Stirling Castle is a spectacular royal castle located on a 240 foot high volcanic crag 350 million years old, dominating the plains below. The earliest fortifications date back more than 3,000 years ago.

It is an ancient and strategically important site to whoever held Stirling Castle would hold Scotland. It has been a favourite home of Scottish Kings from the 1100's, providing security and comfort unrivalled by any other royal residence.

Due to its strategic importance it also became one of the most besieged castle in the land, including the crucially important battles in Scotland's history - Stirling Bridge in 1297 and Bannockburn in 1314. Magnificent palatial buildings were later added for the Stewart Court replacing the timber castle of King Edward I's day, and later still adapted as a garrisoned fortress.

The story of the castle reads as the history of the kingdom of Scotland such was its importance. A great castle to visit.

~ History ~

80's AD ~ The Maeatae and Votadini tribes establish a fortress on the rock in the face of the invading Roman legions.

1110 ~ King Alexander of Scotland makes arrangement for financial support from the Royal treasury for the chapel at Stirling Castle.

1124 ~ King Alexander dies at Stirling Castle.

1174 ~ The castle is surrendered to King Henry II of England, as part of the price for King William of Scotland's release after he is captured by the English.

1214 ~ King William the Lion finally succumbs to a long illness that has plagued him for several years, dying at Stirling Castle following a lengthy journey from East Lothian to Moray, in order to make peace with the Earl of Caithness following significant troubles in The North. 

1291 ~ Following the deaths of King Alexander III of Scotland and later his heir, Margaret, the Maid of Norway, King Edward I of England is invited to adjudicate between the rival claimants, staying briefly at Stirling Castle. The following year King Edward favours John Balliol, Lord of Galloway's claim to the Scottish throne, as Edward's man.

1295 ~ King John Balliol's nobels negotiate a treaty with King Edward's bitter enemy France to support each other against English aggression. This unleashes King Edward's fury.

1296 ~ King Edward marches north with an enormous all-conquering army - earning his nickname 'Hammer of the Scots' as he strips King Balliol of his crown. The strategically important Stirling castle is captured to secure Edward's domination over Scotland.

1297 ~ Sir Andrew Murray and William Wallace lead the Scottish rebellion to overthrow the oppresive English occupation, marching to Stirling. The aged English Earl of Surrey leads a large English army to Stirling to counter this threat and camp beneath the English held Stirling Castle. The over-confident English kinights cross the narrow timber bridge at Stirling to engage the Scots in their strong defensive position overlooking the bridge. The Scots then spring their trap on the English who had already crossed the bridge and have limited room to manoeuvre or set any formation. They are massacred as the rest of the English army look on helpless the other side of the river. The Earl orders that the bridge is destroyed to stop the victorious Scots from attacking the rest of his army, sealing the fate of those still on the otherside of the river.

The influential Scottish leader Sir Andrew Murray is fatally wounded, dying two months later. The Scots retake Stirling Castle.

On hearing this humiliating defeat, a furious King Edward is given all the resources and support he requires from his nobles to crush the Scots, returning the following year led by Edward himself to successively carry this out at the Battle of Falkirk.

The decisive English victory shatters Wallace's coalition and destroys his reputation as a general, losing any lingering support he has from the Scottish nobels. The English retake Stirling Castle.

1299 ~ Stirling Castle is besieged and facing starvation, eventually taken by the Scots.

1304 ~ Following King Edward's successful and forceful campaign to bring Scotland back under firm English control, Stirling Castle is the only significant stronghold left in Scots control. King Edward besieges the castle for three months.

Having learnt the lesson of the disasteroud battle of Stirling Bridge, King Edward has ordered that a pontoon bridge be constructed in King's Lynn in Norfolk, and floated up the east coast, enabling Edward's forces to cross the River Forth downstream from Stirling Castle. Faced with starvation, overwhelming force and no chance of relief, the Scots surrender Stirling Castle to Edward. However, Edward refuses to accept their surrender until he has tried out his new weapon of mass destruction, the 'war wolf' on the castle walls. This powerful trebuchet which has taken 445 workmen to build pounds the walls of the castle before Edward permits the Scots defenders, commanded by Sir William Oliphant, to be allowed to surrender and march out as declared traitors, but not executed.

