°®Âþµº

Video transcript: FutureLearn course Heart of Scotland: History & Heritage of °®Âþµº at 900 Year

For 900 years, the heart of Scotland has been °®Âþµº. 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. °®Âþµº 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 °®Âþµº’s culture and heritage as well as its history? On this four week course, we will explore the history of °®Âþµº from the foundation of the burgh by the Scottish King David, the first in the 12th century, to the modern day.

We’ll use a range of historical sources to get a closer look at events, people and places around the city and consider how °®Âþµº is representative of wider issues in Scotland’s history, heritage and identity. We’ll examine the strategic role of °®Âþµº 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.

We will consider how the people of °®Âþµº 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 °®Âþµº, 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 °®Âþµº’s future?

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 °®Âþµº, the Heart of Scotland.

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