War of independence - 2014

Today there is disagreement about whether Scotland should be completely independent from Great Britain or not, some people doubt that Scotland is able to be fully independence. The Scottish government is planning to make a selection in 2014 about whether Scotland should be independent. England does not expect that Scotland vote for completely for independent from Britain.  

Scottish independence

The story about Scotland independence starts in 1290, when the last heir to the Scottish throne Margaret died. Scotland feared  a civil war between the supporters of driftnet rivals to the throne, therefore  King Edward 1 of England was ask to come to Scotland to prevent a war. But Edward 1 exploit Scotland’s weakness, they were without a king or army to defend themselves, so Edward send troops to the border and forced to crown Edward 1 as their Lord.

The rivals to the Scottish throne didn’t give op, so in august 1292 the negotiation about who would be Scotland’s new king began. After Two months of negotiation was Johan Balliol on 17 November, crowned as king of Scotland.

In 1295 became Edward 1 aware of the secret negotiations between French and Scotland and prepares the English army for an invasion from Scotland. Therefore began the first War of Scottish Independence in 1296. In 1306 ended the war, Scotland finally was conquered.

The invasion of the North of England forced Edward III to sign the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton on 1 May 1328. The treaty was a peace agreement signed by Robert the Bruce and the English Parliament. Bruce was crowned as King of Scotland and Scotland became independence.

The Second War of Scottish Independence was from 1332 to 1357, in that period of time England and Scotland fought many battles. After the Second War was Scotland independence again.
Until England and Scotland in 1707 was united as the kingdom of Great Britain.

Scotland - Home of Monsters

Even though more people live in Glasgow, Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland with 453.670 inhabitants. The city has been the capital since 1437 and every year 13 million tourists visit it as the second largest city after London in Great Britain. It is in addition to that one of Europe’s largest financial centre.

Scotland constitutes 790 islands and contained in 2010 5.222.10 inhabitants ethnic distributed with 89 % Scottish, 7 % English, Irish and Welsh and 4 % of other ethnic groups. 

Scotland is one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Scottish water areas consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, the title of Europe's oil capital. But that is not the only thing Scottish waters are famous for! 

Today Scotland is also known for its many mysteries seas where is has been told that there live monsters beyond the usual. The lake called Loch Ness in the Scottish highlands is especially known for its Loch Ness Monster, Nessie. 

Education Rocks!

The Scottish education system isn’t the same as we have in Denmark. It’s a unique and well advanced system and according to the Scotland Education Act 1872 (1) all children between 5 and 13 years must be educated. Scotland was the first country since Sparta in classical Greece to implement a system of general public education! The Scottish Qualifications Authority provides all the certificates that are given at the schools, colleges and other educational institutions. Local authorities own and operate the Public Schools. 

Scotland Schools 

Scotland schools are of two types - Primary Schools and Secondary Schools.

• Primary Schools in Scotland:
  Children between 4 to 12 years study in primary schools where they are given the basic trainings. There is at least one if not more primary schools in each city of Scotland.

• Secondary Schools in Scotland:
  The secondary schools include 6 years of education. All the major cities of Scotland have one or more secondary schools.

Scotland Universities 

Specialized education is provided at all the universities of Scotland. The universities are located in the major cities of the country.

University of Edinburgh

(1): http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/education/about-us/maps-estates-history/history/part-four 

Scotland?

Hello!
Scotland. Hmm, is that the country where the men wear kilts and drink whiskey all day?
Well maybe some of them do, but Scotland is so much more. By reading this blog you will become an expert in the subject "Contemporary Scotland". Answering questions about Scotland's political situation and independence, the educational system, cultural icons and important buildings among other things will be a piece of cake.
Did you know that Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland even though Glasgow is the largest city? Now you do ;-) Watch this video, which takes you on a guided tour of Edinburgh, and see how incredible the capital is youself. Stay tuned!

- Anne J, Rikke S, Laura, Sarah & Ema