20th February 1472: Orkney and Shetland Isles given to Scotland as a wedding dowry

The Northern Isles, which consist of the two island groups of Shetland and Orkney, have been inhabited since prehistoric times but were formally annexed by the Norwegian king Harald Hårfagre in around 875 after he subdued the Vikings who used the islands as a base from which to raid Norway and Scotland.

11th October 1521: Henry VIII becomes ‘Defender of the Faith’

On the 11th October 1521, Pope Leo X granted the title “Defender of the Faith” to King Henry VIII of England.