The 'incomparable' Alex Salmond took Scottish nationalism to the heights before he and the SNP went awry | Alex Salmond

TFlags at the Scottish Parliament building were lowered on Saturday evening to mark the death of Alex Salmond, who transformed the Scottish National Party and led Scotland to the brink of independence as first minister.

Cross-party voices around the world praised the achievements of this accomplished and divisive politician, who dominated the Scottish political landscape for decades. And within the SNP itself, which he shaped into a dynamic, confident and election-winning organization, there was shock and deep sadness.

But his post-referendum legacy was marked by the collapse of the defining relationship of his political career with Nicola Sturgeon, who succeeded him as first minister and regarded him as her mentor.

A decade on from that referendum, SNP veterans on Saturday also quietly reflected on the bitter legacy of the events of the last seven years that led Salmond to angrily resign his membership and form another independence party – called Alba, the Gaelic for Scotland it to compete.

It was Sturgeon whom Salmond blamed for the Scottish government's handling of initial sexual harassment complaints made against him – leading to a criminal trial in which he was high-profilely acquitted of all charges – and a Holyrood inquiry.

“It was a split between a comparatively small group of people who were very close and had gotten the party to where it was,” said Michael Russell, a former Scottish government minister and SNP leader under Salmond and another member of that inner circle the current First Minister John Swinney. “It was very difficult, but this is the moment to reflect on your successes.”

“There was no one to compare him to,” said Russell, who was Salmond's campaign manager when he first became party leader in 1990. “The party recognized early on that he was an exceptional talent.”

“He was on a personal campaign to convert every person in Scotland. He had the ability to connect with people and also have a strategic perspective.” He also knew “how important it is to be seen,” said Russell, and was instrumental in raising the SNP's profile so far to make sure voters saw them as a potential governing party.

Still, Salmond was arguably the successful leader he became because of his relationship with Sturgeon – she led the SNP at Holyrood while he was at Westminster in the mid-2000s and expanded the referendum campaign to appeal to younger, left-wing urban voters.

Although the 2014 independence referendum was the highlight of their relationship, after losing his Westminster seat in 2017, he refused to step back and take on the elder statesman role that awaited him, making things difficult for his successor. To their dismay, he decided to sign a broadcasting contract with the Kremlin-funded Russia Today channel and became a fringe presenter in Edinburgh, spreading sexist jokes.

Although he became an increasingly controversial figure, it is difficult to overstate his influence first on Scottish politics and then on the cause of independence.

Salmond joined the party, which he eventually led as a student at St Andrews University in 1973, and after graduating worked as an economist for the Royal Bank of Scotland. But he was also a political radical as a member of the '79 faction, which wanted the SNP to move to the left and attract disaffected Labor voters disappointed by the British government's failure on devolution.

Elected to Westminster in 1987, he took over the party leadership in 1990 and his flair for debate was evident as he enjoyed the role of Leader of the Opposition in the first Scottish Parliament.

His penchant for betting on horse racing was well known, and his political career was also marked by moments in which he took extreme risks that paid off.

Immediately after the 2007 Holyrood election, in which the SNP won just one more seat than the incumbent Labor Party in a coalition-designed parliament, Salmond made a bold media statement from a helicopter, insisting that his Party has won and the next minority government will be formed. His rivals joined in.

A brilliant strategist, he trained candidates to “act like winners” and effectively broke the Holyrood system by winning a majority in 2011 – the only time a party has achieved this in 25 years of devolution.

This independence majority paved the way for the historic agreement with then British Prime Minister David Cameron to hold a one-question referendum in 2014 on whether Scotland should be an independent country.

“He changed the script and in doing so changed the history of Scotland,” said Eilidh Whiteford, who succeeded Salmond as MP for the Banff and Buchan constituency after he returned to Holyrood as SNP leader.

“I was very lucky to have him as a friend, mentor and boss and I owe him a lot. It was an enormous challenge working for him, but it was also a lot of fun. And he had the greatest ambitions for the country.”

Fergus Mutch, a former Salmond adviser, said that Salmond “loved being on the road”.

“He was interested in people and had time for everyone,” Mutch said, attributing this to Salmond recognizing growing discontent with Labor in Scotland as an opportunity for the nationalists. “Like any politician, he carefully studied the opinion polls, but he found no better guide than talking to voters.”

And while Salmond could be “an absolute teacher,” he also knew “the value of friendship, camaraderie and relaxing over a few drinks.”