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Scottish nationalism promotes the idea that the
Scottish people The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who found ...
form a cohesive
nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...
and
national identity National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or to one or more nation, nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language". National i ...
. Scottish nationalism began to shape from 1853 with the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights, progressing into the Scottish National Movement in the 1920s maturing by the 1970s and achieved present ideological maturity in the 1980s and 1990s. The nation's origin, political context and unique characteristics including the
Gaelic language The Goidelic or Gaelic languages ( ga, teangacha Gaelacha; gd, cànanan Goidhealach; gv, çhengaghyn Gaelgagh) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically ...
,
poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...
and film maintains an individual's distinct identification and support of
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
.


Origins

Scottish Nationalism, the concept of Scotland as an individual
Nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...
state became prominent within Scotland in the Middle Ages. During the Anglo-Scottish Wars, the campaign led by Scotland was to obtain Scottish independence as a separate
sovereign state A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a polity, political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defin ...
. The campaign was successful, and following the Declaration of Arbroath, a formal letter sent to
Pope John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected b ...
, Scotland, and the nation's individual identity were officially recognised as sovereign in 1328. Scotland proceeded to operate as an independent nation state until the Acts of Union which merged both the Parliaments and Kingdoms of
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
and
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
in 1707 to b
"united into one Kingdom of Great Britain"
a united state retaining separate
legal system The contemporary national legal systems are generally based on one of four basic systems: civil law, common law, statutory law, religious law or combinations of these. However, the legal system of each country is shaped by its unique history an ...
, however a distinct Scottish institution continue to exist.


Language

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well a ...
, also known as the founding language of Scotland is currently the oldest Scottish language still in use today. The History of Scottish Gaelic itself has been through a tremendous legacy of turmoil, from Scots nobles learning only English as a first language as far back as the 13th century, the implementation of the
Statutes of Iona The Statutes of Iona, passed in Scotland in 1609, required that Highland Scottish clan chiefs send their heirs to Lowland Scotland to be educated in English-speaking Protestant schools. As a result, some clans, such as the MacDonalds of Sleat and ...
in 1609 forcing Scots nobles to learn English, or the 1616 Education Act implemented by the Scottish Privy Council which declared that no heir of a Gaelic chief could inherit unless he could write, read and speak English Around ten such Acts were raised between 1494 and 1698, passed by the Scots Parliament to make English the first language, Gaelic had struggled to retain a foothold over Scotland. As Scotland and Great Britain were united under the
Acts of Union 1707 The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Act of Parliament, Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put ...
, Gaelic lost its legitimacy as a legal and administrative language. Gaelic did however continued to gain importance as the language of the Highland clans, and the language of the Jacobite's. Prior to the Education (Scotland) Act 1872, the Act of Proscription 1746 was implemented to assimilate Highland Scots into Lowland & British culture. Following the Government victory over the Jacobite's, Jacobitism as a significant political force diminished, Highland dress was outlawed, banned, and Highland culture & Language deterred, those speaking Gaelic, or wearing highland dress historically received various forms of punishment. On 1 July 1782, royal assent was given to Repeal of the Act Proscribing the Wearing of Highland Dress 22 George III, Chap. 63, 1782 and a proclamation issued in Gaelic and English. Under the Education (Scotland) Act, school attendance was compulsory and only English was taught, or tolerated in the schools of both the Lowlands and the Highlands and Islands. As a result, any student who spoke
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well a ...
in the school or on its grounds could expect what Ronald Black calls the, "familiar Scottish experience of being thrashed" for speaking their native language of Gaelic. Since devolution and the passing of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, Scottish nationalists have spearheaded an effort to bring Scottish Gaelic back from the brink of extinction through the spread of immersion schools funded by the
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holy ...
. The
Scots Language Scots (endonym: ''Scots''; gd, Albais, ) is an Anglic language, Anglic Variety (linguistics), language variety in the West Germanic language, West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland (wher ...
, previously known as Inglis/ Early Scots is a lowland, West Germanic Language which also has a reported history of being deterred within Scottish Education. Scots speakers today agree that they have received various forms of punishment for speaking Scots. For this reason, the protection and revival of both Gaelic and Lowland Scots play a key role in nationalist ideology. Linguistic independence is primarily associated with the poetry of
Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...
about the events of the
Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...
, before it experienced a resurgence during the Scottish Renaissance, as led by Hugh MacDiarmid.


