The arrival of the Roman Empire marked the earliest recorded history of the land area we now know as Scotland. England and Wales was already under occupation and there followed sporadic periods of occupation of the Scottish region although no period was especially lengthy and the combined period did not exceed four decades. The first of the occupations was led by Gnaeus Julius Agricola in 83-84 AD while the last was during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus from 208 until 210 AD. Despite the relatively short length of time that the Romans remained in the area, their influence was considerable, particularly on the southern section of the country. The kings of Alba set out gradually, adding territories to their kingdom from their base in what is now the east of the country. By the 12th century, the south-eastern area had been added while control was held over Galloway and Caithness. It was during this century also that many fundamental cultural and economic changes took place; changes which resulted in the creation of proper towns (then known as burghs) and the establishment of feudalism. By the end of the 13th century, borders akin to those in place today had been officially established. A state of war ensued between the Scottish and the English, continuing for several decades while a civil war between the Bruce dynasty and the Balliols raged until the mid-14th century. The most famous battle was at Bannonckburn in 1314 under Robert the Bruce when the Scots won a del facto independence from the English. The Bruce’s emerged successful from the conflict however, the lack of an eligible royal heir resulted in Robert II being crowned and the Stewart Dynasty subsequently established. The Stewarts remained rulers of Scotland for the continuation of the Middle Ages. The death of Queen Elizabeth I without a heir in 1603 lead to the the uniting of the two throne (England and Scotland) by Mary Stuart’s son who became James I of England and James IV of Scotland. But some tricky lobbying from the English parliament in 1707 persuaded them to merge the two parliaments, after which their independence was effectively lost. A period of Scottish cultural suppression followed. A period of severe industrial decline was experienced after WWII with recovery taking many decades and a true return to form not seen until relatively recently. Electronics and financial service industries combined with growth in the North Sea oil and gas industry have helped the country to enjoy a new period of economic prosperity. | 
