up taking over as [[EvilOverlord overlord]].
221	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TyrantTakesTheHelm: James I.
222	* UnexplainedRecovery: Robert the Bruce was dying of an unknown illness... then he was ok again for unknown reasons.
223	* WarriorMonk: Bishop Robert Wishart and Bishop William Lamberton, who masterminded Robert I's rebellion.
224	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * WarriorPrince: Many of them.
225	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** Alexander II
226	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst
227	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** Robert the Bruce
228	%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * WeAREStrugglingTogether: Frequently occurs.
229	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: UsefulNotes/MaryOfScotland was nearly nearly Mary of Scotland, England AND France.
230	* WHAMLine
231	--> '' "It's mid-winter, 1230. A horrific scene is played out in the middle of a busy market square: An infant child is held up to the crowds. Seconds later, she's dead. Her small corpse lies discarded in the mud, her brains splattered across the column of the market cross." ''
232	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: RealLife example with the Picts, who simply vanished from the records with very little trace when the Kingdom of Scotland first appeared in them.
233	* WildWilderness: The Scottish Highlands: "Britain's last great wilderness; a place as beautiful as it is barren".
234	* YoungConqueror: Alexander II. After his English allies turned on him he abandoned the north of England and he embarked on a campaign to bring the largely independent Scottish Highland's under his control.

Context Series / AHistoryOfScotland