In the first episode Oliver reveals the mystery of how the Gaelic Scottish Kingdom - Alba - was born, and why its role in one of the greatest battles ever fought on British soil defined the shape of Britain in the modern era.
Oliver explores the role the Scottish church played in promoting Robert Bruce, the propaganda campaigns, both at home and abroad, and how the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath persuaded the Pope to recognize Scotland as an independent nation.
Scotland's infamous Highland/Lowland divide was the result of a family struggle that divided the kingdom. This is the story of how the policies of the Stewart royal family led to the Gaels being perceived as rebels and outsiders.
While Mary Queen of Scots plotted to usurp Elizabeth I and seize the throne of England, her son James dreamed of a more radical future: a Protestant Great Britain.