The houses of Stuart
1 Citadel and cradle
Without Stirling Castle’s impregnable walls, the first Stuart monarch to don the English crown might never have made it to adulthood
Today, James VI & I is remembered as the man who united two crowns in 1603, establishing the Stuarts as the ruling dynasty of England as well as Scotland – a royal house that endured till the death of his great-granddaughter Queen Anne over a century later.
Yet when James ascended the Scottish throne in July 1567, aged just 13 months, the security of his new realm was threatened by rebellions and infighting. The infant king was placed under guardianship in Stirling Castle, perched impregnably on a volcanic crag far from the turbulent politics of Edinburgh.
Though the great gatehouse has been reduced since the 16th century, from the outside Stirling still looks forbidding – but inside the curtain walls lies a royal palace. Built in the 1530s and 40s, it has been restored to reflect the luxurious residence that was James’s home for much of his first 12 years, providing a fascinating point of comparison with the royal palaces he inherited in England in 1603. Visitors can admire the richly decorated royal chambers, the banqueting hall, and the elegant chapel built by James in 1593-94.
At Stirling
