Scotland

From Turtledove

Scotland is a country that occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It is part of the United Kingdom, and shares a land border to the south with England. It is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

[edit] Scotland in Ruled Britannia

When Spain invaded and conquered England in 1588, Scotland remained independent. It was ruled by King James VI, a Protestant and son of the late Mary Queen of Scots.

Though Scotland was a traditional enemy of England, Scottish kings often visited the English capital of London, where a palace with a park (also called Scotland) was maintained for their uses. However, James, wary of the militant Catholic government of Spanish-backed Queen Isabella, did not visit England during the decade it was part of the Spanish Empire.

Postings on the English-Scottish border were considered extremely undesirable for Spanish soldiers occupying England, and were often assigned as a disciplinary measure. Most Spaniards viewed the Scottish as more barbaric than the Irish.

[edit] Scotland in In High Places

In an alternate where the Great Black Deaths wiped out 4 in 5 Europeans, Scotland, like England, was a minor independent kingdom and a backwater of Europe.