An academic research project looking at the formation of national identity in Scotland and England.
The Scottish Wars of Independence created a new and fundamental divide in the north of Britain. There had long been a political border in the north, but by 1314 there was a social border as well: it was no longer possible to hold land on both sides of the divide and be a member of both the English and Scottish realms.
By creating a new comprehensive prosopographical digital resource, the Breaking of Britain investigates whether the Wars of Independence and the divide they created in cross-border society were a rupture or a natural outcome of longer-term developments.
The results should contribute a deeper understanding of a pivotal phase in British History that is particularly relevant today when the relationship between Scotland and England is being actively debated.