Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has insisted his government has a mandate to hold a referendum on independence in the autumn of 2014.
It comes after ministers in London said such a move would be unlawful without Westminster's approval.
But a spokesman for Mr Salmond said Scottish National Party ministers were "entirely confident" of their plans.
Mr Salmond said the timing would allow people to make a "considered" decision on the country's future within the UK.
He said: "That's the first date where you can have a full discussion and preparation for the biggest decision Scotland is going to make for 300 years.
"I think you'll find the reaction of Scotland is that's a perfectly satisfactory date for the referendum.
"It makes sure that everybody's voice is heard in the consultation and all the questions that people have about the different constitutional formats can be answered and then we can have a proper campaign and debate.
"We've been thinking about these things for some time. I don't think this will come as a great surprise to anyone and I think it will enjoy general support."
In a row that could become a constitutional crisis, Mr Salmond accused the UK government of adopting a belligerent attitude.
Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said he hoped to work with the SNP government to resolve the dispute.
Mr Moore told the House of Commons that there would be a consultation on how to hold a referendum.
He has not stated when the coalition government would prefer a referendum to be held, but said he would like it to be "sooner rather than later".
In a statement to MPs, Mr Moore said the government's "clear view" was that the power to hold a referendum was "reserved" to Westminster under devolution laws passed in 1998 and that the Scottish government could not authorise a referendum on its own.
Mr Salmond said Westminster should "resist the temptation" to interfere in Scottish politics.
"I think the Westminster parties have got to start understanding - all Westminster politicians - that this has to be a referendum made, built, and run in Scotland," he said.
Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont said announcing the preferred date was a "panicked response from a panicked first minister".
Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said the "key issues" were what the referendum question would be and who would oversee the vote.
| SNP position | Unionist position |
|---|---|
| Wants the referendum towards the end of its five-year Holyrood term | Wants the referendum "sooner rather than later" |
| Backs a "yes/no" ballot but is open minded on including a second "devo max" question | Wants a one question "yes/no" ballot |
| Wants 16 and 17-year-olds to be able to vote in the referendum | Backs the status quo with 18 and over able to vote |
| Wants a special commission to conduct the referendum | Wants the Electoral Commission to oversee the vote |
Mr Salmond's spokesman said: "The timetable we have set out enables a full debate to be held, all the issues to be discussed and we are extremely confident of achieving a successful result."
Under the Scottish government's timetable, a referendum bill would be introduced at Holyrood in January 2013, it would be expected to be passed by the autumn and gain Royal Assent later in 2013.
BBC Scotland correspondent Colin Blane says Mr Salmond's decision to announce the date of the referendum came out of the blue.
SNP ministers had been bristling at Prime Minister David Cameron's comments on the timing and legality of their plans since the weekend, our correspondent added.
Big differences also remain between the two governments on the timing of the referendum, who would run it and on whether 16 and 17-year-olds could vote.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson says the message sent from Westminster to Edinburgh could herald a first and historic struggle in the Supreme Court over the respective powers of the two parliaments.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-politics-16499642
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