Education Act 1496
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The Education Act of 1496 was passed by the Scottish Parliament in that year at the behest of James IV. It made schooling compulsory for the first time in Scotland since it forced all nobles and freeholders to educate their eldest sons in Latin, followed by the Arts, and Scots law.
The children had to be sent to a grammar school to be taught Latin when they reached the age of eight or nine. Once they had learned Latin, they had to attend a school of Art or of Law for a minimum of three years after that.
The intention was to ensure that the courts and local government would be run by more educated people than had been the case previously. In order to ensure compliance, it was ordained that a fine of forty Scots pounds would be levied on anyone who did not obey.