1306 ~ Robert the Bruce, King John Balliol's rival claimant to the Scottish throne, murders his bitter enemeny and the most powerful man in Scotland after King Edward I, John Comyn. This leads to his excommunication by the Pope and cival war with the powerful English backed Comyn clan and their supporters. Bruce is forced to move quickly to seize the crown, but before he is able to assemble an army to take on the Comyn's, an English army destroys his forces at the Battle of Methven, forcing him and his few loyal supporters to flee into hiding as hunted men.

1307 ~ King Edward's reaction to his former loyal supporter Bruce in seizing the Scottish Crown for himself sees him lead an enormous army north to once and for all destroy Bruce and and any other rival claimants to the Scottish crown.

Now aged 68 and in poor health, King Edward I, 'Hammer of the Scots' dies in sight of Scotland, He is succeeded by his weak son King Edward II. The death of the feared King Edward I inspires the outlaw King Robert the Bruce and his supporters to resume their fight for independence.

1313 ~ Robert the Bruce's successful campaign has forced the English from all but four castles in all of Scotland, including Stirling. King Robert the Bruce's brother Edward lays siege to the castle but in doing so reaches an agreement with the castle's constable, Sir Philip Moubray, that the castle will be surrendered to the Scots if it has not been relieved by the English by Midsummer's day. King Robert is furious with his brother, who has inadvertently invited the English King and all his might to march on Stirling Castle and force the Scots into a pitched battle, instead of Bruce's guerilla tactics that have proven to be so successful against one of the most powerful armies in all Christendom.

1314 ~ King Edward II has taken up The Bruce challenge to relieve Stirling Castle with a 17,000 strong heavily armed force, against the poorly equiped Scots army less than half this number. However, Bruce has prepared the boggy battleground well to ensure the English are unable to deploy their overwelming force, especially their heavy cavalry against the Scots. Following a bloody encounter Bruce's tactics overcame all the odds, forcing the heavily armed English knights into the bog and the Bannock Burn, where they are massacred. This massive defeat see's the English flee the battlefield, their rich baggage train of treasure captured, rich knights ransomed and important prisoners exchanged, including Bruce's wife Queen Elizabeth, his daughter Marjorie, and his greatest supporter the influential Bishop William Wishart. Stirling castle is back in Scottish hands once more. Bruce, determined that the English can never again hold Stirling Castle against the Scots, orders the castle to be destroyed.

1327 ~ King Edward II of England is forced to abdicate and is later murdered. King Robert the Bruce takes this period of English weakness and infighting to invade northern England, forcing the English into the Treaty of Edinburgh, finally recognising Scotland's independence the following year. Just twelve months later Robert the Bruce dies, having achieved all that he has set out to achieve. He is succeeded by his five-year-old son King David II.

1332 ~ Disaffected Scots, most notably the nobles who had been disinherited by Bruce for supporting the English or Balliol cause, rise up and invite his son Edward Balliol to take the Scottish throne. With English support the Balliol campaign is successful, with Bruce's son King David forced into exile in France.

1336 ~ Stirling castle is surrendered to the English once more. Extensive repairs are carried out to improve both the defences and the accomodation of the castle.

1342 ~ The castle is recaptured by the Scots following a six month siege.

1381 ~ Following years of siege and destruction of the castle, the first Stewart King, Robert II, orders rapairs to be made to the stronghold.

1424 ~ King James I of Scotland is finally released from his captivity in England and grants Stirling Castle to his queen, Joan Beaufort, as part of her marriage settlement.

1425 ~ King James, still full of anger and intent on revenge to those who had done little or nothing to aid his release for their own personal gain, takes his vengeance out on his late Uncle's son and heir Murdoch, Duke of Albany and governor of Scotland during the kings captivity. The death sentance is ratified by Parliament at Stirling Castle. Murdoch, his two sons and the 80 year old Earl of Lennox are beheaded near to the castle. This ruthless act brings the King their wealth, but with it many powerful enemies.

1437 ~ King James is assinated by his enemies in Perth.

1452 ~ King James son and heir, James II has inherited his father's ruthless streak, directing it at the powerful Douglases. 

After inviting William, 8th Earl Douglas to Stirling Castle, the hot tempered King stabs the Earl to death.

