It doesn’t matter if Edward I actually uttered the slur, “The trouble with Scotland is that it’s full of Scots.” Seeing the English king sneer when he makes that icy pronouncement in actor Mel Gibson’sOscar-winning movie Braveheart at the very least is art imitating life, for Longshanks (the lanky king’s nickname used behind his back) and his royal English successors for 700 years have shown disdain for the independence of the plucky Scots, those tortured souls who still manage to live north of Hadrian’s Wall. for more click on the introduction