From the 15th to the 17th century an intellectual movement known as the Renaissance transformed
Scotland. Its key invention was the printing press, which brought an end to idea being cloistered up in monasteries and began to spread textual knowledge throughout Scottish society. It revolutionised
Scotland’s two main public institutions, the Court and the Kirk (or Church), and triggered a social and religious revolution that swept the established order away. Historians call this time the ‘early modern’, for in a sense it was the end of the medieval world and the birth of the modern.
During the Renaissance, nation states became more important across Western
Europe, and in Scotland the Stewart monarchy promoted a strong sense of
Scottish identity. The state changed rapidly, with institutions like the Scottish
Parliament being created along with regular taxation and standing armed and naval forces. Also, the expansion of the state led to increased emphasis on law rather than kin (family ties) deciding how society was run, having, perhaps, a negative effect on the power of the clans.
When Did the Renaissance Begin?
King James I (1424-37) is seen as laying down new patterns of behaviour that over the next hundred years would flower into a fully fledged Renaissance in
Scotland, although for many historians the reign of
King James III (1460-88) marks the crucial turning point. Both are members of the famous Stewart dynasty of kings and queens which succeeded the
Bruces after the Wars of Independence.
The royal court was the primary driving force behind the Renaissance in Scotland. Through marriage to foreign queens and profitable trading connections the court brought continental ideas back to Scotland from, in http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/renaissance/intro_renaissance2.shtml

particular, France, Burgundy and Flanders.
Education also brought access to new ideas. Through Latin, the common language of Europe, new ideas were transmitted to and from Scotland. Across the land classical learning was released through Latin Grammar
Schools and the founding of the Universities of St
Andrews, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
The printing press (pictured right) was one of the most revolutionary developments of the age. Until the late
15th century, manuscripts could only be copied by hand in monasteries. To read one of them could involve a long journey, often to the continent, but, with the invention of the printing press the whole process was reversed. Mass produced in one location, books and pamphlets were easily transported across
Europe for sale. Although, initially, books were very expensive and still the privilege of the elite, by the early 17th century even books like the Bible became relatively affordable.
A Scots Renaissance
The Scottish Kings used the power of print. They issued a licence to Scotland’s first printers, Chapman and Myllar of Edinburgh, to embark on a patriotic programme of publishing in the Scots language. The poetry of the Scots Makars:
Robert Henryson, William Dunbar and David Lyndsay was brought to a new and wider audience. Whilst Gavin Douglas and Hector Boece translated Latin classics, like the Virgil’s Aenead and Livy’s History, into everyday Scots.
Many of the great Makars (poets), and especially William Dunbar, served in the court of James IV (pictured right) and vied for the attention of the king with other artists, musicians and even alchemists.
Sir David Lindsay went on to redefine the nation in broad terms in his drama, ‘The
Three Estaits’: emphasising the changes the Renaissance had brought about through the concept of the 'commonweal' (commonwealth), and promoting the ideal that kings shouldn't rule simply for the benefit of the elite but for the common good. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/renaissance/intro_renaissance2.shtml

Historical studies were also included in the renaissance, as Hector Boece’s
‘Cronikil of Scotland’: a Latin history of Scotland written in the style of Livy, was translated into Scots at the command of King James V.
The Renaissance was quite simply evident in every art, craft and discipline in
Scotland. In painting, contacts with the Low Countries (Holland etc.) effectively started Scotland’s painting tradition. In architecture, defensive castles were abandoned for palaces built in the style of French chateaux. In religion, the area which probably mattered most to the common people, an educated population was more demanding- placing emphasis on a more personal faith and imitation of
Christ through the scriptures, and less emphasis on the worship of idols and saints popular in Catholicism.
Renaissance mathematics brought about a revolution in warfare: with more accurate cannons, bigger warships and new, cunningly designed fortifications.
Royal power increased, as the monarchy could afford the latest military designsgiving them access to more firepower than any previous monarchs. The days when a noble could defy royal authority from his castle were over.
The Politics of Power
The new firepower and influx of educated professionals provoked changes in the politics of power. The great nobility were joined at court by men whose wealth and status was determined by their usefulness to the king, not merely by their birthright.
Lavish spending was a display of power, and making an impression became the key to success. Tournaments, feasting and ever more spectacular events projected this image. The cult of chivalry became popular, marking out the elite from the masses by their manners. The crown and nobility began to need more money; land began to change hands; the church was squeezed for revenue, and taxation regularly increased. This was the beginning of the modern world. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/renaissance/intro_renaissance2.shtml