|
|
Image kindly
provided by the National Archives of Scotland
|
The
Treaty of Union is the most significant historical document of
the modern era in Scottish history, yet for most of the period since its
inception in 1707, it has gone largely unnoticed by the bulk of the
Scottish people.
The Treaty laid out the framework for the political union between
Scotland and England and in recent times, it has been the subject of
intense controversy. Was it a sordid deal that sealed the fate of the
independent Scottish nation or was it an act of political statesmanship
that brought an end to Anglo Scottish enmity and paved the way for the
creation of the British state and empire? Inevitably views of the Treaty
tend to be shaped by political bias.
This talk will examine the changing ways in which Scots have regarded
the significance of the Treaty and how it has shaped their history.
Professor Richard Finlay
|
|
|
|
Richard
Finlay is Professor of Scottish History, Director of the Research
Centre in Scottish History and Head of Department of History at the
University of Strathclyde. He is the author of Independent and Free:
Scottish politics and the Origins of the SNP, A Partnership for Good:
Scottish politics and the Union Since 1880 and Modern Scotland,
1914-2000. He is currently working on Scottish national identity in the
nineteenth century
|
|
