Scotland 1689 - 1707

The period 1689 to 1707 was one of great importance in Scotland's history. During these 18 years a king was deposed and Parliament freed itself from royal control. In 1692, a blundering effort by the government to pacify the Highlands ended in the massacre of Glencoe. During seven years of harvest failure many people died of starvation. A disastrous attempt to improve the failing economy by starting a trading colony in Darien led to a breakdown in relations with England, although there were some who thought the way forward was a union, if this allowed Scots to trade with England and her colonies.

Timeline of events leading up to the Union of 1707.