Did you know – it is 539 years today since the Shetland and Orkney Isles came under Scottish rule?
For a long time I’ve wondered exactly how Scotland managed to get the islands, especially the Shetland Isles which are almost closer to Norway than they are to Scotland.
The islands also have very much a Norsk culture and identity about them and some up there don’t even regard themselves as being Scottish, although most would chose that over British if they could.
Apparently, the islands were claimed by Scotland on the 20th February 1472 after the king of Norway defaulted on a marriage dowry payment when his daughter was married to James III of Scotland in 1468 (More details on Wikipedia).
So that’s what happened this day in history and the islands are still worth visiting to this day, especially Orkney.
More Resources:
Orkney and Shetland island things to do
Hotels on Orkney and Shetland
