Scotland's Last Parliament: The Union of 1707

The Glencoe Massacre: Betrayal in the Snow

In the early hours of February 13, 1692, a massacre unfolded in the remote Scottish glen of Glencoe. Government soldiers, who had been hosted as guests by the MacDonalds, turned on their hosts in a brutal act of betrayal. This episode unpicks the political context: the Jacobite rising of 1689, King William III's demand for an oath of allegiance, and the ruthless machinations of Secretary of State Sir John Dalrymple. We follow the tragic figure of MacIain, chief of the Glencoe MacDonalds, who signed the oath just days late, and Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, the reluctant commander of the massacre. The episode explores the immediate horror, the flawed royal inquiry that followed, and the enduring legacy of the event in Scottish folk memory as a symbol of state treachery. #GlencoeMassacre #MacDonald #Jacobite #WilliamIII #HighlandClans #1692 #ScotlandHistory #Dalrymple #MacIain #Glenlyon #OathOfAllegiance #Betrayal #FolkMemory #17thCentury #RoyalCommission #Highlands #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Scotland's Last Parliament: The Union of 1707

In 1707, the Scottish Parliament voted itself out of existence, ending over 300 years of legislative independence. This episode explores the backroom deals, bribery, and fierce debates that led to the Act of Union between Scotland and England. We focus on the final months of the Scottish Parliament—the fiery speeches of Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, the calculated maneuvering of the Duke of Queensberry, and the role of English gold in securing a majority. Learn how the Union was sold as an economic necessity after the disastrous Darien Scheme, and how the promise of free trade and compensation for shareholders swayed votes. We also examine the immediate aftermath: the last sitting in March 1707, the transfer of the Honours of Scotland, and the simmering resentment that would fuel the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745. This is the story of how Scotland traded its crown for a union, and the fight for identity that continues to this day. #ActOfUnion1707 #ScottishParliament #TreatyOfUnion #DukeOfQueensberry #AndrewFletcher #DarienScheme #Jacobites #KingdomOfScotland #KingdomOfGreatBritain #Edinburgh #StAndrews #1707 #UnionOfTheCrowns #ScottishHistory #BritishHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 'Fifteen: Scotland's Forgotten Jacobite Rising of 1715

In 1715, less than a decade after the Act of Union, a massive Jacobite army rose under John Erskine, the Earl of Mar, to restore James Stuart to the throne. This episode unpacks the 'Fifteen Rising — its causes, key figures, and the pivotal but inconclusive Battle of Sheriffmuir. Why did an army larger than Bonnie Prince Charlie's fail where later rebels would at least march to Derby? We explore Mar's hesitant leadership, the failed English rising at Preston, and James's belated arrival. The '15 is often overshadowed by Culloden, but it was arguably Scotland's best chance to overturn the Hanoverian succession. #History #FexingoHistory #Jacobite #1715Rising #BattleOfSheriffmuir #EarlOfMar #JamesStuart #Scotland #Hanoverian #Stuart #Preston #Braemar #BobbingJohn #ScottishHistory #ActOfUnion #Clans #GeorgeI #Rebellion Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Flodden Disaster: Scotland's Day of Sorrow

In 1513, Scotland suffered one of its most devastating military defeats at the Battle of Flodden. James IV, the Renaissance king who had built a navy and patronized the printing press, led an army into England in support of France's war with Henry VIII. Against the advice of his commanders, he chose a poor battlefield near Branxton, where his forces were cut down by English billmen. The king himself died on the field, along with a dozen earls, hundreds of lairds, and much of the country's nobility. The loss plunged Scotland into a generation of political instability and left a deep wound in national memory, immortalized in the folk lament 'Flowers of the Forest.' This episode explores the campaign, the brutal hand-to-hand fighting, and the long shadow Flodden cast over Scottish history. #Flodden1513 #JamesIV #BattleOfFlodden #Branxton #AuldAlliance #ThomasHoward #EarlOfSurrey #ScottishHistory #TudorHistory #RenaissanceScotland #MonsMeg #Schiltron #FlowersOfTheForest #History #FexingoHistory #Scotland #Warfare #StuartDynasty Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Mary Queen of Scots Return and the Clash with John Knox

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Mary Queen of Scots' return to Scotland in 1561 after the death of her first husband, Francis II of France. They discuss the political and religious turmoil Mary faced as a young Catholic queen in a Protestant Scotland, her famous confrontations with the fiery reformer John Knox, and the tensions that led to the brutal murder of her secretary David Rizzio in Holyrood Palace. The conversation delves into Mary's attempts at religious tolerance, the power struggles with the Scottish nobility, and the personal costs of her rule. This episode offers a nuanced portrait of one of Scotland's most legendary figures, focusing on the early years of her personal reign before the tragedies that would later define her. Listeners will gain insight into the clash between faith and politics in sixteenth-century Scotland and the precarious position of a queen navigating a divided court. #MaryQueenOfScots #JohnKnox #ScottishReformation #DavidRizzio #HolyroodPalace #Leith #CatholicVsProtestant #QueenOfScots #1561 #ScotlandHistory #TudorEra #FrancisII #LordDarnley #Bothwell #EdinburghCastle #Thistle #Tartan #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]