![]() ![]() Edward's puppet king of Scotland, John Balliol occupied the castle and when Edward I returned in 1296 to depose him, the castle withstood a siege for eight days. In 1291 Edward I of England again took the castle and removed the records and treasures, most of which were never returned. ![]() It first met as such at the Castle in 1215, convened by Alexander II. Earlier in the 12th century, David I had assembled a group of nobles and clergy which eventually became the first Scots Parliament. It was returned to Scotland in 1186 as part of the dowry on his marriage to an English noblewoman, Emardis de Beamont. But when William the Lion was captured at Alnwick in 1174, Edinburgh was one of a number of castles handed over to Henry II of England. The castle was used for keeping royal treasure and records and kings frequently lived in it. ![]() The chapel which bears her name (illustrated here) was probably not built until the 12th century. She brought piety and manners to the Scottish court and was well known for her generosity to the poor. "Saint Margaret" (she was later canonised) was Saxon-English, a refugee from the conquest of England by the Normans under William the Conqueror. The first record of the castle being used as a royal residence occurs in the 11th century when Margaret, wife of Malcolm III died there after hearing of her husband's death at Alnwick in 1093. But the area we now know as Lothian was not captured and held by Malcolm II until after the Battle of Carham in 1018. They did not leave until about 300 years later. After a raid into the territory of the Angles by King Mynyddog Mwynfawr and a defeat at Catterick in Yorkshire around AD 600, the area was subsequently captured by the Angles from the south in 638. Their bard Aneurin sang the praises of Din Eidyn (Dunedin or fortress on a slope) in the 6th century. The earliest known inhabitants of this part of the world were the Votadini (also known as the Gododdin, whose language was an early form of Welsh). It has been used as a fortification for over 2,000 years - there was a hill fort there in the time of the Romans. ![]() The shoulder of the Royal Mile runs east down from the castle and was formed when the whole of Scotland was covered by an ice sheet and the flow of the glacier ran from west to east - dropping rubble and earth in the lee of the rock. Places to Visit in Scotland - Edinburgh CastleĮdinburgh Castle sits on top of what was, at one time, a volcano - a 437 feet high plug of basalt rock. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |