During a long and bloody history Stirling
Castle has been attacked or besieged at least 16 times. Three battles have
been fought in its immediate vicinity, two of which were turning points in
Scottish history: and a fourth equally important battle took place just a few
miles to the north. A number of Scottish Kings and Queens have been baptised,
or crowned, or died within or near Stirling Castle. And at least one King was
murdered nearby: while another committed murder within its walls.
Much of the History of Scotland has been played out at
Stirling Castle or within sight of it...
A site as important as the castle rock at Stirling, guarding as it
does the lowest crossing point of the River Forth, would have been of strategic
interest to anyone wanting to control central Scotland. There is, however, no
actual evidence that the Romans or the Votadini, or the Picts who fought over
this ground in the first millennium A.D. fortified the rock: it simply seems
highly likely that they would have done. And it is sadly only an attractive
theory that the legend of Camelot is based on a castle here during
King Arthur's conquest of parts
of Scotland in the 6th Century.
1100-1200
- 1110:
Alexander I dedicates
an existing chapel within the castle.
- 1170:
William I (William the
Lion) creates a royal hunting park at Stirling.
- 1174: Control of Stirling Castle is
handed over to the English as part of the terms of the release of
William I, held captive
by them.
- 1189: Stirling Castle is returned to
William I by Richard I
of England.
1200-1300
- 1263:
Alexander III
creates additional hunting parks to the south of Stirling Castle, near
Bannockburn.
- 1280: Extensive building work is
undertaken at the castle, none of which remains.
- 1291: Stirling Castle is placed under
the control of Edward I
of England while he adjudicates the future of the Scottish Crown.
- 12 July 1291: The Scottish nobility
swears fealty to the English Crown at Stirling Castle.
- 1296:
Edward I captures an
undefended Stirling Castle.
- 11 September 1297:
William Wallace and
Andrew Murray lead the
Scots to victory at the
Battle of Stirling Bridge below the castle. The wooden bridge of the time was
60m upstream from the stone bridge visible from Stirling Castle today, which
dates back to the 1400s.
- September 1297: Stirling Castle is
surrendered by the English to the
Scots in the aftermath of
the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
- 1298: The
Scots abandon Stirling
Castle after their loss at the Battle of Falkirk and
Edward I again resumes
control.
- 1299:
Robert the Bruce
successfully lays siege to Stirling Castle and regains it from the English.
1300-1400
- April 1304: Stirling, the last castle
in the hands of the Scots,
is besieged by the English.
- 20 July 1304: Stirling Castle
surrenders to Edward I of
England.
- 1314: Stirling is by now one of only
five Scottish castles held by the English and is besieged by
Edward Bruce, the younger
brother of Robert the
Bruce. An agreement is made that it will surrender if not relieved by
midsummer's day.
- 24 June 1314: English forces
attempting to relieve Stirling Castle are resoundingly defeated at the
Battle of Bannockburn, two miles to the
south of the castle. The castle surrenders to the Scots.
- 1314:
Robert I destroys the
defences at Stirling Castle to prevent them being used again by the
English.
- 1333: The English again take control
of Stirling Castle and rebuild its defences as part of a major redevelopment of
the castle. Nothing of what they built remains visible today.
- 1337: The
Scots unsuccessfully
besiege Stirling Castle, possibly using cannons.
- 1342: Robert Stewart (the future
Robert II) begins a
siege of Stirling that succeeds the following year.
- 1347: Stirling Castle remains under
Scottish control during a further English invasion.
- 1380: Stirling Castle is
strengthened, acquiring a range of defensive works including a new
North Gate. This is the earliest part of the
castle still visible today.
1400-1500
- 1412: The Chapel of St Michael at the
castle was rebuilt, possibly on a site underneath part of the present
Chapel Royal.
- 1463:
James III undertakes a
range of building works at Stirling including a "White Tower" no longer
standing, and the rebuilding of a chapel.
- 1475: Records suggest artillery is
being manufactured in the castle.
- 11 June 1488: The 14 year old
James, Duke of Rothesay,
son of James III, leads
a revolt against his father that culminates with the Battle of Sauchieburn,
fought over the same ground as the Battle of Bannockburn just two miles south
of Stirling Castle. James
III is killed after the battle by an unknown hand.
- 1496:
James IV begins extensive
building works at Stirling, including the "King's House", now the
King's Old Building. At around the same time he
creates the Chapel Royal. This is probably a major refurbishment and
enlargement of earlier buildings partly within the Inner Close and partly under
the Chapel Royal standing today.
1500-1600
- 1500: Work begins on building the
Great Hall at Stirling Castle. It is completed in
1504.
- 1503: Work is under way on the
Forework, a massive series of defensive towers and
walls at the south end of the castle. Parts of this, including the Forework
Gate and the Prince's Tower, remain today in altered form.
- September 1507:
James IV's alchemist,
John Damian falls from the
castle walls while attempting a flight to France using wings made of bird
feathers.
- 1511: The upper parts of the
North Gate are built.
- August 1515: The Duke of Albany
successfully besieges Stirling Castle to gain the Regency of Scotland from
Margaret Tudor.
- 1528:
James V escapes to
Stirling Castle after a period in the captivity of Scottish nobles.
- 1529:
James V gains ownership of
the castle from his mother in return for lands elsewhere.
- 1531:
James V begins major
building works at the castle with a new stable block.
- 9 September 1543: The infant
Mary Queen of Scots is
crowned in the Chapel Royal (the building of
that name refurbished in 1496 rather than the one standing today).
- 1559:
Mary de Guise, (now Regent
on behalf of her daughter, who is in France) orders the upgrading of the
defences at Stirling Castle to bring them into the age of artillery. Although
later altered, parts of her new defences can still be seen today, especially
the French Spur.
- 17 December 1566: The future
James VI of Scotland and
I of England is baptised in the Chapel Royal.
- 21 April 1567:
Mary Queen of Scots
visits Stirling Castle to see her son James. This turns out to be the last time
she will see him.
- 29 July 1567: Following his mother's
forced abdication, James
VI is crowned the infant King of Scotland at the
Church of the Holy Rude, close to Stirling
Castle.
- 3 September 1571: Stirling Castle is
attacked by Mary's supporters.
- 15 July 1578: A meeting of the
Scottish Parliament is presided over by
James VI in the
Great Hall at Stirling.
- 17 April 1584: Rebellious Scottish
lords seize Stirling Castle, then surrender it to the King and his army on 4
May.
- 1585: The rebellious Scottish lords
return from England and capture Stirling Castle again, only to hand it back to
James VI.
- 1594:
James VI orders the
rebuilding of the Chapel Royal, the building on view today.
1600-1700
- 1617: Stirling Castle is refurbished
in advance of a visit by James VI.
- 1627: The castle gardens are
redesigned, including the construction of the King's Knot in the valley
below.
- 1633:
Charles I visits
Stirling Castle during the Scottish tour that forms part of his belated
coronation as Scottish Monarch.
- 30 March 1685: Stirling Castle
officially becomes a military base rather than a Royal Palace.
- 1689: New artillery batteries are
built, and the old kitchen range is infilled to
provide a secure base for guns.
1700-1800
- 1700: The Palace is rebuilt to
include an upper level of accommodation for the Castle Governor.
- 1711: Work begins on the
strengthening of Stirling Castle's defences in light of the Jacobite threat. It
is finished in 1714.
- 17 September 1715: The Government
commander in Scotland, the Duke of Argyll, bases himself at Stirling Castle to
prevent the advance south of the Jacobite army.
- 13 November 1715: The Duke of Argyll
meets, and defeats, the numerically superior Jacobite army at the
Battle of Sheriffmuir, a
few miles north of Stirling.
- 6 January 1746: The Jacobite Army
under Bonnie Prince
Charlie takes the town of Stirling and
sets up its artillery on Gowan Hill, to the north-east of the castle (now a
cemetery) to besiege the castle. The castle's artillery destroys the attacking guns and the
Jacobites retreat.
1800-1900
- 1800: During the Napoleonic Wars much
of Stirling Castle is converted into barrack accommodation to house Scottish
troops bound for distant battles. The Great Hall,
Chapel Royal and Palace all have extra floors inserted and a number of
smaller new buildings are constructed, including the powder magazines in the
Nether Bailey in 1810.
- 13 September 1849:
Queen Victoria visits
Stirling Castle and is greatly impressed by it.
- 1893: The first suggestion is made
that the Great Hall should be restored.
1900-Today
- September 1906: King Edward VII
expresses concern at damage being done by the military to Stirling Castle. It
is the turning point in the Castle's fortunes.
- 1921: The kitchens, filled in since 1689, are excavated and
partly restored.
- 1964: The army leaves Stirling Castle
and work begins to restore parts of it to its heyday as a Royal Palace.
- 1996: Restoration of the
Chapel Royal, begun in the 1930s, is
completed.
- 30 November 1999: Queen Elizabeth II
formally opens the renovated Great Hall.
- June 2011: The Palace reopens to the public after a £12m and five
year resoration programme.
