History of Edinburgh

As one of the major centres of the Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh serves as a cultural nexus in Scotland. In addition to being the parliamentary seat of Scotland, Edinburgh is second only to London in annual tourist turnout. The city's long history dates back to Roman invasions during the first century AD. The castle itself, synonymous with the great city, has stood on Castle Rock for 1,000 years. Today, Edinburgh hosts important banking and insurance industries and ranks as the seventh-largest city in the UK.

Beginnings

Edinburgh's oldest roots lie in a fort on Castle Rock, which is an easily defended location. The Roman army first encountered the local Votadini tribe in the Forth River Valley, where these Celtic forces were based at Dunedin, which most scholars think to be the site of Edinburgh Castle. The city's identity began to codify in the 11th century, when Malcolm III constructed a castle on Castle Rock, shortly after which a nearby town began to grow. Within 100 years the town, which became known as Edinburgh, was a thriving community.

Middle Ages

Edinburgh was famous during the Middle Ages for wool production. Nearby Leith served as the port of Edinburgh, and hides were the city's main export. There were also many friars in Edinburghboth Dominican and Augustinian orderswho stayed in friaries along Edinburgh's southern perimeter.

A great deal of conflict between the English and the Scots led to consistent shifting between administrations. At one point, the people of Edinburgh were even protected by a charter. In 1385, the English burned significant parts of the city, in spite of which growth continued until Edinburgh had achieved de facto capital status in Scotland by the 1400s.

Modern times

Despite several periods of unrest and political turmoil, Edinburgh continued to grow both in population and importance. Considerable construction began in the 16th and 17th centuries, with the addition of universities, gardens and government buildings.

In many regards, Edinburgh missed the boom of the Industrial Revolution, which lead to Glasgow overtaking Edinburgh as Scotland's number one city. Today, the city relies primarily upon its older industries of insurance, banking, brewing, printing and other service industries. Tourism is also becoming increasingly important, as visitors come to see the city's quintessential icon, Edinburgh Castle.