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Edinburgh Castle sits atop Castle Rock, a volcanic plug formed over 340 million years ago, offering a perfect defensive position.
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Saint Margaret’s Chapel, built by King David I in honor of his mother Queen Margaret (died 1093), is the castle’s oldest surviving structure.
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During the Wars of Independence and Jacobite Risings, Edinburgh Castle changed hands several times between Scots and British forces.
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In 1457, King James II received Mons Meg, a medieval cannon now preserved as Europe’s best-preserved medieval gun.
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A hidden tower was rediscovered in 1912 during excavations behind a canteen coal cellar window that was untouched for centuries.
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Above the castle’s Royal Palace door, gilded initials “MAH” honor Mary Queen of Scots and her second husband, Henry Stewart.
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The Honours of Scotland, including the Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State, were locked in the castle after the 1707 Union of Crowns.
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The Stone of Destiny, used in Scottish coronations, was seized by England’s King Edward I in 1296 and built into Westminster Abbey’s throne.
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The Great Hall, completed by King James IV in 1511, boasts a wooden roof, large beams, and carvings with Scottish symbols.
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Legends say Edinburgh Castle is haunted; a boy playing bagpipes vanished while exploring its underground tunnels long ago.
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