EDINBURGH — As votes are being counted in a key Scottish election, we look at the country’s long quest for independence from its southern neighbor England:
Independence wars
Faced with Norse domination, the Picts and the Gaelic Scoti were united under Kenneth MacAlpin, considered the first king of Scots, who died in 858.
But when the succession of his dynasty fell into question and Edward I of England was invited to arbitrate, he claimed suzerainty, invaded in 1296 and earned himself the nickname “Hammer of the Scots”.
The Wars of Scottish Independence lasted until 1357, though Robert the Bruce had effectively established independence by defeating the English forces at Bann…
Keep on reading: Scotland’s long quest for independence