So how did Scotland lose its independence in the first place?

Like so much else in English history, it all started because there was no obvious heir to the English throne. When the unmarried Elizabeth I died in 1603, there was no one in England to inherit the crown. The most legitimate claimant was King James VI of Scotland. He formed a union of the British and Scottish crowns and moved to London. In fact he only visited Scotland again once in his life.

James wanted to unite the Scottish and English parliaments but there was opposition in both countries...