Politics

Within politics, Scottish nationalism was held as a key ideology by the National Party of Scotland which later became the Scottish National Party (SNP). Their rise in popularity since being elected to government at Holyrood in 2007 led to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. The referendum was held on 18 September 2014, and was a victory for the Better Together campaign; who advocated keeping Scotland part of the United Kingdom, with 55% of the Scottish electorate across all 32 council areas voting "No" to independence. However, four of the thirty-two local authority council areas in Scotland did have a majority "Yes" vote in support of independence: Dundee,
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...
, North Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire, which accounted for the wishes of 1,617,989 people. Despite the nationalist side losing the referendum, the SNP experienced a surge in support in the following months, and won a landslide majority in Scotland at the UK general election the following year; ending 51 years of dominance by
Scottish Labour Scottish Labour ( gd, Pàrtaidh Làbarach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Labour Pairty; officially the Scottish Labour Party) is a social democratic political party in Scotland. It is an autonomous section of the UK Labour Party. From their peak o ...
. Many long-serving Labour politicians lost their seats in the biggest political upset in decades, with the SNP winning all but three Scottish House of Commons seats and displacing the Liberal Democrats to become the third party of the United Kingdom; despite only standing for election in Scotland. On Thursday, 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom held a referendum on continuing membership of the European Union, which resulted in 52% of the British electorate voting for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. A second Scottish independence referendum has been proposed, as 62% of the Scottish electorate voted for the UK to remain in the European Union, and guaranteed prosperity through single market access was part of the Better Together campaign's argument to convince the Scottish people to vote to stay part of the UK. In 2021, former SNP Leader and
First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland ( sco, heid meinister o Scotland; gd, prìomh mhinistear na h-Alba ) is the head of the Scottish Government and keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The first minister chair ...
Alex Salmond launched the Alba Party and announced it would run in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, to try and a achieve "supermajority" for Scottish independence. However, the party failed to win any seats in Parliament. On 15 June 2022 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared that she plans to hold a second Scottish independence referendum in October 2023.


Popular culture


Poetry

* In 1375, Scottish makar, or court poet, John Barbour completed the epic poem '' The Brus'', which retells and celebrates the deeds of
Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...
, who led the
Scottish people The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who found ...
in their Wars of Independence against Kings Edward I and
Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...
and who ultimately became King of Scotland. * Around 1488, Scottish makar Blind Harry wrote the epic poem '' The Wallace'', about the life and death of Scottish nationalist leader William Wallace. * Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair (), a
Jacobite Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...
war poet and major figure in Scottish Gaelic literature, has also been having a growing influence upon both Scottish nationalism and
republicanism Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...
. Despite his own personal
monarchism Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist ...
and passionate loyalty to the
House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter ...
, Alasdair's many poetic denunciations and satires against the House of Hanover, the ancestors of the modern British royal family, have been admired, praised, and translated by poets and writers who favour Scottish independence. * The events of the Scottish Wars of Independence are also a regular theme in the verse of Scotland's national poet,
Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...
. * Hugh MacDiarmid (1892 - 1978) was a Scottish poet, considered one of the principal forces behind the Scottish Renaissance, he had a great influence on Scottish culture and politics.


Film

* '' Braveheart'' is a historical war film that portrays the life of William Wallace during the
First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty o ...
. Mel Gibson portrayed Wallace onscreen, as well as directing the film.
Screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
Randall Wallace had largely based the
screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, ...
upon the poem ''The Wallace'' by Blind Harry. Although the film caused a rise in Scottish nationalism, with Lin Anderson, author of ''Braveheart: From Hollywood To Holyrood'', claiming the film helped Scotland get its own devolved parliament, the film has been criticized for its historical inaccuracy, but its alleged inaccuracies have entered into popular culture itself. * What was intended to be a more accurate film about the Wars of Scottish Independence was written and directed by David Mackenzie and titled '' Outlaw King''. O''utlaw King'' has faced its own critics for inaccuracy. A notable example is how Robert the Bruce ( Chris Pine) is portrayed as an enigmatic and well-behaved man of the people who desires to restore Scotland to the Scottish people. However, historian Fiona Watson (historian) notes the real King Robert I was most likely cold, canny, and driven by his personal ambition, and Edward, Prince of Wales ( Billy Howle), Bruce's enemy, was depicted as a cruel,
sadist Sadist refers to: * A person with sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term for individuals who derive pleasure from the suffering of others Sadist may also refer to: Sexual practices *BDSM, one who engages in the erotic (sexual) practices ...
ic, and oppressive person who is eager to succeed his father, King Edward Longshanks ( Stephen Dillane). In reality, Prince Edward was reluctant to assume the kingship and was known to be generous with his servants.


See also

* Devolution in the United Kingdom * Unionism in Scotland *
Irish nationalism Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...
* Scottish independence * Scottish republicanism


References


External links

* {{Authority control