Editing Lothian (section)

{{Short description|Region of the Scottish Lowlands}}
{{Other uses|Lothian (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{coord|55|54|33|N|3|05|04|W|type:adm2nd_region:GB_dim:20000|display=title}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | name                     =  Lothian
 | image_map                = Lothian County.svg
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = Scotland
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 666
 | population_density_sq_mi = 1288
 | population_total         = 858,090
 | population_as_of         = 2014
 | population_footnotes     = <ref name="National Records of Scotland">{{cite web |url=http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/population-estimates/midyear-2014/14mid-year-pe-cahb-tab2.pdf |title=Estimated population by sex, single year of age and administrative area, mid-2014 |publisher=National Records of Scotland |access-date=17 May 2015 }}</ref>
}}
[[File:Burdiehouse Burn at Little France - geograph.org.uk - 903066.jpg|thumb|The Lothian (Burdiehouse) Burn as it passes through Edinburgh]]
[[File:Traprain Law 4.jpg|thumb|[[Traprain Law]] in East Lothian, said to be the site of King Lot's capital]]

'''Lothian''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|oʊ|ð|i|ə|n}}; {{langx|sco|Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n}};<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/lowden_prop_n |title=Dictionary of the Scots Language :: SND :: Lowden prop. n |publisher=Dsl.ac.uk |access-date=2016-05-26}}</ref> {{langx|gd|Lodainn}} {{IPA|gd|ˈl̪ˠot̪aɲ|}}) is a region of the [[Scottish Lowlands]], lying between the southern shore of the [[Firth of Forth]] and the [[Lammermuir Hills]] and the [[Moorfoot Hills]]. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, [[Edinburgh]], while other significant towns include [[Livingston, West Lothian|Livingston]], [[Linlithgow]], [[Bathgate, West Lothian|Bathgate]], [[South Queensferry|Queensferry]], [[Dalkeith]], [[Bonnyrigg]], [[Penicuik]], [[Musselburgh]], [[Prestonpans]], [[Tranent]], [[North Berwick]], [[Dunbar]] and [[Haddington, East Lothian|Haddington]].

Historically, the term Lothian referred to a [[Provinces of Scotland|province]] encompassing most of what is now southeastern Scotland. In the 7th century it came under the control of the [[Angles (people)|Anglian]] kingdom of [[Bernicia]], the northern part of the later kingdom of [[Northumbria]], but the Angles' grip on Lothian was weakened following the [[Battle of Dun Nechtain|Battle of Nechtansmere]] in which they were defeated by the Picts.

Subsequent Scottish history saw the region subdivided into three [[Shires of Scotland|counties]]—[[Midlothian (historic)|Midlothian]], [[East Lothian]], and [[West Lothian (historic)|West Lothian]]—leading to the popular designation of "'''the Lothians'''".