The king accused the Earl (probably with justification) of forging links with John Macdonald, 11th Earl of Ross (also Lord of the Isles) and Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford. If true, this created a dangerous axis of power of independently minded men, forming a major rival to royal authority. When Douglas refused to break the bond with Ross, James broke into a fit of temper, stabbed Douglas 26 times and threw his body out of a window. His court officials then joined in the bloodbath, one allegedly striking out the earl's brain with an axe.

This murder does not end the power of the Douglases, but rather created a state of intermittent civil war.

1483 ~ King James III, on poor terms with his queen, Margaret of Denmark, lives the last three years of her life away from the king at Stirling Castle, with her son and future king James IV.

1488 ~ Two years after his mother's death at Stirling Castle, James is persuaded to leave the castle to join with disaffected nobles who have risen up against his father the king. Prince James's presence helps ensure the defeat of King James III.

In succeeding to the throne king James IV confesses his role in the overthrow of his father in the royal chapel in Stirling Castle.

King James goes on to undertake extensive building work on his favourite castle into a sumptuous royal residence.

1538 ~ King James V begins an ambitious building program on his royal residences including a palace at Stirling Castle.

1543 ~ Following her father's death at Falkland Palace, his daughter Mary is crowned Mary, Queen of Scots at Stirling Castle. Her mother, Mary of Guise, makes the safety of Stirling Castle the main residence for her and her infant daughter. She is forced to defend her daughters interests against the ambitious Earl of Arran, Regent of Scotland, and King Henry VIII's forceful policy of seeking bethrothal by warfare of his son Edward to the infant Mary, during the period known as the Rough Wooing.

1547 ~ Following the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Pinkie, young Mary is sent from Stirling Castle to the safety of France the following year, out of the clutches of the English King. 

1554 ~ Mary of Guise becomes regent of Scotland in her daughter's absence.

1560 ~ Following the death of her young husband King Francis II of France after just one year, as well as her mother in the same year, Mary Queen of Scots returns to Scotland. On her return she finds her realm Protestant and at odds with her Catholic faith, led by the zealous reformer John Knox who, along with her ruling own half brother James Stewart, become her greatest and most dangerous adversaries.

1566 ~ Following Queen Mary's marriage to her cousin Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley the previous year, she gives birth to a son in Edinburgh but soon moves the infant to the safety of Stirling Castle.

1567 ~ Mary is forced to abdicate, never to see her son again. He is crowned King James VI at Stirling aged just 13 months old. Much of the king's childhood is spent at Stirling Castle where he is taught by the great scolar George Buchanan.

1571 ~ Rival factions fight for control of the infant king, culminating in an attack on the castle, which is repeated 7 years later.

1582 ~ King James is held virtual prisoner at Stirling Castle following the 'Ruthven raid' to kidnap the king.

1594 ~ King James and his queen's first born, prince Henry, is born at Stirling Castle.

1603 ~ Following the death of Queen Elizabeth of England and King James VI succession to the Crown of England, he decides to rule both kingdom's from London, moving away from Stirling Castle and the country of his birth.

1617 ~ Various building works and much needed repairs are carried out at Stirling Castle in time for King James VI visit to the castle.

1633 ~ King Charles I briefly visits the castle following further extensive building works. The king visits one more time during his reign 8 years later when at loggerheads with the Covenanting party in Scotland and on the verge of Civil War in England.

1651 ~ Following King Charles I execution and his son declared King Charles II in Scotland, an English Parliamentary army marches north under the command of General Monck, taking Stirling Castle by siege following a battering of the castle's walls.

1670's ~ With King Charles II king of both England and Scotland, extensive building work is undertaken at Stirling Castle.

1681 ~ King Charles brother and future King James VII visits Stirling Castle but deems its lodgings not fit for royalty.

1688 ~ The Catholic King James is forced to flee his kingdom in favour of his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband, William of Orange. Support for King James continues in Scotland leading to the Jacobite rebellions which lead to defensive improvements being made to the castle to withstand rebel threat.

1707 ~ Following Union of the Crowns the threat of further Jacobite uprisings see further defensive improvements to the castle in the following year.

1746 ~ After the disasterous Battle of Culloden which see's the Jacobite threat all but destroyed, the strategic importance of Stirling in a joint kingdom dies alongside the cause. The castle falls into a state of disrepair.

1794 ~ The outbreak of the Napoleonic War with France see's repair work undertaken at the castle and garrisoned by the Argyll and Sutherland Highland regiments. The castle remains the home of the united regiment until 1964.