What was Scotland like in the middle ages?

Answer 1

A lot can be said about Scotland of the Middle Ages, and a proper answer would be very long.

To start with, rather a lot of Scotland was heavily wooded in the Middle Ages. The wood was cut for heating mostly after the introduction of chimneys to Britain in the Late Middle Ages.

In the Early Middle Ages, the people were not Scots, but were Picts and others. The Scots invaded from Ireland during the Early Middle Ages. At first, Scotland was pagan, of course, but it was converted early on, largely by monks from Ireland. By the time England was Christian, Scotland was also.

The tribal communities of early Scotland gave place to clans, whose geographical areas were broader and mixed. And these slowly formed a centralized government, which was subject to England at times, but became independent in the fourteenth century in the reign of King Robert the Bruce. The early kings were chosen by groups of leaders, and monarchy was not strictly hereditary until later.

Scotland went its own way, and was not as moved by continental influences as other countries were. When the Knights Templar were destroyed on the continent, and disbanded in England, they seem to have continued in modified form in Scotland. Serfdom, which dominate most of Europe, disappeared in Scotland before the Black Plague hit.

Scotland was different. There is a link below.

Answer 2

In the middle ages, Scotland was a feudal society with a ruling class of nobles and a largely agrarian population. The country experienced frequent conflicts between rival clans and with England, particularly during the Wars of Independence. The influence of the Catholic Church was strong, and Scottish culture began to develop with the emergence of Gaelic and Scots literature. Overall, it was a turbulent and dynamic period in Scottish history.