CHRONOLOGY-Scottish-English relations

(Reuters) - Scottish nationalists say that if they win control of the parliament in Edinburgh in Thursday's election and form a coalition, they will hold a referendum on independence within four years.

Following is a chronology of Scotland's relations with England, the biggest part of the United Kingdom which also comprises Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland:

-- The crowns of England and Scotland were united in 1603 when James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth to the English throne as James I. James and his successors ruled England and Scotland but each country retained its own parliament, church, laws and coinage until 1707.

-- Late 1600s - England places strict limits on Scotland's trade with the New World, crippling the Scottish economy.

-- Scots launch an ill-fated attempt to set up a colony in what is now Panama. Scotland invests a significant amount of its capital in the failed project, known as the "Darien Venture".

January 16, 1707 - Scotland's parliament votes for the Treaty of Union with England.

May 1, 1707 - Act of Union comes into effect.

-- England grants Scotland 400,000 pounds to clear debts from the Darien disaster.

1746 - The pretender to the Scottish throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie, is defeated by royal troops at the Battle of Culloden, the last battle fought on British soil.