By the end of the chapter, you will be able to understand the following:

• ‘Scotland’ was a meaningful entity as early as the 13th century, reflected in the wars of independence, which helped to shape Scots as a people.
   
• the second iconic moment was the Treaty of Union in 1707, at which point Scotland technically ceased to exist as a state.
   
• the final moment came in the late 20th century in the context of the campaign for a Scottish parliament.