Blackness Castle


Blackness Castle near Linlithgow.
Blackness Castle stands by the Firth of Forth, at the port that served the royal burgh of Linlithgow in medieval times. Though built in the 15th century as a lordly residence for the Crichtons, one of Scotland’s more powerful families, it soon took on other roles.
In 1537, James V began to convert the castle into a state prison and artillery fortification. His ambitious project was driven by the looming threat from Henry VIII’s Protestant England. Work completed in 1542, just before the Wars of the Rough Wooing.
Many high status prisoners were held here in later medieval times. The most famous was Cardinal David Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews, in 1543. Beaton was for a long time one of the main rivals of the Earl of Arran, who was Regent of Scotland when Mary Queen of Scots was an infant.

Reacties

Populaire posts van deze blog

Open brief aan mijn oudste dochter...

Vraag me niet hoe ik altijd lach

LIVE - Sergey Lazarev - You Are The Only One (Russia) at the Grand Final