Robert The Bruce

Robert the Bruce led his Scottish army to victory at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Scottishweb looks at the story behind his struggle to gain the throne of Scotland. From troubles and murder in Scotland to the looming threat from England, Robert the Bruce was embroiled in Scotland's fate.

The turn of the 14th century was a time of change and turmoil in Scotland. The English king Edward I, the "Hammer of the Scots", had reduced Scotland to a vassal state. In 1297 William Wallace had defeated the English army at the battle of Stirling Bridge, and became Guardian of Scotland, but not for long...

Pictish Hill Fort

One of the great things about the hill-forts of Easter Ross is the fact that from any given one, you can see another, or maybe two. This is no coincidence, or not simply due to the fact that all the forts are on top of hills.

The Battle Of Culloden

The Battle of Culloden, which took place on 16th April, 1746, is to this day surrounded by myths and inaccurate accounts. It was not a war between Scotland and England. It was not a war between Catholics and Protestants.

It was a dynastic struggle between two different royal houses: the house of Stuart and the house of Hanover.

Island Roan - Scotland

Island Roan is located just off the north coast of Sutherland, in the far north of Scotland. It stands testimony to the way of life in the highlands and islands that once was. A way of life few of us today would consider comfortable by our modern standards.

Inverlochy Castle, Ft William

Inverlochy Castle differs from other west highland early stone castles in its level site, which allowed the layout of a quadrangular courtyard with its circular tower at each corner (unlike, for example, Dunstaffnage Castle, the walls of which follow the edges of the rock on which it sits). It was surrounded on three sides by a now silted up ditch, and the fourth side was protected by the River Lochy.

The enf of the Highland way of life in Scotland

In the 19th century, something happened in the highlands of Scotland that should never have happened at all. The Highland Clearances were a shock ripple from the wave that was the battle of Culloden. Years afterwards, when the rest of Britain was waking up to a new era of civilisation and enlightenment, greedy landlords of estates and lands in the highlands of Scotland began to remove the local people to make way for sheep. Sheep were given priority over people, but not just any people. For the folk burned out of their homes were the decendants of the clansmen, the native people of the land - the highlanders.