Flags above the large entrance gate of the Stirling Castle in Scotland. There are multiple flags, with the Scottish Flag, the Saltire, above the entrance gate. At this point, the flag is furled. Scotland has a number of castles located all over the region, with the Stirling Castle being one of important ones out of them. It is also a site that attracts a large number of tourists, with the castle being maintained by an entity called Historic Scotland. During the middle ages, when the political history of Scotland was very active, Stirling Castle played a very strategic role. Many of the rulers of Scotland were crowned here, and the castle was also the site of many sieges during political struggles over the centuries. Stirling Castle is located at a very strategic location, atop a high point ensures that the castle overlooked high cliffs, making it easy to defend. It was also overlooking one of the crossings over the River Forth, and hence had strategic importance.
The Castle sits at a site which is supposed to have had some sort of habitation from the 7th century AD, but archaelogical evidence starts out with from around the early 12th century.
During the latter part of the 13th century and the early stages of the 14th century, there was a battle between the Scots and the English, with the English king Edward I of England wanting to ensure his supremacy over Scotland and a war against this effort, with William 'Braveheart' Wallace being one of the most fighters against the English. There was a very famous battle of Stirling Bridge where the English were defeated by William Wallace and Andrew Moray. Over the next 100 years, the castle played a critical role and changed hands many times.
Most of the buildings in the castle were built during the late stages of the 15th century and the end of the 16th century. One of the most famous rules who were crowned here was Mary, Queen of Scots. Her son, James VI, during whose reign the crowns of England and Scotland were unified