[MR] Battle of Falkirk Anniversary

[Garth Groff]

Noble Friends, Especially the Scots,

July 22 is one of the blackest days in Scottish history. On this day in 
1298 a small Scottish army led by Sir William Wallace was betrayed to a 
much larger English army under the command of Edward I. Forced to fight 
on a hastily chosen battlefield, the Scots army was destroyed. Wallace 
managed to escape, but was so humiliated that he resigned his office as 
Protector of Scotland and took no further active role in the resistance 
against the English. Wikipedia has a good summary of the battle at: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Falkirk_(1298) .

July 22, 1706 was another sad day for Scotland (though out of our 
period). This was the day the Scots agreed to give up the freedom Sir 
William Wallace defended so gallantly. Scotland and England were still 
two separate countries (frequently at each others' throats), but were 
ruled by the same Protestant monarch, Queen Anne of the House of Stuart. 
She was in poor health, and none of her children had survived to 
adulthood. The English were anxious for a union of the two countries to 
avoid the Catholic pretender James III & VIII from being invited back to 
rule Scotland when Anne died. Scottish merchants wanted access to trade 
in England's growing empire. Despite strong opposition by most Scots 
citizens, the measure passed the Scottish Parliament, liberally greased 
by a lot of bribes paid in English coin. After approval by the English 
Parliament a few months later, the Union took effect on 1 May 1707, 
forming the nation of Great Britain and Ireland (the Irish had no say in 
this). Of course, the problem of the Jacobites (supporters of the exiled 
Catholic Stuarts) didn't go away because of the Union. Several civil 
wars followed, ending with the tragic 1745-46 return of Bonnie Prince 
Charlie and his invasion of England. And today it looks as if the Scots 
may again go their own way, but this time peacefully.

Here is a summary of the Act of Union: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707 .
Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Who Sees Both Sides of the Scotland Question