Video transcript: FutureLearn course Heart of Scotland: History & Heritage of Íæż½ã½ã at 900 Year
For 900 years, the heart of Scotland has been Íæż½ã½ã. 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. Íæż½ã½ã 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 Íæż½ã½ã’s culture and heritage as well as its history? On this four week course, we will explore the history of Íæż½ã½ã 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 Íæż½ã½ã is representative of wider issues in Scotland’s history, heritage and identity. We’ll examine the strategic role of Íæż½ã½ã 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 Íæż½ã½ã 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 Íæż½ã½ã, 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 Íæż½ã½ã’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 Íæż½ã½ã, the Heart of Scotland.