From Bannockburn and Robert the Bruce to the union of the crowns and Mary, Queen of Scots; from the Reformation and John Knox, to the Enlightenment and the Highland Clearances, and right up to devolution, this book tells the history of a country that has experienced centuries of dramatic change.

Michael Lynch is an Honorary Fellow in the School of Historical Studies at the University of Leicester, UK. His research interests are in modern European and Chinese history and his recent publications include: Mao (2004), Modern China (2006), Autocracy to Communism: Russia 1894-1941 (2008), and Nazi Germany (2012).