Skip to 0 minutes and 5 seconds For 900 years, the heart of Scotland has been Stirling. This picturesque city is home to a royal citadel, which sits on a volcanic rock overlooking the winding river Forth. With the Ochils and Trossachs to the north. Stirling is known as Gateway to the Highlands, one of the most strategic locations in Scotland’s landscape for trade, transport and communication. How has this affected Stirling’s culture and heritage as well as its history? On this four week course, we will explore the history of Stirling from the foundation of the burgh by the Scottish King David, the first in the 12th century, to the modern day.
Skip to 0 minutes and 48 seconds We’ll use a range of historical sources to get a closer look at events, people and places around the city and consider how Stirling is representative of wider issues in Scotland’s history, heritage and identity. We’ll examine the strategic role of Stirling during the wars of independence, when William Wallace and Robert the Bruce fought decisive battles here; the vibrant religious life of the later Middle Ages and town’s response to the reformation; and the political turmoil of the reigns of Mary, Queen of Scots and James the Sixth.
Skip to 1 minute and 23 seconds We will consider how the people of Stirling were impacted by the outbreaks of plague and witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries; by the Jacobite risings and the radical era of the 18th and 19th centuries; by the social changes from housing to regeneration of the 20th century; and we’ll also look at the founding of the University. In all of this, you’ll be led by a team from the University of Stirling, alongside colleagues from other local organisations, to reflect on the past and how we understand it today and consider what does all this mean for Stirling’s future?
Skip to 2 minutes and 3 seconds Join us to explore this mediaeval, early modern and modern history, as we consider how the issues of heritage and identity are reflected here in Stirling, the Heart of Scotland.
