So far this series we’ve looked at two of Scotland’s most famous monarchs: Robert the Bruce and Mary, Queen of Scots. Today, we step back further in time to meet the rulers whose names have become more forgotten to time.
Helping Jackie to acquaint herself with the earliest kings and queens of Scotland is Richard Oram, a professor of medieval and environmental history at Stirling University. Together, they piece together a picture of the most significant crown-wearers leading up to Robert the Bruce.
How did Scotland come to be ruled by a king in the first place? Who made the biggest mark on the kingdom? And just how accurate is Shakespeare’s take on early monarchs Macbeth and Duncan?
Find out more about the Trust’s castles and royal places here.
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Season 5 trailer
Scottish Christmas traditions: authentic festive displays at Castle Fraser
Scotland’s coasts with Cal Major: advocacy and conservation on Scottish coastlines
Alan Cumming’s Scotland: the Hollywood actor on Robbie Burns, life in Scotland, and his love of history
Vikings in Scotland: how raids on Iona introduced a new age
Scotland in the First World War: the homes that became hospitals to support the war effort
Sam Heughan’s Scotland: The Outlander actor and Waypoints author meets Jackie Bird
Scotland on Screen: Featuring Harry Potter, the Avengers, James Bond and more
The Ghosts of Scotland's Past: How haunting tales have changed through history
Mary Queen of Scots: A life, a legacy
Seabird survival: Battling avian flu
St Kilda: Life before the evacuation
Flora MacDonald: Young Rebel
100 Years of Branklyn Garden
Inside Canna House
Music and Migration in Georgian Edinburgh
Mountain birds
Conservation secrets
In kids we trust
The real history of Scotland's witches
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