How the Scots… continued.

Two Halves of Scotland
In order to understand the impact these men and their followers would have, it is important to understand a few basics about Scottish geopolitical culture. The Highlands, which are the larger and northern of the two halves, consist primarily of pre-Celtic Neolithic tribesman with Pictish and Norse influences. The Lowlands consisted of a mix of people of Celtic (called Britons by later invading Romans) origins. The Highlands were organised on extended family groups called clans, and based on their geographic location and resources, seemed permanently stuck in the “pastoral stage”, the second of Lord Kames four stage theory on the stages of human community.

Several other issues contributed to a permanent wedge between the Highlanders and Lowlanders. The Highlanders tended to be Catholic while the Lowlanders were primarily Protestant. Their social and economic characteristics were very different. The lowlanders in the cities belonged to the “polite culture” of the educated, industry and wealth. The Highlanders relied on a feudalism-based economy and loyalty to the clan system. These wedge issues were only intensified when a coalition of groups tried to reinstall the Catholic Stuart family to the monarchy, and with the help of an over-zealous Bonnie Prince Charlie, led to the Jacobite Revolution (1745) and a horrific massacre of (mostly Highland) Scots at the Battle of Culloden.

It was after this period that Scotland would see and explosion of cultural and economic activity.